Regent David Archuleta stressed the importance of confidentiality concerning candidates to the Presidential Search Committee during its first official meeting Tuesday.
Archuleta, the Presidential Search Committee's chairman, said that it is critical to keep names confidential because several of the candidates already have positions and don't want them jeopardized by public exposure.
"We don't want to affect them by leaking names," Archuleta said.
Larry Willard, a member of the committee and president of the Board of Regents, backed up Archuleta, saying that the credibility of the University is at stake when names are leaked to the public before they should be.
The search committee - which is comprised of three regents, three faculty members, one staff member, two students and one alumnus - is obligated to comply with N.M. legislation, which states that universities and colleges must choose at least five finalists during presidential searches and make those five names public.
To help ensure the confidentiality of potential candidates until finalists are announced, committee members were required to sign a code of ethics stating that they "acknowledge that only the Chair of the Search Committee is authorized to speak to the media on behalf of the Committee regarding the search."
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That decree is also outlined in the "Charge to the Search Committee" under "Other Matters."
The charge also outlines that it will "recommend to the Board of Regents, no later than Feb. 1, 2003, an unranked list of candidates . . . At the request of the Board, the Search Committee shall make available to the Board the names of all applicants and nominees and information regarding these individuals."
Archuleta told committee members that if they do get calls from individuals or the media regarding the presidential search, to refer them to him.
Also discussed during the meeting was how the committee wants to amend applicant screening criteria.
Archuleta said that UNM's new strategic plan should be considered when the committee members send their suggestions and ideas to Nancy Middlebrook, the search committee coordinator.
The strategic plan was approved by the regents last December to "engage students, faculty and staff in its comprehensive educational research and service programs," according to the UNM strategic plan.
Regent Sandra Begay-Campbell said that a high level of public concern is being kicked around about presidential search, which she stressed, was a good thing.
Begay-Campbell said New Mexico has a great need for leaders and the UNM president is a leader who goes "beyond just the borders of our campus and Albuquerque."
Willard said that although committee members might not consider New Mexico a prime place to work, the committee should not sell itself short on having the best president. He said that the best person for the UNM presidency probably already has a job and so the state and the University's assets should be sold aggressively.
