Good morning.

Folks have been moving in, out and back into Scholes Hall for weeks now. Today is our turn. The President’s staff may be out of pocket for awhile today as we move back into our offices on the east side of Scholes.  I’m told it has taken almost a year, but the whole building had a new, more efficient HVAC system installed and a much-needed general renovation. Once everyone is settled, we’ll hold an open house for the campus. You’ll see a number of new additions, among them the mission, vision and values of the University prominently and proudly displayed on a Lobo red wall.

On Wednesday morning, the University will host a delegation of young political leaders from the People’s Republic of China.  They are touring a number of sites in Albuquerque, like Advent Solar and the National Hispanic Cultural Center, but they determined that the educational components of their visit would all be found at UNM.  I’ll be greeting them on behalf of the University before they take in a number of our sites, including the Digital Media Garage, School of Law and UNM Hospital.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet individually with several of our deans and look forward to engaging with them as a group at their retreat this week.  I’ve been impressed with the caliber of these individuals and believe the University’s academic mission is in good hands.

The friend-and-fund raising efforts of the University are also in good hands.  This week, I’ll be talking to some of the University’s most ardent supporters when I meet with the Lobo Club Board of Directors and with the President’s Club.

And come Friday, I’ll be wearing red and hope you’ll be joining me.  UNM Alumni started a fine tradition when they gave special t-shirts to faculty and staff who are alums to wear on the fourth Friday of each month.  I think every Friday is a great time to wear red and celebrate your Lobo spirit.

Have a great week.

David J. Schmidly

Good morning.

I understand they’re flipping pancakes at the SUB.  If you’re a staff member reading this, try to get there to start your day off right at the Staff Appreciation pancake breakfast. This week will be filled with special activities which I hope everyone will enjoy as UNM celebrates its remarkable, hard-working staff.

I regretfully cannot join you for pancakes, though I’ll be at several of the events later this week.  This morning, I am in Washington, D.C. attending the summer NASULGC (National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges) conference on the Urban Agenda.  UNM is a classic example of a public and therefore open university set in the middle of a large urban area.  That situation brings a unique set of challenges, but also opportunities.  With its service learning projects, UNM is already engaging several of Albuquerque’s neighborhoods and communities.  At NASULGC, we will continue to explore solutions to urban issues and ways to maximize urban strengths.  Interim provost Vi Florez will be joining me in Washington for these important discussions.

Closer to home, I’ve begun meeting with an ad hoc committee of UNM women faculty about a faculty parental leave proposal.  I’ve asked interim Human Resources VP Carolyn Thompson to convene a group to review current policy and practice to determine how both compare with the faculty’s proposal. Members of the ad hoc committee will be at the table as we pursue a goal we all share - to have policies in place that support our ability to recruit, hire and retain excellent faculty at UNM.

Later this week, I look forward to joining our alumni advocates, Lobos for Legislation, as they meet with legislators from NW Albuquerque and Rio Rancho.  And I’ll be joining all of you at the congratulatory reception for Reed Dasenbrock, as he leaves UNM to take the reins of the NM Higher Education Department as its Cabinet Secretary.

Have a great week.

Good morning.  I hope everyone had a fine weekend.  I want to once again thank the UNM Alumni Association for the wonderful welcoming they’ve extended to Janet and me. We enjoyed meeting all of the enthusiastic alumni at Friday night’s volunteer appreciation reception. As I told the Alumni Board, we will be setting an ambitious agenda for the university that will be realized only if we connect and align a number of constituency groups.  None will be more important than our alumni.

UNM Regents are on campus for committee meetings and their regular meeting tomorrow.  I have found working with these regents to be both invigorating and
educational. They are astute individuals who bring a wealth of expertise to our university enterprise.

Between LOBOrientation, bridge programs, football camp and other summer programs, the campus is filled with young people who one day may come here to study.  I plan to take a moment to walk around this week and say hello to as many of them as possible. Please do the same if you have the opportunity.

I’ll also be touring some of the dorms this week.  The quality, safety and security of our residence halls are of personal concern to me and also to the regents.  As we re-tool the strategic plan and work on the campus master plan, I assure you that we will be paying close attention to campus housing.

Finally, as you get to know me, you’ll learn that I really love baseball. So I’m looking forward to Saturday night and the launch of Staff Appreciation Week with the staff picnic at Isotopes Park.  As I’ve been honored with throwing out the first pitch, you’ll find me working out my arm this week.  I like to think there are a few more good fastballs in it.

Have a great week.
David J. Schmidly

Good morning!  And for me its a great morning as I start my first full week at the University of New Mexico.

During my tenure at UNM, Ill be contacting you each Monday morning with news and thoughts that I hope will help us all get through the coming week with a better understanding of issues that impact the university and its students, faculty and staff. During my first day on the job last Friday, I met with the leadership of ASUNM, GPSA, the Faculty Senate and the Staff Council.  I was impressed and gratified by their eagerness to work together on a common agenda and vision for UNM and I look forward to working with all of them as we set our course for success.

What I told them is what you’ll hear me say time and time again:  We are all here for one reason our students and by building trust and a sense of community, together we will make this great place even better.  To that end, I pledge to build strong two-way communication and to facilitate a dialogue built on trust and respect with all members of the University community.

To start the dialogue, I will meet each Monday morning with the executive leadership team the vice presidents and executive vice presidents.  On the first Monday of the month, the directors from each of the UNM branch campuses will join us, and on the third Monday of each month, the student, faculty and staff leadership will bring their issues and ideas to the table.  Working together, we’ll reach a mutual understanding on how to fulfill the mission and vision of UNM.

With any new leader, change can be expected.  However, I can assure you that I do not anticipate any big changes here for awhile.  I am delighted that Governor Richardson made the great decision to name Reed Dasenbrock as the secretary-designate of the NM Dept. of Higher Education, and I am confident that Reed will do great things for the state as he’s done for UNM.  To fill his position, I have just announced native New Mexican, Dr. Viola Florez as Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and I am confident that Dr. Florez will serve the University well in this capacity.  We will conduct a national search in the fall to fill this position permanently.

Also this week, I intend to name the task force that will review our animal research policies and protocols.  I want to ensure that the respected scientists of the University of New Mexico will be able to continue their essential research in a humane and ethical way.

I will continue to communicate with you my thoughts and ideas, and as I pledged before, I will be doing a lot of listening and learning as I settle into UNM.  To that end, please contact my office at any time with your thoughts, ideas, insights and concerns.

Lets all work together to make it a great week at the University of New Mexico!