New Mexico Highlands University’s president Neil Woolf was placed on paid administrative leave, and the university later removed additional administrators, including Provost Daniel Brown and men’s basketball coach Zach Settembre, the Albuquerque Journal reported. The board of regents has not provided reasons for the leadership changes. Settembre, hired last year and dismissed just five days after signing a three-year contract extension, said he had no prior notice and received leave-related updates through HR rather than an explanation from leadership. Faculty, staff, and students are reporting mounting frustration and stress amid uncertainty, including disruptions to scheduled meetings—highlighting how governance opacity can quickly become a campus climate and retention risk.