by Christopher Sanchez
Daily Lobo
Reed Dasenbrock said it is important to understand the position of University provost before taking on the responsibility.
"There is no spring season, no warm-ups and there are no training wheels," said Dasenbrock, who has been interim provost since 2005.
Dasenbrock was the second of three candidates interviewed by staff and students for the position of University provost. A search committee formed in October chose the candidates.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Dasenbrock spoke to staff and students in separate forums on Wednesday to convince them he should get the position. About 13 students and 60 staff members attended.
Dasenbrock started each forum by telling the crowd UNM is where he wants to be.
UNM is unique because it brings students from different ethnicities into one institution, and he would continue to make sure the University maintains diversity, Dasenbrock said.
"You don't need someone who can get it, but someone who already gets it," he said.
Dasenbrock used former UNM President Louis Caldera as an example of how he was not prepared for the job.
Caldera is a smart guy, he said, but he didn't know what he was getting into.
Dasenbrock has been at UNM since 2001 when he headed the English department. Later that year, he became dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and served to 2005.
Loyola Chastain, manager of Academic Advisement in the Anderson Schools of Management, said Dasenbrock presented himself well at the forum.
"He is very knowledgeable of UNM," Chastain said. "He is very committed, and he seems like he has some plans for making this a better place for us."
Chastain said Dasenbrock has done a fine job as interim provost.
"In a way, an interim just keeps the seat warm, but (Dasenbrock) has initiatives," she said. "He has some things to move forward with and things to implement."
Chastain said she was also impressed with his strong focus on students.
Dasenbrock said his major theme as provost has been to help students succeed.
The University has been doing significantly better in graduating minorities, he said. In the past 10 years, the number of Hispanic and American-Indian students who graduate has increased by 50 percent.
He said the University should also focus on getting white students to graduate. Hispanic students are more likely to start their sophomore year than white students, he said.
Dasenbrock is developing positions for sophomore and transfer advisers to help make students succeed, he said.
The sophomore advisers would provide mandatory advisement to students during their second year. This would ensure students take classes needed to graduate in time, he said.
Transfer advisers would work with students transferring from UNM branch campuses in Valencia County and Taos, for example. Dasenbrock said it is important to help branch students transfer to UNM main campus to continue their education, because branch campuses are made up of mainly minority students.
Branch students are less likely to continue their education, he said, so advisers would encourage students to make the transition and would help them make it as smooth as possible.
As well as having minority students, it is important to have more minority faculty to serve as role models, he said. As dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, employment of Hispanics increased by 30 percent at the college, he said.
He also increased the number of American-Indian faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences from 1 percent to 12 percent as dean, he said.
Dasenbrock said he would like to start a leadership academy that would train faculty or staff who wants to step up to another position.
"There is no training," he said, referring to faculty wanting to take a staff position. "You can't just think they can swim and throw them in the deep end and poke at them."
UNM student James Tolbert, who is in his seventh year as an undergraduate, agreed with Dasenbrock's advisement plan. He said some guidance could have helped him get through school earlier.
"I lacked the direction of advisers to lead me on track," Tolbert said.
