The UNM community took a road trip to Santa Fe Monday to fight for what it needs to survive over the coming year and to showcase to state legislators the work being done on campus.
"UNM Day at the State Capitol," a yearly event designed to allow the University to display its new or improved programs and services, brought with it a sense of seriousness this year as several critical issues were at stake.
UNM President Louis Caldera said the University has a few major items on its legislative plate, the most important of which is a hoped for 5 percent compensation increase for faculty and staff.
Caldera said the governor and the Legislature agree that UNM's faculty and staff deserve an increase, but disagree on how it should be handled. The governor, he said, has proposed the compensation come in the form of a salary increase, while the legislators want the increase to come as a one-time bonus.
Caldera admitted that while the University was hoping for a 5 percent increase, it will be lucky to get 4 percent.
"A 4 percent increase, spread out through a bonus and an increase in salaries is the way to go," he said. "It would be the best of both worlds."
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As for tuition increases, Caldera said they are essentially a necessary evil, and he expects one this year, but added he is striving to keep it minimal.
He said, though, any tuition increase should be directed by the state so the University will benefit from the increase in revenue generated.
"The University needs a means of achieving its goals," Caldera said. "Any revenue should go toward our priorities."
He warned against abusing the Legislature's power to increase tuition at the state's colleges, saying if they continue, eventually students "will be priced out of an education."
Caldera said UNM officials are also working with the Legislature and the governor to slow the growth of Medicaid costs, but in a way that won't adversely impact UNM Hospital.
New Mexico's $110 million health care tab this year could easily reach $408 million soon if no cuts are made, said Sen. Cisco McSorley, whose district includes much of the UNM campus.
McSorley said he supports the University's initiative to increase state revenue to fund health care programs, which would help negate the impacts felt by state hospitals if any cuts are made to Medicaid.
He said UNM's ideas are good and could go a long way in improving conditions for medical patients in New Mexico, but it is important for UNM officials to keep the initiative as a priority for it to be successful.
Caldera said University officials are also working on securing state funding for several specific initiatives for individual departments at UNM.
Those initiatives include plans for new engineering and health science buildings, increased technological capacity and infrastructure and revising the Educational Retirement Act to free up the University to hire new faculty members.
While Caldera was in Santa Fe looking out for the University's financial interests, other community members were there to showcase their successes and future endeavors.
More than 20 UNM departments were on hand, many with elaborate booths set up to educate the state's leaders about the work they are doing and how they are improving New Mexicans' lives.
"These departments are here to help the state's legislators see what they've done with the funding they've received in the past," said Eleanor Sanchez, a marketing specialist for UNM. "It's important for our state's leaders to see the end result of the programs they fought for in the past."
