As the search for the next University of New Mexico president continues, members of the community were invited to give their input on what qualities they would like to see the next president embody.
Held on Nov. 18 and 19 — the first in UNM’s Student Union Building, and the second in the Domenici Education Center on the Health and Sciences campus — staff, faculty, students and community members presented their perspectives on the investigation to members of the search firm Isaacson, Miller, which the University has contracted to conduct the search.
Attendees spoke on many different qualities they want the next president to hold, including the ability to form connections with the University community and across the state, a respect for and commitment to expand recognition of the Native American lands the University is built on, an ability to push to protect academic freedom, roots within New Mexico and a passion for education and students.
The search was initiated after President Garnett Stokes announced she would be retiring at the end of the 2025-26 school year back in September.
The search firm will work alongside the UNM Search Advisory Committee to identify candidates and make recommendations to the Board of Regents. The Search Advisory Committee is made up of professors, faculty, students and alumni across the University, including members of the Board of Regents, the president of the Associated Students at UNM, UNM’s Athletic Director and the CEO of the UNM Health System.
“The feedback we receive from our community will play a vital role in shaping the leadership profile for UNM’s next president,” Board of Regents Chair, Paul Blanchard, said in a press release sent out before the forums. “We look forward to hearing directly from the people who make up the core of our university — our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the New Mexicans we serve.”
The timeline for the presidential search expects that the finalists for the position will be chosen in April or May of 2026, with finalists’ visits to the campus happening during the same period. The next president is expected to be chosen at the end of May, and will assume the role over the summer.
"The Presidential Search Advisory Committee is grateful to all of the Lobos who participated in the presidential search listening sessions held over the past several days. The strong turnout and thoughtful input from faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members reflect the deep commitment our stakeholders have to the future of New Mexico’s flagship university," Executive Director of Strategic Communications at UNM Ben Cloutier wrote in a statement to The Daily Lobo on behalf of the Presidential Search Advisory Committee.
Attendee of the forum and a Clinical Nurse Educator in the College of Nursing, Nicole Smith, said she attended to learn what the search team was looking for.
“The morals of the office don't change due to the political climate, meaning that everyone is seen as equal, and it doesn't matter race, culture, religion, anything like that; it's every student is seen as a proper student, staff and faculty,” Smith said.
Jaden McKelvey-Francis is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at editorinchief@dailylobo.com or on X @jadenmckelvey
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