University Presidential Visits

Diversity interests Santiago

Ryan Floersheim

UNM presidential candidate Carlos Santiago said he wants the position because he is interested in the diverse population of New Mexico and because his administrative experience closely parallels the responsibilities of the job.

"I know all the aspects of running a large research university," Santiago said. "Coming from a faculty background and having served in various capacities all over the world, I have developed sensitivity for all cultures."

Santiago, provost and vice president of academic affairs at the University of Albany, began his two-day visit to UNM to become familiar with the community and the issues surrounding the University. He said that for the next president to do his job, they have to make sure that others are successful.

He said that the overall success and growth of UNM's students and organizations should be a top priority for whoever is chosen to fill the role as president, and that will improve the overall quality of the education available here and open new doors for the University to grow.

"Students are the bedrock of New Mexico's future," Santiago said. "Their success and the prosperity of the organizations on campus have a direct impact on the future of the state."

Santiago, who said that he's most proud of his accomplishments in fundraising and capital development at the University of Albany, said that while he does not advocate consistent tuition increases, he feels that they are sometimes necessary to provide the best education possible.

"Universities need to remain competitive in order to produce the most highly trained graduates that they possibly can," he said. "While access to higher education needs to remain open, you get what you pay for."

He is also a professor in the Latin American and Caribbean Studies, as well as the Economics Department. Santiago said he believes his experience running a large research university makes him an excellent candidate for UNM president and that he will bring a variety of perspectives to UNM if chosen for the role.

He added that the role and scope of public higher education have changed dramatically over the past 20 years and that in order for universities such as UNM to remain helpful in society and ensure their prosperity, they need to increase their involvement with the community.

"Universities hold a multitude of opportunities and talent," Santiago said. "Collaborating in research programs and striving to push the technology envelope with outside organizations will not only benefit the University and increase the nations standing nationally, but it will ensure the opportunity of public higher education for generations to come."

Santiago said he is also familiar with UNM from an educator's point of view. He said he looked into the University's Economics Department in 1988 and has had a scholarly interest in UNM as a professor and former chairman of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Department at Albany.

He earned his bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Miami in 1973 and two master's degrees in economics from the University of Puerto Rico in 1975 and Cornell University in 1979. He also earned his doctorate from Cornell in 1982.

Candidate explains UNM goals

Ryan Floersheim

UNM presidential candidate Edward John Ray said all the essential ingredients needed to make the University nationally competitive are in place, the only thing missing is a president to bring them all together.

Ray, who began a two-day visit to UNM Monday in order to become acclimated with the concerns of the community and the issues that exist on campus, spoke to a crowd of less than 10 people about the similarities between UNM and Ohio State University, where he is the executive vice president, provost and a professor of economics.

"The biggest issues that exist here at UNM; diversity, tuition hikes and competitive salaries, are the same issues I've been working on at OSU," Ray said. "I think that experience will enable me to lessen the impact on the community by these problems and help UNM see its goals for the future to fruition."

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.

Spearheading strategic planning initiatives to control the university's budget and resources and increase recruitment and retention efforts of minority students at the institution were listed as two of his biggest accomplishments at OSU, Ray said.

Also, he readily answered every question thrown at him regarding those topics during the student forum in Zimmerman Library.

"It is very important that students capable of succeeding in college not be shut out due to financial shortcomings," Ray said of his stance on increased diversity at UNM. "A diversified campus is beneficial to everyone, as a wider range of perspectives and opinions only add to the quality of education at a university."

Ray, who received his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Queens College in New York and his master's and doctoral degrees from Stanford University, has earned several awards during his administrative tenure at OSU including the University's Outstanding Teaching Award and the Chairperson's Recognition Award. Ray also wrote several books, including Principles of Economics and The Income Tax in America: The Origin and Resolution of Fiscal Crises.

When asked about campus demonstrations regarding the war in Iraq, Ray said that if there is any place where people should be able to openly express their opinions, it is on a college campus.

If students feel passionately enough about any topic that they want to organize publicly, they have every right to do so and I applaud them for their willingness to do so, he said.

Ray added that in order for any president to accomplish his goals for the university, that person must have to make them part of the fabric of the university, with everyone in the community having a clear understanding of the objectives set out for the campus.

"Presidents and provosts come and go, if those people that start initiatives for a university aren't going to be there to see them through, who is going to make sure that they are carried through," Ray said. "Clear communication and a definitive set of goals is vital in ensuring that the University is carried into the future."

Penley focuses on development

Presidential candidate talks about goals for improvement

Jeff Proctor

Larry Penley, one of five finalists for the UNM presidential position, challenged students, faculty and staff Thursday to raise the University's national and international reputation by continuing to enrich the local and state communities.

"UNM is an institution with an enormous future ahead of it," Penley said to a group of about 15 people in the Willard Reading Room. "It's a better institution than the rankings in publications like U.S. News and World Report say it is."

Penley made short presentations and took questions during four forums. He was the second presidential candidate to visit campus following Louis Caldera, who spoke at UNM Tuesday.

If selected president, Penley said he would address two major concerns: the development and implementation of a strategic research agenda and resolving the disjuncture between K-12 and higher education in New Mexico.

"UNM must identify what it's very best at, what drives the University's economy and understand and celebrate what it is deeply passionate about," he said.

Penley, 54, has been the dean of the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University since 1991, where he also was department chairman from 1985-1991. He previously held faculty positions at the University of Texas at San Antonio from 1975-1985 and was a visiting professor in Valencia, Venezuela in 1977.

Fundraising was a major goal for Penley at ASU. He helped bring more than $110 million into the W.P. Carey School through gifts and capital campaigns.

UNM law students asked Penley questions about the role and future of affirmative action in higher education.

"It's going to become a challenge," Penley said. "I'd like to make UNM a destination for minority students from New Mexico and from other states as well."

The most recent data, Penley added, has shown that many students who graduate from New Mexico high schools go on to college elsewhere.

"That, to me, is a very bad indicator," Penley said.

Other audience members asked Penley if he would be able to live up to some of the moral standards set by UNM President Chris Garcia, who was chosen for the position by groups with divergent opinions.

"I believe I can," Penley said. "Despite my obvious interest in business, I believe that what we are as human beings is celebrated best through fine arts."

Aaron Ezekiel, manager for information services for the general library system, asked Penley about UNM's capital planning policy for infrastructure and information technologies.

"Information technology is absolutely essential," Penley said.

Penley added that businesses that began relying heavily on IT in the early 90s are reaping the benefits now. At ASU, Penley said, he was able to help integrate IT into the curriculum through programs such as e-learning.

"It goes back to community involvement for leaders," Penley said. "People want to give their money to an educational institution that is going to be successful."

Ezekiel said he was very impressed with Penley.

"He has obviously addressed that issue [information technology] before," Ezekiel said. "I'm encouraged by the fact that he's had some success. Dealing with tough issues like that - that's a big part of the president's job."

Caldera visits UNM

Arthur Simoni

UNM presidential candidate Louis Caldera said his interest in leading UNM is to help the University in any way he can and to build support from the state and beyond.

"We need to find the resources that the University needs," Caldera said. "You are all to be commended for having a very fine University with very highly regarded programs. To build on that success, to sustain those great programs, to take other programs to the same kind of level of distinction requires support of various kinds - from the business community, from the state legislature - but it also requires financial support and research as well, and that's what I see as the job of the president."

Caldera is the first presidential finalist to visit campus. He spoke at three different forums Tuesday, one each for staff, faculty and students. He presented his qualifications to each audience and then answered questions.

"The nature of the presidency has really changed in the last 10 years," Caldera said. "It is important to recognize that research universities are moving toward the model where the provost is internally oriented and is really in charge of the academic programs and works closely with the deans. The president is more externally oriented in terms of building the support for the University."

Caldera is currently vice chancellor for University Advancement of the California State University System. While employed in the Clinton administration, he worked in two positions, first serving as managing director and chief operating officer for the Corporation for National and Community Service from 1997-98. From 1998-2000, Caldera was the Secretary of the Army.

"One of the things I did was really work to increase the Army's educational opportunities," he said. "We created assistance education programs for soldiers because I wanted them to walk away from the Army with more than just the pride of having served their country. I wanted them to walk away with marketable skills."

Caldera also served in the California State Legislature, representing downtown Los Angeles, which he said gives him insight into the many diverse groups that represent UNM, specifically in a time of war.

"One of the wonderful things about universities is the tradition of freedom of speech and freedom of expression," Caldera said. "We need to respect the diversity of opinions and views on a number of issues that are prevalent on college campuses. There is a reason for that. This is a place that deals with intellectual activity and questions good policy and bad policy and America's role in the world."

He said he was delighted with the opportunity to visit the campus.

"If we can demonstrate in New Mexico that we can raise the general education level to people in this state and reach the people in the rural communities and educate the students, then we become a model for the nation," Caldera said.

Bunnell Shade would make faculty more diverse

By Clay Holtzman

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.

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.