Mesalands president highlights activities

Gregory Todd Busch presided over his first regular meeting of the Mesalands Community College board of trustees on May 18, less than three weeks after he took over as president of the institution.

The meeting was held by videoconference as they have for more than a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Busch still was in Arizona during the meeting, and he said from the time he was offered a contract in late April he would do his work for Mesalands remotely for several weeks. Busch said he and his wife, Mary Beth Busch, were moving to Tucumcari by the weekend.

He said during the meeting it had been “a wonderful first few weeks” as Mesalands president and was looking forward to “several opportunities in the future” for the college.

Busch thanked several Mesalands employees for their work during the transition, including chief marketing officer Josh McVey for “keeping the good news rolling of the great things we’re doing at Mesalands.”

Busch also participated in the virtual spring commencement ceremony on May 7 for 73 Mesalands students, less than a week after he assumed the presidency.

In the board’s meeting packet was Busch’s report “that highlights my activities since the last meeting and provides notice of upcoming events that are anticipated or planned before the next regular meeting.” Busch stated he would issue such a report monthly.

Busch wrote the report also would include the schedule and activities of his executive staff. He stated that staff would be represented by academic affairs, student affairs, administrative services and facilities, institutional effectiveness and public relations, communications and marketing.

Busch’s report detailed several meetings and activities since May 1, including meeting with U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, New Mexico Independent Community Colleges, the faculty council and the New Mexico Board of Higher Education. He wrote he would attend a rodeo event in Casper, Wyoming, in June to support the Mesalands team there and host a COVID-19 vaccination event that would be open to students and community members.

Busch wrote he has enlisted “one of the nation’s foremost successful grant writers” who has agreed to help Mesalands at little to no expense.

Busch participated in a 50-minute executive session with the board of trustees near the end of the meeting. The stated reason for the closed session was for personnel matters, litigation and real-estate matters. Details of Busch’s contract have not yet been finalized. No action was taken when open session resumed.

Busch, a native of West Virginia, was a founder and executive senior consultant of the Arizona-based Busch Professional Group consulting firm and holds a long history in higher education. He and his wife, a college professor, have two adult children and three grandchildren.

The college's previous president, John Groesbeck, was placed on indefinite paid administrative leave in March 2020 for undisclosed reasons and fired the next month. Groesbeck had been president for less than two years.

Groesbeck later filed a whistleblower and retaliation complaint in Quay County against Mesalands. The lawsuit is pending.

Natalie Gillard, the college's vice president of academic affairs, served as acting president after Groesbeck's dismissal.

In other business during the meeting:

• The board approved a budget for fiscal year 2022 for the upcoming academic year. Gillard said the nearly $9 million budget reflects 1.5% pay increases to faculty, staff and executives.

The board also approved college finance reports for March and April and budget adjustment requests.

• The board approved the approved the designation of Margaret Ragland as the chief procurement officer. Gillard said Ragland had completed certification from the New Mexico General Services Department for the position.