Beverlee J. McClure, Ed.D tenth president of adams state university professional experience president & ceo New Mexico Association of Commerce & Industry Albuquerque, New Mexico July 2007 - June 2015
cabinet secretary of higher education State of New Mexico September 2005 - July 2007
president Clovis Community College Clovis New Mexico February 1999 - September 2005
provost St. Augustine Campus St. Johns River Community College St. Augustine, Florida January 1997 - January 1999
assistant vice president for student services & university center operations University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Fort Smith, Arkansas August 1991 - August 1996
assistant director, leadership fort smith University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Fort Smith, Arkansas August 1991 - August 1995
education doctor of education Educational Administration The University of Texas at Austin
master of business administration The University of Arkansas-Fayetteville
bachelor of business administration with high honors Texas A & M, Commerce
associate of science Grayson County College
selected awards & honors named to“power brokers of new mexico” 10 years
ywca “woman on the move” award governor’s award for outstanding new mexico women recognized as one of ten women of influence by new mexico business weekly
22
◗
aStater summer 2015
member who embraces the perspective that different viewpoints can make us all stronger. As a Hispanic Serving Institution, Adams State must continue to focus on the recruitment and retention of Hispanic students. By putting programs and support systems in place to help these students attain their goals, we help every student. One benefit of being designated a Hispanic Serving Institution is that we receive funding for these programs and systems and, in turn, all of our students, especially our firstgeneration college students, have the opportunity to be more successful in this nurturing environment. Being selected as the first female president of Adams State reflects the Board of Trustees’ and the University's commitment to inclusion. That said, many of our alumni may not know that I join a strong group of female leaders in this community. These women include the CEO of San Luis Valley Health, the CEO of Valley-Wide Health Systems, the City Manager, and the County Manager. The young women of the Valley have some excellent role models, and it is an honor to serve with these other women.
Q: how will your business and government experience inform your leadership of asu?
Dr. McClure: The funding for higher education has become much more political at the state and the federal level. There was a time when we could just count on the dollars to flow in, regardless of the outcomes delivered. However, as the cost of a college degree increases, along with the amount of debt a student graduates with, more focus is placed on affordability and accountability, and rightly so. Joining in this increased scrutiny are employers who want graduates to be ready for the workplace. Business leaders are joining parents, students, and potential students in the quest to have higher education justify the return on investment for a college education. In the state of Colorado, higher education faces an even more difficult challenge working in the context of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR). TABOR restricts revenues for all levels of government, which sounds good in theory. The unintended consequence is that the better the Colorado economy does, the less funding is available for higher education. So as Colorado continues to add more jobs and grow the economy, the institutions that train the workforce are placed at a disadvantage. In fact, this disadvantage, combined with the increase in Colorado's high school graduates, has led to more than 30 out-of-state institutions maintaining a full time presence in Denver to recruit Colorado students. For a higher education institution to be successful, a university president must work to diversify revenue, while at the same time work in and with the political leaders to enact bet-