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Dr. James Malm sees student enrollment a national challenge as he vies for UNM-G CEO

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Visiting the University of New Mexico, Gallup campus last week, Dr. James Malm wants to bring his 25 years of higher learning career to Gallup.

He currently serves as a professor at the Colorado State University in Greenwood Village, Colo., where he teaches both undergraduate and graduate management courses.

“In many universities there are declines in enrollment and revenue,” Malm said before the search committee on Oct. 20.  “We are facing it all over the country in big external forces with no control over them.”

From 2000 to 2015, the growth rate in colleges and universities nationwide was 32 percent, explained Malm, due to a global economic recession.

“So many people came out of the work force,” Malm said.  “We have the money so let’s get you in school. I saw it here with your numbers,” he explained reviewing the statistics for UNM-Gallup campus.

More colleges and universities exist now to serve 23 million students than in 2000, he explained.

“Our enrollments are down,” he said.  “And this creates an industry shake up, causes mergers, acquisitions, and closures.  We are going through one heck of a state.

Malm has also served as chief administrative officer in Maryland for the Baltimore Community College.  He also served as executive vice president at Mohave Community College in Kingman, Ariz.

“There is pressure on us to create more full time students,” he said. “More students bring in more tuition dollars. How do we stay excellent and relevant when dollars are shrinking?” he said.

“I believe it’s how to organize yourself around students.”

Students know that they are seeking to build their education to have a better quality life for a full time job to raise better families, he explained.

“They are coming for those reasons,” Malm said.

Malm also that some methods today that colleges and universities are using to reach students are through social media on Twitter and Instagram more than through traditional TV advertisements.  These are ways that higher learning institutions are adapting to staying competitive.

Budget challenges, expressed by Tyrone Whitehorse, a student senate member, provides less for travel, clubs, and furniture replacement asking Malm how he would address budget shortages.

“The community leaders who want to support they love students. It’s very different for me to have a conversation with the pillars in Gallup,” Malm said.  “People are allowed to give to us in a tax-deferred way.”

He also expounded on his philosophy of investing money in students as a high priority.

“My decision making process is how do we allocate it,” he said.

Answering a question on where he sees himself in five years, Malm spoke about student enrollment, the 315,000-square foot campus being the baseline of starting out on a five year plan.

“A healthy together community going in the same direction,” he said. “I see in five years and it takes that long to make changes.”

By Deswood Tome

Sun Correspondent

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