Despite the hiring freeze at UNM, applicants are still being considered for director of Admissions, a position deemed "mission-critical" by the Provost's Office.
However, at least three candidates who have been offered the position have turned it down.
Vice President of Enrollment Management Carmen Alvarez Brown interviewed Richard Matthew Hulett last week, and he declined the position.
Brown said the position will pay at least $64,680 and up to $117,540 depending on experience.
Hulett was offered $110,000 starting pay, based on his previous experience, Brown said.
Hulett is director of Housing and Residential Life at New Mexico State University.
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"Matt Hulett was extended an invitation to visit UNM based on his broad-based admissions experience at a major flagship institution, his experience as director of Admissions at another public institution, and his affinity to New Mexico," Brown said.
Hulett declined to comment on his reasons for turning down the position.
Hulett is one of two applicants who were considered from a pool of 24, Brown said.
The other candidate being considered was Robert Shindell, who previously held the position of vice president of Admissions and Recruitment at Texas Tech University and will not be interviewed, Brown said.
Brown said the position was re-opened on Feb. 13 after two applicants, interviewed in November, turned down the position.
It first opened in September 2008, Brown said.
"This position was posted prior to the hiring freeze and is not part of the budget reduction plan for the division," she said.
The position is critical to the mission of the University and therefore is eligible for hire, Registrar Kathleen Sena said.
The director of Admissions position will create more revenue than it costs, Sena said, by bringing in more students.
She said many in Admissions have been doing more than their share to stay on schedule with initiatives started by Brown and that the director of Admissions could undertake some of those responsibilities.
Richard Holder, deputy provost, said that when a department needs a position filled as an exception to the hiring freeze, it needs approval from Wynn Goering, vice provost of Academic Affairs.
"The deans must show us financially that they can pay the salaries of these hires and still handle the budget cut from other resources," Holder said. "If they can, then we are approving the hires."
Holder said a position is more likely to be approved for hire if the administrator making the request can show that it is a mission-critical position - that is, if it is a significant position to students or if it will create more money than it uses.
Deans bring their arguments to Goering, who makes the decision as to whether a position is an exception to the hiring freeze.
Goering said he is examining hire requests on a case-by-case basis.
"It's up to the administrator to make their case. I have had to say 'Yes, we would like the extra support, but in this financial environment, no, we cannot hire for that position,'" Goering said. "Since we have started using the system where the dean has to prove he can pay for the hire, I have not said 'no' a lot."
The director of Admissions position, although deemed mission-critical, has been posted as open until filled, so there is no time frame in which the University plans to have the position occupied. UNM will immediately begin a new search for qualified candidates.
"We would have liked to have had someone for this position yesterday," Sena said.
