Editor,
For those of you who left for the summer, welcome back to campus. For those who attended summer classes, it was great having you here, and I know you're ready to get back to work.
One of the best parts of my job here at UNM is listening to students about ways they think the University can better serve their needs. As I have said before and will continue to stress, students and their success are my top priorities.
A concern students have brought to my attention is the dormitory situation on campus. I toured the dorms this summer, and while I can say there is much to recommend in our housing facilities, I also believe there is more work to be done.
In an effort to better serve students' needs, I have made an organizational change that will impact student housing. Starting this semester, the housing department will be under the direction of the vice president for Student Affairs. It will be that division's responsibility to make sure that student needs are addressed in a timely fashion. As I mentioned earlier, I think there is much about University housing of which we can be proud. I also think this change will allow the University to be more responsive. Many universities across the country use this model, and I believe this change will better serve your needs and requests.
As an institution, UNM must be responsive to student concerns. I've met with your student leaders over the summer and believe our meetings have been productive. As we continue our work to make UNM a student-centered, responsive institution, I will continue to seek the thoughts and ideas of the student body.
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To that end, I encourage you to contact your student representatives and let them know what you think. We've opened up a great line of communication with them, and I will seek their input regularly.
Again, welcome back. Together let's make this a great semester at UNM.
David J. Schmidly
UNM president
