College a grand adventure

by David J. Schmidly

UNM president

Welcome to all of you who are new students of the University of New Mexico.

Whether you're an incoming freshman or a transfer from another college or university, we are delighted to have you join our UNM community. And if you're a returning student, we are equally delighted to welcome you back to what we promise will be new and exciting times at UNM. We're taking off on a grand adventure - together.

I've been on the job a couple of months now, so I'm still pretty new to the University. However, I have seen enough and learned enough to know that UNM is a much better University than I had anticipated. So I can assure you that you will interact with and learn from a faculty that is truly remarkable. Together you will debate and challenge old assumptions, talk about ideas you'd never imagined and discover a rare and wonderful world of exploration. You'll work hard, and you'll have a lot of fun.

As you read this, my executive leadership team and I will be getting ready to go to the Board of Regents with a new vision and working plan for the University - one that makes student success the focal point of every endeavor. Student success is about access and affordability. It's also about doing everything possible to ensure that you stay in school and graduate. As happy as we are to see you come here, we'll be just as happy to see you leave - with a degree firmly in hand.

We've already taken several steps that will help you realize your potential here at UNM. For one thing, we know that getting through the process of admissions and financial aid is often a frustrating ordeal. One of the first things interim Provost Viola Florez and I have done is establish a new Division of Enrollment Management, headed up by a vice president who will oversee admissions and recruitment, scholarships, financial aid and the registrar. What that will soon mean for you is a one-stop-shopping experience. You'll spend less time spent getting into school and more time enjoying the challenge of a research university.

Enrollment management will also take the lead in developing the plan to improve our retention and graduation rates. Too many of our students don't stick it out until graduation. We're going to find out why and change that dynamic. One step we're already aggressively pursuing is acquiring or building a Student Learning and Success Center that will provide access to effective counseling and advising to students and their families. It will be especially helpful to our students who need a little more preparation to perform at the college level. This center will also help prepare our student athletes for the extraordinary challenges they face.

UNM is blessed with its diversity, which presents you with the opportunity to learn from people of different backgrounds and life experiences. What we need to do is capitalize on our potential to be the model of a minority-majority institution operating at the highest levels of a research education. So we have also established a new office of Institutional Diversity, headed up by a vice president who will be charged with providing strategic leadership in initiatives related to increasing and maintaining diversity within the University system.

I've made it clear to my executive leadership team that we are all accountable for student success, for improving retention and graduation rates and for maximizing the potential of this University. So I made another change - UNM's athletics director is now a vice president for athletics and every bit as accountable for our student success as for success in athletics.

I'm establishing good working relationships with your student leaders. They meet with the executive leadership team every month to share your needs and concerns. So, I suggest you get to know the officers and senators of ASUNM and GPSA. They will be your strongest advocates.

Finally, someone recently asked me for suggestions I might make to our new freshmen. First of all, go to class. You'll reap untold rewards by applying yourself to your studies. Second, there's more to college than the classroom. So, get involved by joining a student organization. And third, have fun but always be in control of yourself.

Enjoy the last bit of your summer break and be ready to gear up for the fall semester. I'll meet many of you at regular coffee breaks and Q&As. And if the pressure gets to be too much and you find yourself struggling, know that you can always come by and see me. You are the reason I'm here.