NEW MEXICO — The New Mexico Highlands University Board of Regents formally dismissed former university president Neil Woolf without cause in June 2026. This dismissal followed allegations from the Board of financial mismanagement, improper hiring and procurement practices, retaliation against employees, and falsifying documents.

The university also alleges that Woolf created new positions for and preferentially hired individuals associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Further allegations include that Woolf failed to investigate complaints of sexual harassment and aggressive conduct, made unauthorized financial commitments and sports-recruiting expenditures, destroyed university records, and signed unauthorized contracts, including one to outsource the university's facilities management employees.

University regents placed Woolf on administrative leave without explanation in early May 2026. According to the Board of Regents, Woolf prevented awareness of these issues by restricting communication from administrators and employees to the Board through ordinary governance channels. The Board stated, "The suppression of reporting was not inadvertent, it was a calculated effort by President Woolf to insulate his conduct from Board oversight."

Woolf filed a lawsuit against the Board and the university. In his lawsuit, he alleges that Board Chair Frank Sanchez directed him to steer $600,000 in state funds to a contractor identified as a friend. Since May 1, the university has placed on leave or terminated at least nine other employees without explanation.

Nicholas Hart, an attorney for Woolf, described the Board's letter outlining the allegations as erroneous and retaliatory. Hart also said Woolf intends to add the Board's letter to his lawsuit against the university. The university plans to launch an independent investigation into its governance issues to determine if the issues warrant a report to authorities.