Editor,
We have five finalists for our presidential position. Shortly after Valentine's Day, the regents will decide on who gets the position. This is a huge decision. No one person is pegged for the job.
For the next five to 10 years or more, the regents' choice will guide us and represent us not only to the local community, but far beyond. In the eyes of many, UNM will be that president. That person will take us to the next level. Who will that be?
The search committee - on which I was one of 22 members - and process were very good. The regents chose the five finalists. They are a diverse group, coming from backgrounds as varied as a small specialized school with 1,800 students and 150 faculty to large and broad-based ones with 60,000 students and 3,000 faculty, situated in various parts of the country, including New Mexico. Four hold academic positions. All are successful at their present institutions. At least three have ties to this area.
The whole process of selecting a new president is very different from the previous one. Not only will the regents hear the faculty's input, this time they actively want it. They need it to make the best choice and want us to help. Groups outside of the University community are pressuring them to select one candidate or another. That's understandable. However, who has more personal, vested interest in how the University operates than its faculty, which does the teaching, research and service? Our Board of Regents considers the faculty a very important group. Being passive in this presidential search is not a good option for us.
The first - and very important - candidate presentation before the faculty will be Tuesday, from 3:45 to 5 p.m. in SUB Ballroom C. Daniel L¢pez, from New Mexico Tech in Socorro, is the candidate. Details on the other candidates are on the presidential search Web site.
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Please try to attend this and bring other faculty with you. The time is a small but key investment for us. At that session, faculty will have an opportunity to give input on cards about the candidate to the regents. This input will be confidential. Please, for our future, be participatory.
During the last several months when I was a faculty member of the search committee, I was frequently told, "Get a good president for us." The committee did help to get good candidates. Five diverse candidates are before the faculty and University community. Some are superb. Our task is to choose the very best for us. The opportunity is ours. Let's not drop the ball.
Fred Hashimoto
UNM faculty
