Good morning.

Budget:  We’ll Know This Week

Governor Bill Richardson has been seeking comment around the state on the budget cuts approved in the recent special session of the Legislature.  He’ll announce what he’s going to do this week.  As you recall, in the special session, higher education I&G took a 4% cut, with 2% of that to be returned in the form of one-time stimulus money.  Higher education special projects took a 6.5% cut.  There’s been a lot of speculation about what the Governor intends.  Once we know for sure, all of the planning that has been going on will kick in, and shortly we will have scenarios ready for consideration by the Regents.

The Regents’ regularly scheduled meeting is tomorrow at 9 a.m. in the SUB Ballroom C. There will likely be discussion about the budget, though it’s unknown if the Governor will have announced his decision by then.  As they say, stay tuned.

Congratulations, Cheo!

We’ve been informed that our own Dr. Cheo Torres has been nominated as a Pillar of the Profession by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and the NASPA Foundation.  Cheo is being recognized for his many years of outstanding service to students, and UNM is privileged that several of those years have been spent with our students.  The NASPA Foundation is also building an endowment in Cheo’s name that will benefit research in student affairs issues.  We cannot be more proud of him.

UNMH an Energy Winner

It’s worth mentioning again that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has named UNM Hospital as a winner of one of its prestigious ENERGY STAR awards.  The ENERGY STAR is the mark of superior energy performance and identifies UNMH as one of the most efficient buildings in the nation by preventing the release of greenhouse gases and protecting the environment.  Last Friday, I presented the ENERGY STAR plaque to UNMH CEO Steve McKernan at the hospital’s monthly Board of Trustees meeting.  The attractive plaque is now prominently displayed in the Barbara and Bill Richardson Pavilion.  Congratulations to UNMH!

Performance Reviews

It’s that time again.  As we approach the end of 2009, UNM staff should begin compiling performance review self-assessments. Performance reviews are a vital source of feedback for employees, and they provide departments an opportunity to review accomplishments while planning for the future. In calendar year 2010, there will be two changes to the Performance Review process.  Next year’s form will reflect the updated University Values, and include a new section for “University Required and Job Specific Training.”  For more information, including a timeline, information session dates and times, and links to the forms, please visit http://hr.unm.edu/consulting/perfrev.php.

Engineering Open House

The School of Engineering is hosting an open house this Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Centennial Engineering Center.  UNM students who are curious about engineering can stop by to see demonstrations of robots, video games, alternative energy and medical diagnostics.  Student projects will also be on display.  The open house ought to be fun and interesting.

Have a good week.

David J. Schmidly

Good morning.

Special Session Results

During the special session last week, the NM Legislature approved cuts of 4% for higher education I&G for the current fiscal year, coupled with a 6.5% decrease in funding for special projects. To somewhat offset the pain, lawmakers returned the equivalent of 2% of I&G cuts in one-time stimulus funding. The Governor has ten days to consider this solvency plan, but now is the time for us to finalize scenarios for consideration by the Regents. Provost Ortega and the deans have been planning for the inevitable for several weeks. Our goal is to preserve as much as possible services that impact students.

Stimulus Funds for Energy Projects

On a positive note, UNM’s sustainability efforts will soon get a boost. Earlier this month, Governor Richardson announced that more than $24 million in stimulus funds will go to schools, colleges, tribes and agencies to improve energy efficiency. UNM will be getting $358,000 of that amount for energy efficient lighting and for solar system upgrades.

United Way Kickoff

Tough economic times can bring out the best in people; and we remember that community success only comes in working together and caring for one another. Our 2009 United Way campaign kicks off today with the theme “UNM Lives United.” Our goal of $1 million is the same as last year, but what we seek is more participation from our campus community. How much you give is not important. It is the giving that counts, for every contribution big or small, will help more than 100 social and nonprofit agencies the United Way supports in central New Mexico, such as at-risk children, the elderly, victims of family violence and other neighbors in need.  Donors can designate dollars for UNM programs.  So when your donation form comes this week, please think about community and contribute.

Mile of Coins

While on the topic of giving, the Student Veterans of the University of New Mexico are raising money for a newly-established scholarship fund. Once again, they host the “mile of coins” on Smith Plaza on Veterans’ Day.  They’re asking students and UNM organizations to begin collecting coins that can be placed side-by-side on November 11.

Fuentes Lecture

As part of the semester-long Lobo Reading Program focusing on immigration and Mexican relations, we welcome renowned Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes to campus this Friday evening for the third and final lecture of the fall series hosted by the Provost’s office.  Fuentes presents, “Mexico in a Nutshell,” a vision of the country’s culture, history and society from the pre-Hispanic epoch to the present.  The lecture will be followed by a book-signing.  It all begins at 6 p.m. this Friday in the SUB ballrooms.

ISTEC General Assembly

The 17th General Assembly of the Ibero American Science & Technology Consortium (ISTEC) gets underway today at UNM. The goal of this week-long international conference is to position New Mexico as a gateway for science, technology, education and innovation for Ibero-America, while promoting UNM as a premiere academic and research institution. The General Assembly brings prestigious leaders from industry, government and academia to our campus, and we welcome them.

Celebrating Tony Hillerman

The UNM Foundation and HarperCollins Publishing celebrate the life of Tony Hillerman and the landscapes made memorable in his books in an event on November 5 at 6 p.m. at the Student Union Building.  Following the tribute, there will be an exclusive endowment reception at Zimmerman Library to benefit the Hillerman/McGarrity Creative Writing Scholarship in UNM’s Department of English. It promises to be a memorable evening.  For all of the details, please go to, http://www.unm.edu/~market/cgi-bin/archives/004398.html#more.

Have a good week.

David J. Schmidly

Good morning.

Health and Wellness Announcements

Health and wellness top the list of UNM announcements and happenings this week. The UNM community congratulates Dr. Melanie Royce, UNM Cancer Center and the Department of Internal Medicine, for being one of only 11 physicians nationally at the 63 NCI Cancer Centers to win an NCI Clinical Team Leadership Award. This highly competitive award is supported by stimulus funds and will provide funding for Dr. Royce and her team to advance cancer clinical trials. This is great news, especially for women in New Mexico and across the nation who are affected by breast cancer.  Congratulations, Dr. Royce.

This week is Preventive Health Week at UNM.  Starting tomorrow, October 13, the Division of Human Resources will bring in several health services to provide seasonal flu shots, cholesterol and glucose testing, bone density heel scans, and many more tests. On Wednesday, UNM and community wellness resources will gather for the Road to Wellness Fair.  Visit http://hr.unm.edu/ehpp/initiatives.php for the details. I encourage everyone to take advantage of these opportunities.

Our focus is on prevention when addressing the flu. Several clinics for the seasonal flu vaccine are scheduled.  To find dates and locations, just go to the http://unm.edu website and click on the green H1N1 icon. These clinics are for regular seasonal flu vaccine only; we have not yet received word on when we will be receiving the H1N1 vaccine.

Siren Test

There will be a test of the UNM siren system this morning at 11:02 a.m.  As a test, no action is required. During a real incident, a siren alert means to shelter indoors and await further instructions, which would come via the TextMe system, email alerts and on the web.

United Way “Tee Off”

UNM’s United Way campaign, “UNM Lives United,” begins with an eye toward increasing on campus participation so that we match last year’s $1 million goal. This Friday, Oct. 16, the campaign “tees off” in the 8th annual UNM Golf Fiesta at the UNM Championship Course.  The tournament is open to all students, faculty, staff, retirees and alumni. Tournament sign-in begins Friday at 11:30 a.m. with the shotgun start scheduled for 12:30 p.m.

Special Legislative Session

Governor Richardson has called a special legislative session to begin Saturday, Oct. 17.  The legislature will be wrestling with strategies to address the state’s financial deficit. Most likely, the University will be facing a mid year rescission.  I will communicate with the UNM community as we learn about the outcomes of the special session.

Have a good week,

David J. Schmidly

Good morning.

We’re pleased to welcome Spanish royalty to campus this morning. Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince and Princess of Asturias, will preside over the fourth meeting of the advisory council for The Prince of Asturias Endowed Chair in Information Science and Related Technologies.

This endowed chair, funded by Spain’s electric utility Iberdrola,is shared by the departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science.  Dr. Fernando Pérez-González recently began his tenure as the second Prince of Asturias Professor.

We’re also delighted to host the Ambassador of Spain to the United States at today’s meeting, as well as our good friend, former U.S. Ambassador to Spain Edward Romero who spearheaded the effort to have the Prince of Asturias Chair located at UNM.

Athletics Issues

Reports of an altercation involving Lobo head football coach Mike Locksley and an assistant coach spread throughout the media last week and have caused much concern and debate in the UNM community.

Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs has rightfully asked the Division of Human Resources to conduct an official investigation and to provide direction on appropriate actions.  He is also contracting with UNM’s Counseling, Assistance and Referral Service to assist in the evaluation and in identifying potential solutions.  This is consistent with provisions in UNM policies 3215 (Performance Management) and 2210 (Campus Violence).  You can find these at:

http://www.unm.edu/~ubppm/ubppmanual/3215.htm and at

http://www.unm.edu/~ubppm/ubppmanual/2210.htm.

The University takes this issue seriously.  We want it settled as quickly as possible and the investigation will be done thoroughly.

Lobo Ads

We are fully aware that many in the UNM community found the Route 66 television ads that included the Lobo mascot to be in questionable taste and not in line with the mission and values of this institution.  As soon as these concerns were made known, UNM Athletics worked with Route 66 to revise the ads. The old ads were pulled off the air a week ago.

Admissions Requirements

The University of New Mexico is considering modifying UNM admission requirements to maximize a student’s opportunity for success. Proposed requirements would de-emphasize standardized test scores, like the SAT and ACT, emphasize a student’s preparation in high school and reward dual credit, AP, and other rigorous courses. 

The Regents want the proposed modifications to be thoroughly discussed and understood. We are seeking comment from students, parents, educators and interested citizens from around the state.  To review the proposed requirements and comment, please go to www.unm.edu/admissions/arp/.  The deadline for comment is November 15, 2009.

Happy Anniversary, El Centro!

El Centro de la Raza is celebrating 40 years of working with and for the students of the University of New Mexico.  Their Adelante celebration is being observed today and tomorrow with a number of activities at the SUB.  A full schedule of events is on El Centro’s website at http://www4.unm.edu/elcentro/.  On behalf of the entire university community, congratulations to El Centro de la Raza for decades of wonderful service.

Have a good week.

David J. Schmidly

Good morning.

Master Plan Comment Extended

Institutional Support Services asked that final consideration of UNM’s Master Plan update by the Regents be postponed until a later date, and I agree.  The plan was to be on tomorrow’s Regents’ agenda, but it will now be delayed so we can gather more input, especially from faculty.

The University had numerous meetings with neighborhood associations and campus constituents, with insightful input from many who have a great interest in the plan.  However, given recent feedback from the faculty, ISS suggested that a delay will allow for more internal dialogue which can only enrich the ideas the plan outlines.

Input on the Budget

Provost Ortega and I want to thank deans and chairs who participated in a thoughtful discussion last week about the budget challenges facing the university. We heard about the probability of another mid-year state budget rescission and the real possibility of further cuts beyond that. More will be known after the state legislature meets in a special session next month.

The deans and chairs talked about a number of options the university might consider to prepare for the cuts, whatever those cuts may be.  Their suggestions will be folded into a number of scenarios for the Regents to consider.

Tracking for H1N1

Last week, UNM began tracking workforce absences due to illness as a way to provide our Emergency Operations Center with information to help identify trends and early indicators that H1N1 and seasonal flu may be spreading across campus. As you know, the threat of the flu is real and has already affected operations on several campuses across the country.  We haven’t seen any great surge in illness here yet, which fortunately gives us more time to learn from the experiences of other institutions as we plan and prepare.

I encourage units on campus to participate in this simple tracking system. It asks for no identifying information, just numbers of ill employees by unit.  It uses existing technology and gives us an additional tool to help manage what may turn out to be a challenging flu season.

United Way on the Way

The official launch won’t be until the end of October, but work is already underway on UNM’s 2009 United Way Campaign. The $1 million goal is the same as last year, but this time our efforts will be to increase on-campus participation.

The chairs for the 2009 campaign are Steve McKernan, UNM Hospital; Nancy Ridenour, College of Nursing; Doug Brown, Anderson School of Management; and Paul Krebs, Athletics. 

Graduate and Professional School Fair

Our undergraduates should start thinking now about getting graduate or professional degrees. Alumni and community members may already be thinking about going back to school for another degree. It’s a good plan because educational attainment directly impacts your earning power and the array of jobs open to you.

This Thursday, Oct. 1 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., more than 80 schools and colleges from across the country will send recruiters to the SUB ballrooms to talk to you about their graduate and professional programs. Go by to get the information that could influence your future.

Have a good week.

David J. Schmidly