By researching campus topics, working closely with the University community and using her experience from a career in higher education that began more than 30 years ago, Linda Bunnell Shade said she would succeed as UNM president.
"I have admired UNM from afar," she told audience members at a public forum for University staff Tuesday. "It has a fine faculty, staff and students."
Bunnell Shade, 60, is going up against history with her appointment as a finalist for UNM's top administrator position. In its 114-year history, UNM has had 18 presidents and all of them have been men.
In her opening presentation, Bunnell Shade touched briefly upon some of her experience.
From 2001-02, she worked as senior vice president for higher education at the College Board, the nonprofit organization that owns the SAT. While there, she helped redesign the popular college admissions test to better reflect the needs of college-bound students.
"We worked hard to make changes in the SAT that I think were important to students," she said.
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Bunnell Shade was also the chancellor for the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs from 1993 to 2001.
She has also worked as an administrator at several institutions including the Minnesota State University System, California State University and at the University of California-Riverside.
During the presentation, which was attended by about 40 staff and faculty members, Bunnell Shade explained that her work at CU was more accurately described as a presidency because she worked so closely with everyone at the campus.
Bunnell Shade tailored her presentation to the UNM audience of staff members thanking them for their tireless work and assuring them she knows how much they do.
"As a former campus president, I would like to thank you all as staff members," she said. "You deserve a great deal of credit."
She told audience members that she uses literature, the field she earned both her master's and doctoral degrees in, as a source for information about any topic that may interest her.
"When I need to know something, I read books about it," she said, mentioning several novels that many audience members acknowledged.
Before fielding questions, Bunnell Shade said she knows about research institutions, medical programs, fundraising and campus expansion because she did it all at UC-Colorado Springs.
"I really do enjoy the work of being a college president," she said.
Audience members asked a variety of questions concerning a disparity in UNM faculty diversity; her ideologies in higher education as well as her familiarity with some specific UNM programs; her anticipated level of communication with staff members; and her perceived role on and off campus.
The former chancellor said she thinks UNM's faculty should better reflect the demographics of its population and suggested allocating funds dedicated to a program to specifically produce ethnically and racially diverse faculty.
"I would like UNM to become one of the great producers of Hispanic and Native American faculty," she said.
Nurturing UNM's top programs, such as Latin American Studies, should be one of the president's top priorities, she said.
When asked if she would maintain the current level of communication with UNM staff, she replied, "I would see not doing it as abnormal."
Bunnell Shade will be on campus again today, including a University-wide reception from 10-11 a.m. at University House.
