Department chair seeks fresh successor

by Karina Guzzi

Daily Lobo

Tey Diana Rebolledo, chair of the Spanish and Portuguese Department, says the department needs new blood.

"I've been teaching at the University of New Mexico for 20 years," she said. "I'm an old faculty member."

Rebolledo has been the chair of the department for three years. She said it is time someone younger with more energy took over.

"I'm old," she said. "It's time for me to go back to teaching. Being the chair is fun, but it's also demanding, and I would like to go back to my own work."

Portuguese teaching assistant Valico Romualdo Jr. said he is pleased with Rebolledo.

"She's very close to us," he said. "I'll miss her as a chair, because I know that if I needed something, I could count on her."

The national selection process is reaching its final stages, and four finalists began presenting their research to a group of students and faculty last week.

"We are looking for a distinguished scholar, someone who can be a leader for the department, can mentor students and faculty, can find support for their own mission and have administrative management skills," said Richard Santos, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

He said the committee is seeking someone who will support the Portuguese portion of the department.

Seven people are on the search committee, including one graduate student.

Here is a list of candidates:

Anne Cruz is a professor of Spanish and chair of the Foreign Languages and Literatures Department at the University of Miami and a delegate for the Modern Language Association. She will present her research Friday from 3 to 5 p.m.

Lauro Flores is a professor of Spanish and Portuguese and chair of the Department of American Ethnic Studies at the University of Washington. She will present Monday from 2 to 4 p.m.

Armin Schwegler is the associate editor for the Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages and a professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of California, Irvine. He presented his research Friday.

Sherry Velasco is an associate professor at the Department of Hispanic Studies at the University of Kentucky. She presented yesterday.

Presentations are made in Ortega Hall, room 335. At the end of the presentations, the search committee passes evaluation forms to attendees to get feedback on the candidates.

The committee's deadline for choosing a candidate is March 1. The final decision will be made by Santos in mid-March.