UNM community members packed into the Roberts Room at Scholes Hall Tuesday to see a mostly-new group of campus leaders discuss goals and expectations for the University's future.
But before faculty, staff and students could express their priorities for the coming years to new UNM President Louis Caldera, the Board of Regents had some official business to straighten out.
A change to the Regent Code of Conduct, drafted and proposed by Regs. Mel Eaves and James Koch, will prohibit members of the board and their immediate families from "maintaining a financial interest in a firm or corporation with which the University is engaged in business."
The new policy, which passed unanimously, defines "financial interest" as ownership of more than 1 percent of a publicly traded corporation or being a "partner, officer, director or trustee of such a business entity or an employee of such a business entity whose compensation is related to business transacted with the University."
Koch said the policy is not intended to keep anyone off the board or to make any current regents ineligible.
Larry Willard, who resigned as president of the board July 1 to become chairman of the newly-formed New Mexico Economic Development Corp., is the president and chief financial officer of Wells Fargo Bank New Mexico. UNM has accounts totaling in the millions of dollars with Wells Fargo.
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Reg. Sandra Begay-Campbell is an architect with Sandia National Laboratories, but her division does not do business with UNM.
"I'm not saying anybody did anything wrong here, now or previously," Koch said. "I don't believe anyone has violated this rule. But I do believe it is up to us to regulate ourselves and I think this does that."
The elimination of potential conflicts of interest, Koch said, reflects initiative by the board to be more open in its dealings.
Other regents, including Eaves and student-Reg. Andrea Cook, agreed that University-wide openness is among the important challenges that UNM must face.
"Are our students discovering a connection as to why they're here?" Cook said, turning to Caldera. "We need you out there. Students don't know what goes on in Scholes Hall - it's like the Land of Oz to them. We don't want you behind that curtain saying, 'I am the great and powerful Oz.'"
Many in attendance Tuesday, including the presidents of the Faculty Senate, Staff Council, ASUNM and GPSA, said salary increases for faculty and staff, diversification of revenue sources and improving the quality of education should be UNM's top priorities.
"We have to take care of our faculty, staff and their salaries," said acting-Regent President Jack Fortner. "The way to do that is not through tuition increases."
Koch said he is considering proposing a statewide soft drink tax - much like the recent 70 cent cigarette tax - to bring money into the Health Sciences Center. He estimates that such a tax could raise as much as $25 million, but said he has not spoken to state lawmakers about it.
"I believe that if we don't get alternative funding now, we're in trouble," he said.
Caldera, whose remarks closed the meeting, said he will spend much of the next few weeks listening to faculty, students and administrators to get a better sense of the University's needs.
Upgrading and modernizing facilities, "leading in the area of diversity" and improving relations with local kindergarten through 12th-grade education systems, Caldera said, are among his goals for UNM.
"I am humbled by this appointment and I accept this awesome responsibility," he said.
