Good morning.

Thank You, UNMH

I want you all to know how impressed I am with the level of compassion, service and professionalism at UNM Hospital. As many of you may have heard, I was admitted there for a short while a weekend ago.  They took very good care of me, and moreover, I saw the same level of wonderful care being given to every patient. On behalf of my family, I want to publicly thank the doctors, nurses and staff of UNMH.  Our University can take great pride in this top-notch operation.

Budget Challenges

If you’ve been following the news over the past couple of weeks, you know that New Mexico’s budget outlook remains grim. According to the most recent estimates, the State anticipates a revenue shortfall of about $433 million for the current budget year – the one that just began in July. In addition, the revenues for the previous budget year did not come in as expected, so FY 2009 is suffering an approximate $309 million deficit.

So New Mexico will have to plug an anticipated budget hole of more than $700 million, making it imperative for Governor Richardson to call state lawmakers into special session in October to deal with the problem.

During the coming weeks of September, we will be engaging deans, department chairs and the university community in planning for another budget rescission and the very real possibility of a cut in next year’s budget. Our goal is to navigate these troubled waters with minimum impact on our people and our mission.  We will seek input from all campus sectors to find the most sensible ways possible to cope with the reductions.

For updates, visit the Budget Impact website on the UNM homepage.  We welcome your comments, will answer your questions and address any rumors as quickly and efficiently as possible.

H1N1

As predicted, the start of the new school year set off a flurry of media reports about the flu, as many universities are experiencing outbreaks of varying degrees. As I mentioned last week, planning and preparations for the flu on our campus have already been established.  For the latest information, visit a special website, called “Flu Info,” which will be accessible on the UNM homepage early this week.

Helping Prevent Substance Abuse

College is a wonderful time for academic discovery and personal enrichment.  It can also be a stressful time, requiring students to strike a balance between social activities and academic pursuits – and avoid situations where their health and safety are at risk with alcohol or other drug abuse.

If you or someone you know is facing a problem with alcohol or drugs, UNM is here to help. Call Student Health and Counseling at 277-4537 or visit the Campus Office of Substance Abuse Prevention. The website is http://www.unm.edu/~cosap.

Anyone can develop a problem with alcohol or drugs, but it takes strength and fortitude to tackle the problem head-on.  We’re always here to help.

Have a good week.

David J. Schmidly

Good morning!

The Semester Begins

It feels like the energy level on this campus has increased tenfold overnight. Welcome University of New Mexico students to the 2009 fall semester.  We’re about to begin an incredible journey.

Yesterday’s convocation and Freshman Family Day was a grand kickoff for our new freshmen and their families. We expect new students to settle in over the next few days, find your classes and embark on the next stage of your educational careers. The demands will be greater and so will be the rewards.  We wish the very best to all of our students as you embark on another year of challenge and opportunity.

Welcome Back Days is a grand tradition where all are treated to free food and free stuff all week, so enjoy. We kick it off with the President’s Ice Cream Social on the lawns near the Duck Pond around noon today. Come by to cool off and say hello.

A Crowded Campus

You may find yourself jockeying for position in the ice cream lines because there are many more students on campus than last year. Our unofficial first day enrollment numbers show a 6.4 percent increase in new freshmen and a projected 103 percent increase in National Scholars from fall 2008. The University is also showing impressive gains in graduate students with a 23.1 percent increase in headcount and in the number of transfer students – a 36.8 percent increase.

Among the ever-growing numbers of National Scholars on campus and brand new to UNM this semester are National American Indian Scholars.  UNM launched this new program, in partnership with the American College testing program, or ACT, to attract the nation’s top American Indian students.  Eight scholars have been accepted and we welcome them to UNM.

The Enrollment Management Division has been working hard and also working collaboratively with units across the University to bring in these record numbers of students.  Our job is now cut out for us, but it is great to have swelling numbers in our Lobo Nation.

Need a Job?

Students interested in working part-time on campus will have the opportunity to meet with UNM department and program representatives during the third annual Student Job Fair this Friday, August 28, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Duck Pond.

Students who take advantage of employment opportunities on campus maximize their opportunity for success, so I encourage you to get more connected with the campus through the UNM job experience.

You can see the array of job opportunities and participating departments by going to

http://www.career.unm.edu/students/career_fairs.php/ Thanks to the Graduation Task Force Student Engagement Committee, UNM Career Services and all participating departments for making these opportunities available.

Viral Warfare

As record numbers of students pour in, we are preparing across campus for the flu.  Whether it’s H1N1 or seasonal flu, it has the possibility to be miserable.  Outbreaks have already been reported at the University of Alabama, Mississippi State and at my former institution, Oklahoma State.

Students living on campus are getting the message about hygiene and how to avoid the flu. Our faculty will be addressing the issue in their classes. Everyone will be encouraged to get vaccinated as vaccine supplies become available.

Emergency management personnel from both main campus and the HSC have been activated in preparation for the outbreak that is sure to occur here sooner or later.  Our people are following the lead of the Center for Disease Control and are preparing guidelines for all campus sectors. Get acquainted with CDC recommendations at www.flu.gov. Bottom

line, flu will happen. We will be prepared.

Have a good week.

David J. Schmidly

Good morning.

Welcome Faculty

With one week before the start of the fall semester, I welcome our faculty back to campus and welcome new faculty to the UNM community.  A sense of anticipation comes with preparation for classes.  At this time of the year, anything and everything is possible.  Let us work together to make this a fulfilling and productive time for our students and for ourselves.

My 2009-10 Plan of Work: An Overview

Last week, UNM Regents approved my work plan for the coming year.  Access to the entire document is on the web at www.unm.edu/president/; look under Current Items. Of the 13 goals the Regents gave me, I chose five for special emphasis this coming year.  I will discuss these at length over the next several weeks, but here is a brief preview:

Accountability:  We must continue to develop an organizational and leadership infrastructure at UNM that creates and reinforces a culture of accountability, continuous process improvement and transparency, with measurement and results-driven performance.

Academics and Student Success:  A primary focus will be to establish an integrated system of services to prepare, recruit, enroll, develop, retain and graduate both undergraduate and graduate students at the University of New Mexico, with special focus on the recruitment of high-achieving students and national merit scholars.

Fund Raising:  UNM has had wonderful success in the past several years and this must continue.  We must apply knowledge and expertise to design, organize, launch, and actively participate in a comprehensive fundraising strategy and executable program that produces positive results for UNM.

Rio Rancho Campus:  As the first building goes up, we must develop the vision, curricula, and programs for UNM’s Rio Rancho campus that will serve the needs of the community and enhance the overall strength and vitality of the University of New Mexico.

Relationship and Communication with the Board of Regents:  We will continue to explore ways to improve governance and communications practices at UNM to ensure transparency, inclusivity of ideas from the UNM community, and clear understanding of respective roles.

Milestones

‘Tis the season for celebrating the longevity and great work of several of our most prominent programs.  Twenty five years ago, the NM Legislature funded UNM’s Center for High Technology Materials.  The return on that investment has been a hundred-fold in student success, startup companies and grant funding.  Our best wishes go to long-time director Steve Brueck and his colleagues for their remarkable achievements over the years.

Our Graduate and Professional Student Association and El Centro de la Raza are both celebrating 40th anniversaries - decades of work with and on behalf of UNM students, many of whom have gone on to do great things in government, business, education and service to their community and to the state.  Please join me in applauding this outstanding work.

Have a good week.

David J. Schmidly

Good morning.

Another Foundation Record

I have dazzling and amazing news to report from the UNM Foundation.  Despite the troubled economy and everyone’s intent to do more with less, UNM fundraisers have been able to tap into the good will and genuine affection our donors have for this university.  They have raised $90,045,942.01 for FY09 – another record in what has been a long line of records.  When you think about it, they raised an average $1.73 million for UNM every week!  I call that amazing.

Of course, the Foundation and its Board would be the first to say they did not nor could not raise this kind of money if it weren’t for the jewel that is UNM and the lasting commitment and incredible accomplishments of our faculty, staff and students.  I agree with them completely.  However, I speak for the entire university community in saying, “Great Job and Thank You!” to the Foundation and everyone who contributed to this fundraising effort.  Take a moment to be truly proud.  You deserve it.

Gathering of Ecologists

It was wonderful to take some time last week to visit with many of my scientific colleagues at the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America, held here in Albuquerque.  More than 3,500 scientists discussed and debated a number of issues dealing with the future of our planet. 

UNM was the host institution and several of our faculty gave talks and presented papers. I was honored to present a paper on “Natural History: A View from the President’s Office.”  In it I explored the diminishing role of naturalists in current trends of higher education and argued strenuously about the need for their return to prominence in 21st century American academia.  I believe therein lies the advocacy for sustainability for our society and our planet. 

Regents Meeting

Tomorrow (Tuesday) will be the first regular meeting of the UNM Board of Regents for the new academic year.  It’s a very important meeting for me as the Regents will be discussing my proposed work plan for the upcoming year.  I also look forward to sharing my “Adelante Objectives,” which I’ll be discussing with you in the coming weeks.

Regents will also hear a presentation of the UNM Master Plan – an update that so many of you have been working on for nearly two years.  It will help frame the future of this University for the next decade or so.  I hope you will take the opportunity to learn more about the Master Plan and how this university plans to thrive within the city, state, nation and world.

Have a good week.

David J. Schmidly

Good morning.

There is cause for celebration here this summer.  After carefully checking and re-checking the numbers, we are confident that UNM has broken out of the enrollment band for the first time since 2003.

Ultimately, this should mean more state funds coming to the university.  This is how it works.  Higher education institutions receive state dollars from a funding formula known as a “base plus” model.  UNM has an enrollment base number, and when we increase that by three percent, we receive additional money for the extra enrollment.  The numbers are calculated by adding the total unrestricted credit hours for summer, fall and spring. Thanks to new students, higher student course loads and improved retention, we have broken the enrollment band.

We’ve achieved this success thanks to a team effort that involved all of the schools and colleges, as well as the faculty and staff.  Special recognition goes to Enrollment Management for its success in new student recruitment, focused messaging to students on increasing their course loads and more efficient processing that has helped retention.

New Mexico’s senior senator Jeff Bingaman has good news for UNM’s Nanoscience and Microsystems (NSMS) Graduate Program, announcing it has been awarded the highly competitive grant to provide fellowships for Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN).  Nine academic programs take part in NSMS.

These U.S. Department of Education GAANN fellowships provide stipends of up to $30,000 per year for up to six UNM Ph.D. students. The grant program goes into effect next month and lasts three years.

UNM will be represented in Washington D.C. the early part of this week at the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities summer meeting. Among the many issues that challenge large urban institutions such as ours is their role in health workforce development. That will be discussed along with the ways we can cross-fertilize these efforts with our efforts in strengthening the overall education pipeline. We’ll also see how this all fits into the overall health reform agenda being discussed nationally. It promises to be a lively debate.

Have a good week.

David J. Schmidly