Good morning.

Janet and I would like to thank everyone who came out for the student tailgate Thursday night. We had a great time, learned some interesting games and found we were both pretty good at them. It was a beautiful night and the Lobos won. It was all good.

Those of you living in the Albuquerque Public Schools District and the Rio Rancho Schools district – and I would imagine that will be most of you – should have already received mail-in ballots for the CNM District Expansion Election. UNM has a major stake in the success of that election. What a positive vote on that ballot will do is expand the CNM district and create a CNM Rio Rancho campus. That is the first step in developing a learning community partnership between UNM and CNM in Rio Rancho. Bottom line – with a positive vote, CNM will be able to build its first Rio Rancho campus facility at a cost of $20 million. On the day those doors open, UNM will be moving in too, heralding the beginning of the UNM campus in Rio Rancho.

There will be a cost to the people in Rio Rancho who are voting to be included in the CNM district - $9.86 per month per $100,000 assessed home value. This does not apply to people already in the CNM district - about 2/3 of the population of Rio Rancho and everyone in the APS district. However, the outcome is vitally important for Rio Rancho, for CNM and for UNM. It will be a way for Rio Rancho residents to have a campus near their homes and businesses. So I encourage all of you to fill out your ballot and mail it back. It has to be in the county clerk’s office by November 15.

UNM’s United Way Campaign is picking up steam! To add incentive, a drawing will be held for everyone who fills out and returns the pledge form by this Wednesday, October 31. There will be great prizes from your UNM Bookstore, and UNM Athletics will provide a football package to see the Lobos vs. Colorado
State. Don’t forget to turn your completed pledge forms into the University Controller’s Office, located in the UNM Business Center at 1700 Lomas Blvd. N.E. The mail stop code is - MSC01 1300.

Last week, I started sharing with you what I believe are the Five Important Things to Know About UNM. Number one: UNM is the flagship university for New Mexico. Number two: UNM is a Minority/Majority institution, which makes us unique among flagships. At 42%, UNM has the highest percentage of Hispanic and Native American students of any flagship university in the country. UNM graduates more Native American students than all other New Mexico higher education institutions combined and we rank 5th in the country for the number of baccalaureate degrees awarded to Native American students.

The National Science Foundation lists UNM as one of the top Hispanic-serving research universities. Hispanic Business magazine ranks our programs among the nation’s best: School of Law #1, School of Engineering #5 and School of Medicine #6. That’s why our Big Hairy Audacious Goal is to be the first minority/majority university and the only Hispanic serving institution in the AAU. Think about it. It’s a goal we will talk about a lot in the near future.

Finally, all students, faculty and staff are invited to the UNM Volunteer Fair tomorrow, October 30, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the SUB ballroom. Sixty service organizations from the metro area will show you why and how to get involved in your community.

Have a good week.

David J. Schmidly

Good morning.

First off, I want to invite all students to join me at a tailgate this Thursday evening before the Lobo-Air Force football game. There will be lots of food, entertainment and spirit. I’m also told there will be some games at which I may be challenged. I’m up for it. The pre-game party starts at 5:30 p.m. and will run until game time at 7 p.m. It will be in the student tailgate lot, which is southeast of the stadium. Students get in the game free with your student ID. Let’s show up and have some fun.

I want to thank all students who’ve gotten involved in student government and student activities. They carve time out of an already busy schedule to work for their fellow students, and that is to be commended. This week, student leaders from all over campus will be honored at a dinner hosted by VP for Student Affairs Cheo Torres. If you know student leaders, take a moment to thank them.

Regent Don Chalmers and I had a fine time doing the Quality New Mexico radio show on KKOB last week. Don Chalmers Ford has already won the Zia Award for quality and they are going after the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. Regent Chalmers talked about the “quality journey,” and said there is no standing still in the pursuit of quality. You have to keep trying to do better tomorrow than you did today, and the reward is not in the award but in its pursuit.

I’ve talked to several groups recently about the “Five Important Things to Know About UNM.” For the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing these five one at a time. I believe it will help all of us pull together in our quest for excellence.

NUMBER ONE: It is important to remember that UNM is New Mexico’s Flagship University. Flagships are large. UNM has 48% of the state’s four-year graduate students. UNM confers more than 80% of the graduate and professional degrees in the state.

A flagship has a major programmatic and financial impact in the state. UNM is New Mexico’s fifth largest employer, its state appropriation is nearly half of the total appropriation for all four-year schools, it has more than 200 degree programs and the only professional schools of medicine, law, architecture and planning, and pharmacy in the state.

A flagship usually has a medical school component. UNM’s Health Sciences Center has nationally ranked programs and helps deliver health care to more than 100 sites around the state. Finally, a flagship is a major research university. UNM is listed in the Carnegie classification as the only research university with very high research in the state.

By all accounts, UNM is New Mexico’s flagship university. We need to conduct our business like the flagship.

Have a good week.

Good morning.

It is with great sadness that I must begin with tragic news. As many of you may already know, two of our students from Farmington, Rachel McCoy and Michael O’Neill, were killed in an auto accident on their way home for fall break last week. Our heartfelt condolences are extended to their families as well as to their many friends, classmates, sorority sisters and fraternity brothers.

The 2007 UNM United Way campaign is in full swing, and I want to share with you why I think it is important for each and every one of us to participate. “Giving makes life better.” That’s the theme of this year’s campaign and it rings true. By giving back whatever you are able, you will make a difference in our community.

UNM’s support for United Way has climbed remarkably over the past several years so that our campaign in now one of the largest in the state. I believe that demonstrates just how committed you are to your community and the causes you support. Last year, the university pledged $493,600 for United Way. This year, we are shooting for $515,000 and I know that together we can do it.

You can choose to earmark your United Way contribution for programs on campus, which is an added boost for all the good work being done here. So take a moment to fill out your pledge form. I promise you’ll feel good about it.

Last week, UNM Regents approved the university’s 2008 legislative priorities and you will see that these reflect the goals set for this university. We will seek funding for major strategic initiatives that include programs aimed at student engagement and success, the teaching and learning environment and healthy communities. We will also work hard for a 5% compensation increase, doubling of funding for state workstudy and zero tuition credit.

A group of us from UNM had a great day in Roswell last Thursday. We met with legislators and city officials, talked to Rotarians and laid the groundwork for future collaborations with Eastern New Mexico University and ENMU-Roswell. The folks from Eastern are excited by the prospect and we feel that our partnerships will be a boon for higher education in eastern New Mexico.

The Lobos won on the road in Laramie over the weekend. I’ll be traveling to San Diego late this week to meet with donors and friends of the University and to catch the UNM/San Diego State game. Volleyball and soccer are also grabbing a lot of attention.

So many games … so little time. Get out and cheer on our teams if you can.

Have a good week.
David J. Schmidly

Good morning.
I cannot adequately express to you how proud I am to be associated with the University of New Mexico. My family and I will always treasure our memories of Inauguration Week, and we thank everyone who contributed to and participated in its success. My colleagues from other institutions were quite impressed with our dynamic institution and for that you should all be proud. We’ve all made a number of connections over the past few days. It is my fervent desire that the spirit of the “Connect” theme will carry forward.

In my inaugural speech, I spoke of the vision and goals of the university and how we envision moving forward. A number of you have asked for copies of the address. It will be posted on the President’s homepage at www.unm.edu/president.

Now it is time to roll up our sleeves and concentrate fully on realizing our vision and attaining the goals set for us by the Board of Regents. This will not be an easy task, but it will be fulfilling, and it will be one in which we all must participate. I’ve asked interim VP for Human Resources Carolyn Thompson to take on the job of guiding and directing the next steps we will take, both strategically and organizationally, to get this job done. Carolyn brings a wealth of experience in strategic planning, change management, process improvement and re-engineering to the task.

We’ll be heading south again this week, spending Thursday in Roswell. We’ve lined up meetings with legislators and city officials, with our colleagues from ENMU-Roswell, and with alumni, donors and friends. Doctor Art Kaufman from HSC and our baseball coach, Ray Birmingham, will also join me for a talk before the Roswell Rotary Club. I’m getting ready for a long and productive day.

Lobo football travels to Wyoming this coming weekend, but if you’ve not heading north with them, there will be plenty to entertain you here. The Lobo Howl is this Friday night, 7-9 p.m. at the Pit, which means its time to start thinking ahead to basketball season. The folks at Lobo Athletics asked me to remind UNM faculty and staff that they get 50% off season tickets for Lobo basketball and those are on sale right now. So if you’re ready for roundball, get down to the Pit ticket office. It’s opened Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Happy Fall Break! It’s time to howl!

Have a good week.
David J. Schmidly

Good morning.

This will be our week to Connect! It’s Inauguration Week, which is a celebration of UNM and its students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. Please take the opportunity to attend and enjoy the many events planned for you by the Inauguration Committee. My special thanks goes to Breda Bova and her talented team for leading the effort.

First, this is a special invitation for all of you to join me for a reception on the lawns at University House tomorrow (Tuesday, October 2) from 3 – 5 p.m. There will be desserts and other refreshments, live music, entertainment and the opportunity to spend time with your UNM friends. If you’re at Health Sciences, we’ll have another reception for you this Thursday, October 4, from 1 – 3 p.m. on the Domenici Plaza at HSC. I look forward to meeting many more of my UNM colleagues.

The Installation Ceremony, which again is a celebration of the UNM community, is scheduled for Sunday, October 7, at 2:30 p.m. at Popejoy Hall. I invite you to join me for this event and for the reception that will follow at University House. Please pick up free tickets at any UNM ticket office to assure yourself of a seat in Popejoy. I understand a number of the faculty will participate in the processional that opens the installation. I thank you for participating and will be very glad to see you then and also for Explore UNM and Senior Day on Saturday. It’s the campus-wide open house for students, parents and the community.

You will have opportunities this entire week to attend symposia in a number of areas that are especially relevant to UNM. I invite the faculty to take their classes to see respected experts in many fields, from Harry Green of Cornell speaking this morning on Natural History, Aesthetics and Conservation, followed by Mike Mares from the University of Oklahoma speaking on the museums and collections of UNM, to NCAA President Myles Brand speaking Friday on Connecting Athletics and Academics. A full listing of these dynamic events can be found at http://www.unm.edu/inauguration/events.html. Please take advantage of these wonderful opportunities.

I’m pleased that UNM has been nominated as one of the Best Places to Work in New Mexico. No doubt we’ll have some competition from other NM institutions for the best educational institution title, so you can show your support for UNM by completing a Best Places to Work survey and telling folks that UNM is indeed the best institution of higher education in the state. It’ll take just five minutes of your time. The survey can be found at http://www.qmrinc.com/bestplaces/. Just follow the directions after entering UNM org code: AZYM72489. Thanks in advance.

Finally, thanks again to the Alumni Association, the Homecoming Committee and all of you who worked to make our Homecoming Week a memorable one. In a weekend of upsets, the Lobos almost added one of their own, but not quite.

Make a number of connections this week.

David J. Schmidly