The UNM Board of Regents convened on Thursday for their final deliberations before students arrive to campus for the fall semester, allowing UNM administrators the opportunity to provide updates on new and ongoing initiatives.
President's Report
UNM President Bob Frank started the meeting by providing the most current statistics on student enrollment.
Frank reported that there was virtually no change in total headcount and credit hours taken by students. However, there are slight increases in freshman and graduate student enrollment, by four percent and just over one percent, respectively.
Frank also presented a new 2+1+2 program that will be offered by UNM for students looking to complete their master's in business administration in five years through the Innovation Academy.
The program involves completing a two-year associate's degree program at any college in the state, then coming to UNM and completing a bachelor's and master's program over three years.
Not only can New Mexico students achieve a master's faster than it might take others, but they will have the opportunity to do so via modernized methods of interactive teaching at the Innovative Academy.
Frank concluded his report by unveiling the new UNM Web page, which underwent a redesign to make it more visually streamlined and appealing. The new site offers easy access to topics such as how to apply to the University and tuition/fees information.
The new site also includes a "UNM By The Number" section and a section devoted to UNM-affiliated socia media.
UNM HSC Financial Literacy Program
The Health Sciences Center has recently taken steps to educate students in managing money.
Associate Director of Financial Aid Janell Valdez said UNM students often suffer from student loan debt and are uneducated about the process.
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Thus, the HSC created a financial literacy program to “enable students to choose paths based upon aptitude and conviction rather than financial need.”
Regents Thomas Clifford and Marron Lee both agreed that this is a crucial issue.
Valdez presented the accomplishments and future goals of program, including the establishment of a Learning Communities Collaboration class and a Developing a Budget group session.
