by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
In its hunt for presidential candidates, UNM has to compete with other universities looking for leadership, including Purdue University, the University of Iowa and George Washington University.
"A number of people that are interested in talking to us are interested in talking to those other institutions as well," said Betty Asher, a consultant for UNM's search.
Raymond Sanchez, a regent and the chairman of the search committee, said there is no shortage of possible presidents.
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"There are a lot of people out there who are interested," he said. "There are a lot of potential candidates."
Sanchez and Asher spoke at a committee meeting Friday. Most of the meeting was closed to the public.
Louis Caldera, the former UNM president, resigned in January. David Harris is serving as president until the position is filled.
The Board of Regents is supposed to select a president in March.
UNM has received 34 rÇsumÇs from people interested in the
position.
There have been 63 people nominated for the position.
"About this time, the community starts to get anxious and wonder if anything's happening," Asher said. "Things are happening. Nominations are coming in by the hour."
The committee will not publicly discuss who is considered a candidate.
Greenwood and Associates, the consulting firm for the search, has called deans, provosts and administrators at other universities to find out who might be interested in the position.
Those contacts often become candidates, Asher said.
"Sometimes you'll call someone as a source, and they'll tell you quietly, 'I might be interested in this,'" she said. "Things just go from there."
The committee is supposed to select finalists by January.
However, UNM will continue looking for candidates, Asher said.
"We always tell people that the search is never closed until a contract is signed," she said.
Asher said finding candidates who want to move to New Mexico is one of the biggest challenges.
"Many people are not willing to relocate," she said. "You really have to twist their arm to get them to come here."
Several people Asher has called share the same concerns about the position.
"One of the biggest questions is people wanting to know if they need to speak Spanish to come here," she said.
However, some candidates are eager to come to New Mexico.
"Some people are very happy when they hear what institution we're calling about," Asher said. "They say, 'Oh, the University of New Mexico is the only place that could convince me to move from where I am now.'"
The committee will hold its next meeting Dec. 6 to name as many as 10 candidates.
