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Friday, May 01, 2009
UNM Job Still Option for Caldera
By Martin Salazar
Journal Staff Writer
Louis Caldera's job security in Washington, D.C., may be in peril after he ordered a presidential jet to buzz lower Manhattan for a photo op, but he'll have a safe place to land in Albuquerque if he needs one.
Caldera, a former University of New Mexico president, is still a tenured faculty member at UNM's School of Law and is free to return to his teaching post if his White House job doesn't work out.
He requested and received leave without pay from Jan. 12 until Dec. 31 "to perform government service as an assistant to the President as a member of the White House staff."
The request was approved by an associate dean in the law school, an associate provost and ultimately by Provost Suzanne Ortega.
Some political pundits are calling for Caldera to be fired from his Obama administration post after he authorized a Boeing 747 — called Air Force One when the president is on board — to fly low over the city's skyline. The flyover occurred Monday as part of a government photo op and training mission.
The photo shoot, which reportedly cost about $329,000, terrified New Yorkers and sent them into the streets in fear that they were witnessing a repeat of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Caldera, director of the White House Military Office, apologized Monday for the ill-conceived flyover, and President Barack Obama was reportedly furious about the incident.
The Washington Post reported that Caldera was on thin ice and that White House press secretary Robert Gibbs "pointedly refused to rule out a firing in the case." Obama has ordered an internal review to determine how the decision was made and ensure it never happens again.
Caldera, in his statement released by the White House on Monday, said he approved the mission over New York.
"I take responsibility for that decision," Caldera said. "While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it's clear that the mission created confusion and disruption. I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused."
Obama selected Caldera as the director of the White House Military Office in December. At the time, Obama praised Caldera in a prepared statement.
"I know he'll bring to the White House the same dedication and integrity that have earned him the highest praise in every post, from secretary of the Army to university president," Obama said.
Caldera stepped down as UNM president in 2006 amid signs that his relationship with regents had soured. UNM agreed to pay him more than $700,000 as part of the agreement to end his contract early.
He took a tenured position in the law school, where he earned about $120,000 a year.
"I think that, as a faculty member, if you're on a leave without pay, and you're entitled to come back, then I think you should be offered that opportunity and be evaluated on your teaching and service and research at the university," said Howard Snell, president of UNM's Faculty Senate.
UNM spokeswoman Susan McKinsey said it's not unusual for faculty members to be granted leaves without pay for such things as government service.
"That gives them world experience," she said.
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