UNM presidential candidate Edward John Ray said that he feels he can use his administrative experience to help the University realize its goals in the future.
Ray, the executive vice president, provost and professor of economics at Ohio State University, admitted that while he is unaware of the issues at UNM, he is anxiously awaiting an opportunity to become acclimated with the community.
"I am planning to take the time to hear all concerns that the community has when I get to visit the campus within the next three weeks," Ray said. "The sense I got from the presidential search committee is that UNM is an optimistic community that is looking forward to a prosperous future."
He said that UNM and OSU are comparable in size and have similar visions of where the institutions would like to be in the future and he believes he has an accurate perspective of what the University means to the people of New Mexico.
"My experience dealing with issues at such a large body has given me a sense of the demands of the presidential position," Ray said. "I hope to bring that experience to bear for the benefit of the students and the community in general."
Ray, who has been a permanent fixture at Ohio State University since 1970, has held positions ranging from professor and department chairman to interim and acting senior vice president of the University.
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He said that after reading material on UNM and visiting the state two years ago, he and his wife fell in love with New Mexico and wanted to learn more about it.
"It's a place that is starkly beautiful in many aspects," Ray said. "From what I have read, UNM fosters a culturally rich environment that provides the highest level of academic excellence."
Ray added that he is proud of several accomplishments he has made during his time at OSU, including a strategic planning initiative that controls the University's budget and resources and a diversity action plan intended to increase recruitment and retention efforts of minority students at the institution.
He said that due to those and similar programs, OSU is above and beyond where it was 10 years ago in terms of a prosperous future.
"There is increased interest in a multi-cultural center and a number of academic initiatives including minor programs in several ethnic studies," Ray said. "I like to think that I had a significant hand in that change."
Ray received his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Queens College in New York in 1966. He went on to earn both his master's and doctorate degrees from Stanford University by 1971.
Having been presented with several awards from OSU including the University's Outstanding Teaching Award and the Chairperson's Recognition Award, Ray is also the author of several books, including Principles of Economics and The Income Tax in America: The Origin and Resolution of Fiscal Crises.
Ray said that his personal motto is that a university's values are reflected in what it includes in its curriculum. He added that if chosen as the next president of UNM, he would want to expose students to a greater range of the elements in society.
"I am very much looking forward to visiting the campus and learning more about the terrific opportunity to lead UNM into the future," Ray said.
