
The Albuquerque Journal is reporting that Democratic State Sen. John Arthur Smith has been critical of the regents' decision to not renew the contract for Garrey Carruthers, who was paid $385,000 a year to serve as both president and chancellor for the university in Las Cruces.
The regents recently split the job, hiring Dan Arvizu as chancellor and John Floros as president. Arvizu will make $500,000 annually, and Floros will make $450,000.
While Carruthers' job was initially posted as one position, regents' chairwoman Debra Hicks says the regents had the authority to create a two-person leadership team and the timing was right.
Hicks previously said the university would be balancing the budget from the chancellor-president salary increase through savings from administrators planning to retire whose positions wouldn't be filled for months while national searches are completed.
She also said regents have a plan to set aside money through an investment strategy.