Urging female leadership

by Katy Knapp

Daily Lobo

The UNM Board of Regents received a petition Wednesday urging them to hire a woman as interim president of the University.

Gail Houston, director of UNM's Women Studies Program, said they collected 275 signatures from students, faculty and staff who want to see a female head of state on campus.

The Women Studies Program, the Feminist Research Institute at UNM and the Women's Resource Center initiated the petition.

The petition was sent via e-mail and by post to the regents and acting President David Harris.

"The glass ceiling still exists in the upper administrative echelons at UNM," the petition stated.

Houston said that refers to the lack of women in executive positions at UNM.

Out of the 96 senior administrators at UNM, 42 are female. That's 44 percent.

She said putting a woman in an executive position would be positive for the University because a broader range of needs would be met.

"The more minorities we have at the table, the more equality and less stress you have," she said.

Jamie Koch, president of the UNM Board of Regents, had not seen the petition on Wednesday night, but said it was a good idea to find a qualified female interim president.

"It's a good suggestion, and I hope we can find one," he said. "But we haven't even begun thinking about that."

Koch said the search for interim president will not begin until after the Budget Summit in April.

There has not been a woman in the highest administrative ranks at UNM for years, Koch said. He said the lack of women in those positions is a topic that needs to be worked on at the University.

Houston said she has seen a lack of minorities, including women, during her time at UNM.

"In the meetings I've been at UNM, it's mainly white men at the table," she said. "And white men aren't bad. It would just be nice to have diversity at the table just to make things more fair."

There are a lot of women who have good organizational skills, a strong academic background, people skills and fundraising capabilities, Houston said.

Half of the signatures on the petition were from students, Houston said.

Student Bernie Padilla did not get a chance to sign the petition, but would welcome a female interim president at UNM if she had the proper qualifications.

"If the woman's qualified, I don't see why not," he said.

Student Jessica Padilla said the next interim president's gender should not be a factor in the decision.

"It shouldn't matter if it's a man or a woman," Padilla said. "It should be who fits the job best."

Among other reasons a woman should be offered the position, the petition states that women students make up the majority of the student population at UNM.

According to the UNM Factbook, in 2004, 57.9 percent of students at the University are women.

Randy Boeglin, dean of students at UNM, was one of 20 males who signed the petition.

He signed the petition to uphold one of the University's value statements outlined in the UNM Course Catalog that exemplifies diversity among students, staff and faculty.

"I'd like to see us match that value statement with commitment by having more women at the senior level," Boeglin said.

According to the catalog, "our differences assure that the University is a forum for the expression, consideration and evaluation of ideas. The educational process on our campus is clearly enriched and strengthened by the fact that these ideas arise and are evaluated from such diverse perspectives."

The petition was posted on several Listserves and advertised on fliers around campus, Houston said.

The petition was sent in part to commemorate Women's History Month, which is celebrated in March, the petition stated.

Houston said they are petitioning for a female interim president because that is the position the administration is looking to fill right now.

"Then when they get around to naming a regular president, we will probably sign another petition," she said.