The Gamble Years

President Gamble Calls Portales Home

By Robert Graham

Dr. Steven G. Gamble calls Portales “home” and has since ENMU’s Board of Regents hired him in 2001 as the University’s ninth president.

“President Gamble provided ENMU many years of stability and leadership, which allowed us to thrive, even in recent years when state appropriations have been reduced,” says former ENMU Board of Regent President Terry Othick (MBA 70, BBA 68). “Dr. Gamble’s tireless work ethic, his honesty, integrity and respect for students, faculty, staff and community is evident. He works for ENMU all day, every day. He respects and appreciats the work done by our state legislators and works to ensure they know the value ENMU brings to our state. We are fortunate to have Dr. Gamble as our president and wish him the very best in his well-deserved retirement.”

President Gamble will begin his retirement on August first from a role that he has known for a quarter of a century. He served as Southern Arkansas University’s (SAU) president from 1992-2001 before providing ENMU with 16 years of exemplary leadership.

“Working with Dr. Gamble has been an amazing privilege. It is very rare to find a university president and a student body president working together on a consistent basis. I am fortunate to be able to know the legendary Dr. Gamble because he inspires me every day to become someone greater than myself,” says ENMU Student Body President Joshua Alvarez.

President Gamble began his career as a director of admissions at Angelo State University (ASU) in 1976, a foundation that proved integral for Dr. Gamble, whose record for enrollment growth is remarkable. Under his leadership, ENMU reversed an eight-year decline in enrollment and initiated a 16-year period of growth of 67% from 3,583 students in 2001 to more than 6,000 in 2017. This consistent enrollment growth for ENMU occurred in the wake of the Great Recession of 2008 and its aftermath in the period from 2009-11 when the State of New Mexico cut ENMU’s funding by 21%.

According to ENMU Vice President of Business Affairs Scott Smart, “Dr. Gamble is a fiscal conservative who has always looked to make decisions that would not put the financial condition of the University at risk. He has a saying, ‘you always fund your recurring expenses with recurring revenue.’”

President Gamble is known to have an exceptional memory. The trained historian is a people person - he remembers not only the person’s face but often personal stories of the people he meets. This skill has allowed Dr. Gamble to craft a presidency that prioritizes the personal touch.

“Dr. Gamble has created a campus culture where students know the president, where faculty are not surprised to see him lean into their office doorway to say hello, and where staff as well as students and their parents are pleased but not surprised when the president knows their names and asks about their jobs or families,” says longtime friend Ronnie Birdsong.

Understanding the importance of the personal touch has allowed President Gamble to create a campus that students want to attend, alumni want to return to and the community wants to utilize. He is ending his presidency having completed Greyhound Stadium’s return to campus. Gamble also oversaw the transformation of Golden Library into the Golden Student Success Center, the single largest construction project in ENMU’s history. Other projects have ranged from the construction of the Communication Building and Guadalupe Hall to the renovation of the Science Building, Music Building, Jack Williamson Liberal Arts Building, Art and Anthropology Building and other facilities. Since 2001, President Gamble has overseen renovations and construction projects of nearly $175 million.

The external beautification of ENMU parallels the University’s internal strengthening through its core mission: high-quality, student-centered academic programs. During President Gamble’s administration, the school initiated six new undergraduate programs, two new graduate programs and three graduate alternative licensure programs. Early in Dr. Gamble’s tenure, ENMU embraced online education, which has allowed the University to amplify its presence throughout New Mexico and nationwide.

On a personal note, Gamble grew up as an “Air Force brat,” attending high schools in Mississippi, Japan and Texas. After graduating from Texas Tech in 1967, he joined the military, retiring from the Air Force Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1995. He and his father Rupert will reside in Portales after Dr. Gamble’s retirement.