Regents President Jamie Koch will attend the petition-requested faculty meeting after all.
Koch said he found out President David Schmidly would go to the meeting by reading Tuesday's Daily Lobo, and now he's decided to do the same.
Koch told the Lobo on Monday that he would not attend the meeting, because he had no reason to.
"I have no need to go there. I don't work for the faculty. I have no responsibility to the faculty to go to their meeting," he said.
But on Wednesday, Koch said he had planned to skip the meeting because he and Schmidly agreed to do so.
Koch said he and Schmidly had a conversation about the petition, in which more than 230 faculty members requested the meeting to address a "crisis of confidence" they are having in Schmidly, Koch and Executive Vice President for Business and Finance Harris.
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Koch said Schmidly told him he would not attend the meeting under any circumstances.
"I said, 'Fine, Dr. Schmidly. I will not go,'" Koch told the Lobo on Wednesday.
Koch said he felt he ought to go but didn't want to undermine Schmidly's authority by showing up for a meeting that would be full of faculty members calling for the president's presence.
He said he has never rejected an invitation to attend a faculty meeting and won't start now.
"I'm going regardless of if Dr. Schmidly decides not to go," Koch said.
Schmidly said in an interview Monday that he would be going to the meeting and intended to work with the faculty on addressing their concerns.
Susan McKinsey, spokeswoman for the University, said in an e-mail that "Schmidly had changed his mind about attending the faculty meeting when he realized he didn't have to chair it."
"He had been in Santa Fe working with the Legislature and then flew out to Washington to meet with the (New Mexico Congressional) delegation," McKinsey said.ˇ"In the midst of all of that, he and Regent Koch had not had the opportunity to talk.ˇThis was a simple miscommunication.ˇHe has spoken to Regent Koch, and they are both planning to attend the meeting."
Koch said he still supports Schmidly and that they are on good terms despite the miscommunication.
Koch said his focus is on resolving the tension between upper administration and faculty. The meeting is relevant and within the faculty's rights to request, he said.
"I don't blame the faculty," he said. "I'm not upset with the faculty. If I were a faculty member, I would have done the same thing."
Koch is in the midst of preparing for a confirmation hearing with the State Senate to secure his seat as a regent for the next six years. He denied any connection between his decision to attend the faculty meeting and his upcoming hearing.
Gov. Bill Richardson nominated Koch for reappointment; however, Koch must first meet with an eight-member confirmation committee and get its approval, then seek confirmation from the Senate.
Sen. Linda Lopez, who serves as the Senate's rules chairwoman, said Koch will have some tough questions to face before he can be confirmed.
The Senate has been paying close attention to the turmoil stirring at UNM, she said.
"That does have an effect (on the confirmation), and I know when any of the regents come in front of our committee - whether it be Mr. Koch or I think Mr. (Gene) Gallegos, who is a new appointee also - there will be questions, many questions asked by committee members," Lopez said. "I can anticipate and promise that will happen. It will not be a smooth-sailing, no-questions-asked hearing."
