In an e-mail sent Monday, UNM President David Schmidly announced his appointment of Paul Roth as acting President until Schmidly is given medical clearance to return.
In a University-wide statement, Schmidly said he is gradually recovering from an Aug. 17 operation, and his medical team advised him not to resume his normal schedule.
Roth, the executive vice president for Health Sciences, became acting president after Schmidly discussed the matter with Roth and Board of Regents President Raymond Sanchez, said Billy Sparks, a Health Sciences Center spokesman.
“As acting president, Roth will do all the normal day-to-day operations of the University as well as working with the regents, faculty and staff until Schmidly’s return,” he said.
Roth is on vacation and was unavailable for comment Monday.
Sparks said the decision to appoint an acting president was made based on existing regent policies. Schmidly has been on medical leave since Aug. 18.
Sparks couldn’t say how much medical leave Schmidly has left.
“It’s a legal question as well as very murky territory. What I can say is that hopefully by naming an acting president, Schmidly will be able to focus entirely on his recovery,” he said.
Schmidly said in the statement he expects to return as soon as he is given full medical clearance.
“I want to thank all those who have been so extraordinarily kind in their words of encouragement and prayers for me and my family in the last two months,” he said in the e-mail. “It has not been easy… I want to thank the dedicated and professional physicians and staff of UNM Hospital who are now overseeing my care. With their help and guidance, I am looking forward to a full recovery.”
