Good morning.

I hope you have all made plans to join me this Thursday afternoon as we continue the rollout of the Strategic Framework initiative.  Over the past two weeks, more than 90 departments from all over campus held special meetings to discuss how their work contributes to the mission, vision and values of UNM and how their future activities can move our university from good to great.  People have told me, and I saw for myself, how stimulating and enjoyable these sessions proved to be.

This Thursday, May 1, we have scheduled a town hall to highlight the thoughts and plans from several of the departments – all who have taken the inaugural theme “Connect” to heart and who have come up with intriguing ways to align their work to the greater work of the university.  The town hall starts at 1:30 p.m. in the SUB Ballrooms.  I look forward to seeing you there and to hearing some dynamic presentations.

Speaking of dynamic, I had the opportunity to meet with a group of our newer faculty members last week to hear their views on research at UNM.  Specifically, I was interested in learning what they view as the ideal conditions required for supporting world class research at our university, and most importantly, what barriers we must remove to create those conditions.  I look forward to the ongoing conversation, and I want to thank all of those who participated for their candor and collegial approach to discussing a topic that is so critical to UNM’s mission.

I look forward to meeting with many of the faculty this week.  I know they have questions about university finances and I will be providing the answers.

Today I am in Washington D.C., meeting with members of New Mexico’s Congressional delegation.  It’s just the beginning of a very busy week. UNM’s Board of Regents will be taking up a number of crucial items, including the approval of our 2008-2009 budget.

Following that on Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m., I invite you to join me at the grand re-opening of Zimmerman Library.  It will be two years to the date when one of UNM’s greatest treasures endured a devastating fire.  Now the library is back and better than ever.  That’s something to celebrate.

And while we’re celebrating, congratulations to Lobo men’s tennis coach Alan Dils, named Tennis Coach of the Year by the Mountain West Conference. It’s his 12th season, and with 162 victories, he is the coach with the most wins for the Lobos.

Have a good week.

David J. Schmidly

Good morning.

The rollout of the Strategic Framework continues, and I can’t thank you enough for your positive response. During my web cast on April 8th, I asked departments across campus to hold conversations over a two-week period to begin talking about how they see themselves connecting to the future of UNM through the vision, mission, values, and strategies outlined in the Framework.  More than 80 academic and administrative departments, centers, and branch campuses have scheduled meetings so far.  We are already beginning to receive feedback from those who met last week, and some of the ideas you are sharing are outstanding.  I will be featuring some of these departments and how they are bringing our “Connectivity to Purpose” strategy alive during the Town Hall meeting I will host on May 1st from 1:30 to 3:30 in the SUB Ballrooms.   I hope you will plan to join me as we continue to build the respectful relationships and collaborative culture that will move UNM from good to great.

Last week I recognized UNM’s most recent Goldwater Scholarship recipients and this week I’d like to recognize some other outstanding students whose accomplishments were recently showcased at the 2008 Student Recognition Reception.  Among the many awardees were this year’s recipients of the Clauve Outstanding Senior Awards.  The Clauve award is presented to seniors who have performed well academically while making significant contributions to the general welfare of the campus community.  My heartfelt congratulations go out to Matt Barnes, Megan Fitzpatrick, Louis Jeantete, Margi Miranda, Brandon Ryan, and John Smeltzer for being among the best and brightest at UNM.

On Wednesday the City will be dedicating a bike bridge in honor of James Quinn, a former law student who was taken from us last Fall while riding his bicycle.  James was a truly outstanding young man and had a tremendous career and a wonderful life ahead of him.  It’s tragic anytime we lose a member of the UNM family, and I ask that you join me in sending our best wishes to the Quinns.

If you haven’t heard already, we’ve just announced the appointment of Dr. Julia Fulghum from the School of Engineering as the Interim Vice President for Research.  Dr. Fulghum has proven herself to be an outstanding teacher and administrator and is well respected among UNM’s faculty.  I believe she will serve the University well in this capacity and I look forward to working with her as we continue our search for a permanent Vice President.

I had a great trip up to Los Alamos last week.  While there, I was able to meet with students, faculty and staff at our branch campus to talk about the future of our Los Alamos operations.  I was also fortunate to be able to meet with several members of the legislative delegation from the area.  One thing they all have in common is a love of the UNM – Los Alamos.  Our meetings were very productive and I think we all came away with a newfound resolve to continue to strengthen our programs and services in Los Alamos.  We face some challenges, but there are also many untapped opportunities that I believe will allow us to grow and be successful.

Have a great week!

David J. Schmidly

Good morning.

Let’s begin this week with hearty congratulations to Stephanie Moquin and Benjamin Ediger, our two newest Goldwater Scholars.  UNM can now boast a dozen Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship winners since 1999.  This scholarship encourages outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.  Ben is majoring in biochemistry and mathematics, while Stephanie is majoring in biology and anthropology.  Great work!  UNM is proud of you both.

A number of outstanding students were honored at the recent Student Recognition Reception.  I plan to devote much of next week’s message telling you about them.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to join me for my webcast last week and to think about the strategic framework for the future of UNM.  This week and next, I am asking you to really engage in the process by participating in departmental meetings where you and your colleagues talk about the future of UNM and your role in that future.  I want to hear your ideas about improving the university through the work that you do, how your work will complement that of others, and how together we can move toward the future we envision. Don’t forget to let the Strategy Office know when your meeting is scheduled, as I will be dropping in on some of them.

Sustainability was one of the core values I talked about during the webcast.  Everything we do today must take into account the well-being of future generations.  A major part of sustainability is energy conservation, and as I’ve mentioned to you previously, UNM is embarking on a major energy conservation program, which will be guided by Energy Education Inc.  Those are the energy conservation experts who were retained by Lobo Energy.

Starting today, several Lobo Energy employees, called energy conservation educators, will start introducing themselves to campus.  They will work with departments on conservation.  They will also be publishing energy conservation guidelines for all of us to follow.  We can save millions of dollars by just paying closer attention to conservation.

Along those same lines, the Provost’s Task Force on Sustainability has been working for more than a year on recommendations to develop a Sustainability Initiative that addresses the triple bottom line:  environment, economic and social responsibility.  The task force developed Policy 2100 – “Sustainability” – which defines UNM’s sustainability principles and proposes a structure for long-term implementation of those principles at UNM.  The proposed policy is ready for review at http://www.unm.edu/~ubppm/ubppmanual/d2100.htm. Take a look and send your comments to ubbpm@unm.edu.

Have a good week.

David J. Schmidly

Good morning.

I look forward to speaking to everyone tomorrow afternoon about the strategic framework for campus and how all of us working together will shape the future of UNM. Logistical details about tomorrow afternoon’s webcast can be found on the President’s web page along with log-on instructions at http://www.unm.edu/president/strategic_planning.  We’ve received a number of thoughtful questions from many of you and I hope to answer them all tomorrow.

I’ve just about completed my first budget process at UNM and one thing I will work hard to change is the volatility that surrounds tuition.  There is no way students and parents can budget and plan under the current system, and there is no incentive for students to get the job done and graduate.  I want to see that changed.

At some time in the fall, I will present the Regents with a proposed five-year plan for tuition that could include innovations like guaranteed tuition or block tuition, where students would pay for the first 12 or 15 credit hours and any remaining hours would be free.  Stabilize and incentivize - that’s what I want to see
happen in a long-range tuition plan.

UNM’s Office of Accessibility Services would appreciate your input and feedback on the campus climate for individuals with disabilities.  There’s a survey you’re invited to take online at http://as2.unm.edu through mid-May.  It features questionnaires for individuals with disabilities and also for those without disabilities whose input about accommodations and creating a welcoming environment would be most helpful.  Thanks to Accessibility Services for working to compile this vital information.

The topic of sustainability will likely come up during my webcast.  Next Monday, I’ll have more information about new polices for you to consider as well as UNM’s new efforts on energy conservation. Finally, a couple of kudos are in order.  UNM senior Julio Romero, one of our supplemental instruction leaders at CAPS, will receive an international award as an outstanding Supplemental Instruction (SI) leader next month in Orlando, recognizing his commitment to the program and his extraordinary success with students.  SI is now the largest tutoring program on campus.

Meanwhile, congratulations to the UNM charrette team focused on Community Engaged Scholarship Faculty Development.  UNM was selected with 19 others from more than a hundred teams vying to participate in a national conversation at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in late May.  The chosen participants are truly committed to implementing campus-wide mechanisms for preparing and supporting community-engaged faculty. We are truly proud of them: Claudia Isaac (senior faculty member), School of Architecture & Planning; Marilyn Davis, University College; Matt Borrego, College of Pharmacy; and Tassy Parker (charrette team leader).

Congratulations also to Nina Wallerstein, co-charrette team leader, and many others who assisted in their success.  Good job!

Have a good week.

David J. Schmidly