NMHU launches internal review after premature firings at Rio Rancho center

New Mexico Highlands University opened an internal review last month after four employees were issued reduction-in-force (RIF) notices on Dec. 19, two of whom worked at the Rio Rancho campus center. University President Dr. Neil Woolf said he rescinded the notices as soon as he learned they had been issued without his approval and pledged to "develop a collaborative long-term plan for NMHU’s campus centers in the months ahead."

The firings and the subsequent review have stoked anxiety among faculty and staff at the Rio Rancho center, 1700 Grande Blvd. SE, where two employees who received notices have roughly 70 years of combined educational experience. NMHU Professional Staff Union President Katie Gray confirmed those two Rio Rancho employees were among the four who received RIF notices. Attempts to reach the impacted employees for comment were unsuccessful.

Faculty leaders described the process as abrupt and damaging to campus morale. Kathy Jenkins, president of the NMHU Faculty Association, wrote in a Dec. 19 email to faculty that "(Serving RIF notices) is not how you treat family. This is not Highlands Purple. This is not how we 'elevate' Highlands." Jenkins later pleaded with Woolf in an email noting that impacted employees had not been told their notices were rescinded; the email thread shows no response from Woolf.

Dr. PJ Sedillo, chair of the special education/gifted department and an associate professor who has worked at the Rio Rancho center since 2013, described the terminations as a personal blow. He said the two Rio Rancho employees are his "go-to people" and that "They're my medicine; they keep me alive and able to be productive with this job." Sedillo said he sent administrators a letter on Dec. 19 expressing that he was "disenchanted" and that NMHU centers feel "not being respected" and "underrepresented." He said the university never responded to that letter and that he never received communication from Woolf about the internal review.

The timing magnified the disruption. Notices were issued Dec. 19, the academic break was under way, and some employees only learned of developments when the spring semester began Jan. 12, leaving frontline staff and students to absorb sudden personnel changes as classes resumed. Dr. Paul Grindstaff, vice president for advancement and university relations, said in an email that the university does not comment on personnel matters or internal administrative reviews.

For Rio Rancho residents and NMHU students, the episode highlights the operational importance of campus center staff who often serve as the first line of support for degree-seeking and continuing-education students. Sudden personnel moves risk interrupting advising, accommodation coordination, and other student services that matter for retention and local workforce development.

What comes next is the university's internal review and Woolf's promised collaborative planning for campus centers. For students, staff, and community partners in Sandoval County, officials say clarity on staffing, communication protocols, and the fate of local services will be the key outcomes to watch as the review proceeds.