Each year the UNM Staff Council selects a theme to help frame its activities for the year. This year, the theme is “Caring for U.” The theme has an outward focus because what we do as staff is serve you. As you read this, you may be a student at a computer pod in the SUB, a faculty member preparing for class or working with a graduate assistant on a research project, or a patient at UNM Hospital waiting to hear a test result from a doctor, nurse or technician.
You are the reason for what we as staff do. We help make these activities, and so many more, part of a normal routine for more than 20,000 people on campus during a typical day.
A great staff, which I believe UNM has, is often unseen; When we do our jobs well, no one notices.
If you came to UNM in the early hours of the morning, you would see groundskeepers cleaning the campus in preparation for your arrival. During the winter, these same dedicated people work hard to de-ice the walkways to ensure your safety. You would also see custodians cleaning classrooms and offices in order for you to learn and work in a clean environment.
During the day you might correspond with an adviser about graduation requirements or next semester’s course schedules, meet with someone in the Bursar’s Office about your account, see Financial Aid about potential scholarship opportunities or go to the library, either in person or online, to ask a librarian about a research question.
Then, after a hard day of hitting the books, you can go to Johnson Center for the gym or to get your bicycle fixed. And for those living on campus, there’s staff who live in the dorms ready to assist you with the transition to living away from home.
There are scores of other staff positions that help to keep you and the University campus safe and healthy, such as the UNM Police Department, Student Health and Counseling and UNM Hospital.
Behind the scenes, there are administrative officers and human resources staff to ensure that departments and programs have the resources and support needed to provide the services we all use.
We the staff are interested in making your time on campus the most productive and rewarding experience possible.
Whether you are a student, a faculty member, fellow staff or a member of the UNM community, we, the over 5,000-strong UNM staff, are here “Caring for U.”
Gene V. Henley
President, UNM Staff Council
scpresident@unm.edu
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