Good morning.

I want to thank everyone who planned for and participated in last week’s emergency preparedness drill on campus. We wanted to test our mass communication systems and find out where the glitches were. We were able to do that and to compile what Police Chief Kathy Guimond calls our “baseline” against which we will measure future drills. What was crystal clear from the exercise was that people who had signed up for services like TextMe were better informed and would be better able to handle a real crisis should it occur.

I will be in Washington for several days this week, working on our federal priorities with the New Mexico Congressional delegation and meeting with donors. I will also join the UNM Alumni Association in hosting our annual Capitol Hill Reception in honor of the Congressional delegation. The university and the state of New Mexico are fortunate to have such a dynamic delegation looking after our interests in Washington. We cannot thank them enough for all they have done for UNM.

We will all be back for the Budget Summit this Friday, February 29. The summit is scheduled for 9 a.m. in the SUB Ballroom. I will speak about our Mission and Priorities: Linking Budgeting, Planning, and Performance. The Executive Vice Presidents will all be presenting overviews from their areas. We will then hear from the leadership of UNM’s constituencies. I’m pleased that many of the Regents will attend the Summit, as it will help inform their future decisions on the budget. I invite all of you to attend, either in person or by listening in on a live webcast. You can find out more and link to the webcast from the Budget Summit webpage: http://www.unm.edu/president/summit.html

Finally, you’re invited to take part in a couple of upcoming events. Tomorrow, a number of our student-athletes will participate in the Mountain West Conference Blood Drive, which will be held from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the SUB Ballroom. They would love to see our faculty, staff and students join them in rolling up their sleeves to benefit United Blood Services here in town. They also want a Lobo win in the competition for collecting the most pints of blood of all the Mountain West schools.

UNM is hosting the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships May 20 – 23 and we asking for your help. More than 200 volunteers will be needed over the course of the week when more than 120 of the nation’s top collegiate golfers will be in town. If you love golf and want to help with a great tournament, please sign up. The volunteer form is available on the front page of golobos.com.

Have a good week.

David J. Schmidly

Good morning.

Once again, a senseless tragedy on a university campus reminds us of the fragility of our time here. Our thoughts and prayers are with the students, faculty and staff at Northern Illinois University. Life has irrevocably changed for them. I’ve sent NIU’s president a message expressing UNM’s condolences and support.

What happened last week in Illinois reminds us again that we must continue to work at being prepared for emergencies on campus. I have instructed our Chief of Police and members of the Emergency Operations Center to implement a campus-wide drill in the next few days. For your own understanding of the process and your peace of mind, I urge you to participate in the drill. I also urge you to sign up for the TextMe campus-wide emergency notification system if you haven’t already done so. Visit http://my.unm.edu or the myUNM link on the UNM home page, click on the TextMe UNM icon and follow the prompts from there. Please sign up. It’s important.

I want to thank everyone who worked so hard on UNM priorities during the regular session of the New Mexico Legislature. In all of my years of dealing with the legislative process, I found UNM’s effort to be the most organized and effective. When the dust finally cleared last week, UNM had emerged with approximately $5 million in new recurring dollars in the budget bill, as well as $7.6 million in non-recurring funds. Including HSC and the branches, we also got nearly $73 million in capital outlay, which the Governor is now reviewing.

Because new monies were scarce, compensation and the tuition credit both ended up at 2%. I appreciated Staff Council President Vanessa Shields’ observation at last Friday’s regents’ meeting – though we did not get everything we wanted, the process has given us the opportunity to network and successfully build relationships in Santa Fe. It is a continuing process of relationship-building that we take very seriously.

We now look forward to the hard work of building the budget. The annual Budget Summit is scheduled for Friday, February 29, from 9 a.m. – noon in the SUB ballroom. I have changed the format somewhat from previous years, but what hasn’t changed is the opportunity for each constituency group to be heard. If you can’t attend the summit, you can listen to it via the web. I’ll have details for you next week.

This week, a number of us will be spending a lot of time in Rio Rancho, as we educate voters there in anticipation of the March 4 vote on the Higher Education Initiative. Approval of the quarter-cent gross receipts tax will be a major step toward building our campus there. We welcome Dr. Marc Nigliazzo to the team as our new Vice President for Rio Rancho Operations and Branch Academic Affairs. We have quite a challenge ahead of us in Rio Rancho, but the citizens there have shown themselves to be clear-sighted, courageous and visionary when it comes to the future of their city. We look forward to meeting many of them.

Have a good week.

David J. Schmidly

Good morning.

The New Mexico Legislature winds up its 2008 session this Thursday. For UNM, it has been an intense session which has reaped bittersweet rewards. In a year with scarce new money, legislators have funded most of our programs aimed at student success, excellence in research and healthy communities. They’ve also provided funding for many of our capital project requests. For all of that we are grateful. Unfortunately, as lawmakers had to weigh all of the needs of the state, they were only able to provide compensation increases of 2%. The tuition credit is also 2%. That combination will mean challenging decisions ahead for the Regents and for this administration. The Governor is currently reviewing the budget bill.

We are revving up our efforts in Rio Rancho in anticipation of the March 4 municipal election. The Higher Education Initiative on the ballot calls for a quarter-cent gross receipts tax increase in Rio Rancho that, if approved, could provide infrastructure funding for the UNM campus there. That’s a big payback for what amounts to 25-cents for every $100 purchase. We have scheduled town halls at the Rio Rancho Mid-High on Tuesday, February 19, and Saturday, February 23. Our volunteers will also be out canvassing neighborhoods. We want to educate voters about our plans for the Rio Rancho campus
and about the partnerships with CNM, NMSU and others that will bring a full array of higher education choices to that fast-growing city.

On Wednesday night, Lobo women’s basketball will participate in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association “Think Pink” promotion. More than 800 colleges and universities are taking part as we work to increase breast cancer awareness. You’ll be seeing a lot of pink in the Pit when our Lobo women take on San Diego State that night, from the benches to the head table to the Lobo Store. We also invite you to show your support by substituting your Lobo Red for pink.

I’ll be there to do my part. They’ve set up a little free throw challenge for me that will benefit the UNM Cancer Center. The more free throws I shoot, the more money is raised for the Cancer Center. I’ve been practicing and feel pretty good about my chances. However, I will admit the thought of shooting on the floor of the Pit in front of all those people is giving me some heartburn. Wish me luck.

Have a good week.

David J. Schmidly

Good morning.

Much of our time and attention is concentrated in Santa Fe these days as the New Mexico Legislature continues its 30-day session. Tomorrow is UNM Day at the Capitol, so we’ll be dousing the Roundhouse in Lobo Red. Our legislative priorities will be featured in a number of exhibits around the rotunda, while our faculty, staff, students, alumni and retirees educate legislators about the university and its needs. Tonight, the UNM Alumni Association honors legislators at its annual Legislative Appreciation reception, which promises to be a great kickoff for UNM Day.

It’s obvious email has become a preferred method to communicate and to conduct business at the university. Its use also comes with responsibilities of special interest for our students. UNM has developed student email policies that we’d like for you to comment upon in the next few weeks. Please go to http://www.unm.edu/~ubppm to review the policy and make your comments. They will be greatly appreciated.

Over the past few years, a great number of students, faculty and staff have worked hard to reinvigorate a culture of service and engagement at the university. There are a couple of announcements that speak to the success of their efforts. At the end of this week, the Provost’s Committee for Public Service and Community Engagement will launch its Community-University Partnerships website. It will document the UNM programs and projects that involve community partnerships and list the opportunities available for students to get involved in community-based research and service. Check for more details later in the week.

At the same time, we want to celebrate the individuals who have excelled in their service. Nominations are now being accepted for the Sarah Belle Brown Community Service Award for work completed in 2007. The award recognizes faculty and staff who demonstrate their commitment to volunteerism and their community. For more information on the award and for nomination forms, please go to http://hr.unm.edu The deadline is February 4.

Finally, a reason for our students to get up early Wednesday: FREE tickets for the remaining men’s basketball home games will be ready for pick up this Wednesday, Jan. 30, from 7:30 – 10 a.m. at the Center for the Arts ticket window located outside Popejoy Hall. The only requirement is that you be enrolled for at least six hours. You might want to get there early. Free tickets are worth losing some sleep.

Have a good week.

David J. Schmidly