With more than 50 years of experience working at two-year colleges and 27 years dedicated to The University of New Mexico Valencia Campus, Alice V. Letteney has announced she will step aside as chancellor, effective July 31.

“It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve as the chief officer for UNM-Valencia Campus,” Letteney said. “Our team of excellent faculty and staff including our deans, our chief student services and administrative officers have given our students the opportunity for a first-rate education.”

Letteney earned her bachelor’s degree from Reed College in Portland, Ore., a master’s degree in 1970 and doctorate in 1980, from the University of Connecticut (UConn). She was a teaching assistant at UConn in 1970 before becoming a full-time faculty member at Quinebaug Valley Community College from 1971-1988. Having served UNM-Valencia since 1995, Letteney says she feels she has accomplished numerous feats over her tenure, one of which includes the building of the Workforce Training Center (WTC) in January 2022.

Letteney has led the charge to educate, not only incoming freshmen, but those currently in the workforce by bringing industry recognized initiatives to continue or elevate their education at the Tomé campus and WTC.

“Dr. Letteney has been a staunch pillar of UNM-Valencia, always supporting more than just the students, staff and faculty, but the community as a whole,” said Jon Lechel, senior public relations specialist. “Her presence on campus and in the community will be greatly missed.”

Letteney served as the president of the New Mexico Association of Community Colleges for a few years; she has also been a member of the Los Lunas Chamber of Commerce and is currently a member of Belen Rotary.

Letteney was recently named one of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society’s Michael Bennett Lifetime Achievement Award recipients. She will be recognized by PTK, the national honor society of two-year institutions, at its annual convention next month. She also received the PTK Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction in 2015 and the Citizen of the Year honor from the Belen Chamber of Commerce in 2017.

The search for the next chancellor at UNM-Valencia has started and will be facilitated by the Isaacson & Miller search firm.