Good morning.

It’s Homecoming Week – one of the most festive times of the year. UNM’s Alumni Relations office and the Homecoming Committee have a full slate of activities scheduled for you, so please take advantage of them. Here’s the rundown, http://www.unmalumni.com/homecoming/index.php, with all events leading up to the big UNM-BYU game Saturday night. The Lobos are definitely on a roll, so let’s go out and support them.

Toward the end of the week, inauguration festivities will commence. Remember that this inauguration is not a celebration of Dave Schmidly, but of the UNM community. The theme is “Connect,” and I want students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends to celebrate the connections we have with one another. There will be much to celebrate and learn: http://www.unm.edu/inauguration/events.html.

We begin this Thursday with the two-day symposium, “Forty Years of Community Activism, 1967-2000: Civil Rights Reform Then and Now.” I extend to all of you an invitation to the installation Sunday, Oct. 7, at 2:30 p.m. at Popejoy Hall, followed by a reception at University House. Please go by either UNM ticket office to pick up your tickets for the installation. There are still some available and they are free.

One of the inauguration symposiums will feature NCAA president Myles Brand, talking about the connections between athletics and academics. Strengthening those connections is what we’ve done with some of the changes we’ve made in athletics here at UNM over the last couple of months.

As you know, UNM is currently investigating allegations of NCAA violations involving our football program from several years ago. We are fully cooperating with the NCAA and if the allegations prove to be accurate, we will take swift and appropriate action. I also assure you that those administrative changes that more closely connect UNM athletics and academics will prevent the likelihood of any academic-related violations occurring in the future.

It saddens me that I must once again address an incident that has upset and angered the UNM community. Last week’s incident of flag desecration is a deplorable act. There are other ways to express dissatisfaction that do not involve the willful destruction of a nation’s symbol.

We’ve learned that a series of miscommunications may have led to the incident, but mistakes, even those innocently made, cannot excuse an intolerable act. It is crucial that the new office of Institutional Diversity, as well as Student Affairs and the Office of Equal Opportunity, continue to proactively lead the discussions and actions that address the concerns of all of our communities.

On a happier note, my trip last week to Gallup and the Pueblo of Zuni was instructive and enjoyable. It was also gratifying to see how both communities strongly support UNM-Gallup. Thanks to Beth Miller and her team as well as the communities of Gallup and Zuni for their warm welcome.

It’s Homecoming and ‘Everyone’s a Lobo!’

Have a great week.

David J. Schmidly

Good morning.

I hope everybody enjoyed their weekend. I know I had a great time in Arizona watching the Lobos on Saturday. It was another close one, with the Lobos coming out on top. Next up: Sacramento State at home. I hope to see everybody in red at University stadium on Saturday.

There have been a series of recent incidents involving attacks on some of our international students. I was made aware of these incidents on Monday morning and worked to take swift action. I cannot stress enough how deplorable this behavior is, and as long as I am President of this institution, this type of behavior will not be tolerated. The UNM police department apprehended a suspect Wednesday evening who is believed to be involved in these incidences.

On an unfortunately related note, there was also an incident at the football game two Saturdays ago involving the harassment of Miss Indian UNM, who is an ambassador to the University and to the Native American community. I am disappointed that this type of activity can occur on a campus that values the rich cultural diversity of our student body and I want to reiterate that there is no place for that kind of behavior on the campus of the University of New Mexico or anywhere else for that matter.

Last week the Board of Regents met for their regularly scheduled meeting where a number of important initiatives were discussed and adopted by the Board. Among them was a statement in response to a citizen coalition wishing to restrict certain research activities on our campus. One of the most important things a university does is protect the academic freedom of its students and faculty. The response statement which was unanimously adopted by the Board of Regents does just that.

Coming up this week there are some great University activities I hope many of you will be able to attend.

Today (Monday) is Constitution Day and there will be a celebration from 2:30 to 4:00 in the SUB’s Lobo rooms A and B. For more information you can go to http://www.unm.edu/~market/cgi-bin/archives/002224.html.

Also this week are a continuing set of lectures sponsored by the International Studies Institute and the UNM College of Arts & Sciences on the topic of Environment and Sustainability. Lectures will be held at 4pm and 7pm on Monday and Wednesday in Education 103. Lectures are free and open to the
public and I strongly encourage everybody to try to attend at least one lecture. For more information, you can go to http://www.unm.edu/~isi/Upcoming_Events.htm.

This week marks another milestone for the Banner HR/Payroll project. They will host their 2nd Town Hall on Wednesday from 10:00 to noon in the HSC Domenici Center Auditorium. This is an excellent opportunity for the campus to learn more about what measures are in place to ensure the security of
your data, how they will make sure everyone is paid come January, plus what each of us can do as individuals to get ready for the project go-live.

Lastly, it’s that time of year for the United Way Campaign. A presentation was made to the executive cabinet last week announcing UNM’s goal to raise more than $500,000. One of the University’s key missions is community service and I feel that giving to the United Way is a critical piece of that mission. I hope that everybody is able to give to a great cause when the campaign begins in October.

Have a great week!

-David Schmidly

Good morning.

It was a wild weekend in Albuquerque. Thanks to all of you who came out to support our Lobos in their home opener against the Aggies. That was a high-scoring, antacid-inducing barn burner. Thankfully, the Lobos prevailed with a strong finish. Next up: Arizona.

Other than on the playing fields, UNM and NMSU have a cooperative relationship that is getting stronger. The Regents of NMSU joined UNM Regents for an informative and productive meeting Saturday morning. It was discussed and agreed that the missions of our two universities are quite different from any of the other higher education institutions in New Mexico, so they should be treated differently when it comes to the formulas that determine how much money we
get from the state. Both boards will be asking a state legislative task force to study and recommend formula changes specific to our two universities.

There are a number of cooperative ventures between the two institutions already in the works, with more being planned. The Health Extension Rural Office would put UNM health care professionals in NMSU cooperative extension offices around the state. This would be a great service to all of New Mexico. Also, in conjunction with CNM, both institutions are planning programs for the Rio Rancho campus, including hospitality management and a post graduate program for nurses.

I thoroughly enjoyed the evening spent last week at the awards dinner for La Tierra Sagrada Society, which promotes the UNM School of Medicine out in the community and has also awarded more than $265,000 in medical student scholarships and community-based grants since 2003. Congratulations to this year’s scholarship recipients: Dustin Richter, Andrea King, Tony Salazar and Elena Bissell. I was also very impressed with the community-based programs that
received LTSS awards. Those like the “Medical Students’ Awareness of Traditional Native American Values during Pregnancy” help health care providers better understand their patient’s needs by understanding their cultures. In our richly diverse community, it is with programs like these that UNM can and does excel.

Our international students have asked the regents and my office to secure the funding and location for a cricket pitch. They’ve been at a disadvantage in competition with other schools because UNM does not have a place where they can practice regularly. VP for Student Affairs Cheo Torres is working on this and it will happen. Before too long, some area on Johnson Field will be turned over to a cricket pitch and we can all learn more about a sport growing in popularity here.

Finally, it was an honor to visit with all of the new inductees into the UNM Alumni Lettermen Hall of Honor, including our Regents’ President Jamie Koch. Join me in also congratulating the Hall of Honor Student Athletes of the Year – Jodi Ewart, Ashley Lowery and Lars Loseth. Go Lobos!

Have a good week.
David J. Schmidly

Good morning. I hope you enjoyed your long weekend

There is great news in the September issue of Hispanic Business Magazine. Its 2007 Best Schools for Hispanics report ranks the UNM School of Law #1, our School of Engineering #5 and our School of Medicine #6 in the country. UNM is ranked above some fine institutions, like MIT and Johns Hopkins, so we ought to be very proud.

I want to deal with some misperceptions about my intentions for University College. One of the Regents goals for me is to evaluate the strategic importance and
effectiveness of University College by next June. That means we will be taking a hard look at how its system is working and determining how it can work better.
At no time have I suggested that the College will be dismantled. That is an erroneous assumption, which is feeding misplaced fears among students.

There are also rumors circulating about the status of research at UNM. Reports from the Research Study Group and the National Council of University Research
Administrators point out a number of shortcomings in research administration that extend from individual units through schools and colleges to the vice president’s office. We acknowledge these problems and have already begun to take corrective action that includes dealing with a budget shortfall. There is still much to be done but we are determined to address the issues raised in these reports.

UNM is a large and complex institution with many operations that will require a tune-up from time to time. My goal has been and will always be to improve operations with an eye toward student and faculty success.

The Regents of New Mexico State University will come to town later this week for a joint meeting with UNM regents. The Aggie football team and fans will follow Saturday for the big game at University Stadium and the kickoff of the Rio Grande Rivalry. It was rough for our football team last Saturday in El Paso. Let’s show up in force at home to support our Lobos.

Finally, we join New Mexico in mourning the death of Supreme Court Justice Pam Minzner. She was the first woman to be named Chief Justice of the state’s highest court, and she taught many of our state’s attorneys at the UNM School of Law. Our condolences go to her husband, Dick, and her sons. She will be missed.

Have a good week.
David J. Schmidly