Good morning.

Master Plan Comment Extended

Institutional Support Services asked that final consideration of UNM’s Master Plan update by the Regents be postponed until a later date, and I agree.  The plan was to be on tomorrow’s Regents’ agenda, but it will now be delayed so we can gather more input, especially from faculty.

The University had numerous meetings with neighborhood associations and campus constituents, with insightful input from many who have a great interest in the plan.  However, given recent feedback from the faculty, ISS suggested that a delay will allow for more internal dialogue which can only enrich the ideas the plan outlines.

Input on the Budget

Provost Ortega and I want to thank deans and chairs who participated in a thoughtful discussion last week about the budget challenges facing the university. We heard about the probability of another mid-year state budget rescission and the real possibility of further cuts beyond that. More will be known after the state legislature meets in a special session next month.

The deans and chairs talked about a number of options the university might consider to prepare for the cuts, whatever those cuts may be.  Their suggestions will be folded into a number of scenarios for the Regents to consider.

Tracking for H1N1

Last week, UNM began tracking workforce absences due to illness as a way to provide our Emergency Operations Center with information to help identify trends and early indicators that H1N1 and seasonal flu may be spreading across campus. As you know, the threat of the flu is real and has already affected operations on several campuses across the country.  We haven’t seen any great surge in illness here yet, which fortunately gives us more time to learn from the experiences of other institutions as we plan and prepare.

I encourage units on campus to participate in this simple tracking system. It asks for no identifying information, just numbers of ill employees by unit.  It uses existing technology and gives us an additional tool to help manage what may turn out to be a challenging flu season.

United Way on the Way

The official launch won’t be until the end of October, but work is already underway on UNM’s 2009 United Way Campaign. The $1 million goal is the same as last year, but this time our efforts will be to increase on-campus participation.

The chairs for the 2009 campaign are Steve McKernan, UNM Hospital; Nancy Ridenour, College of Nursing; Doug Brown, Anderson School of Management; and Paul Krebs, Athletics. 

Graduate and Professional School Fair

Our undergraduates should start thinking now about getting graduate or professional degrees. Alumni and community members may already be thinking about going back to school for another degree. It’s a good plan because educational attainment directly impacts your earning power and the array of jobs open to you.

This Thursday, Oct. 1 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., more than 80 schools and colleges from across the country will send recruiters to the SUB ballrooms to talk to you about their graduate and professional programs. Go by to get the information that could influence your future.

Have a good week.

David J. Schmidly