Story Tools  E-mail Story  Print Friendly Featured Jobs Featured Jobs Feature Your Jobs: call 823-4444 Guest Opinions No Winners in Police Shooting Credit Unions Would Foot Bill for Giant Retailers Loss of NHCC Chief A Blow to Our State Welcome to Albuquerque Not Especially Friendly Basic Dental Care Is Lacking in N.M. Send Message to Troops that Their Safety Is Top Priority Tough Times No Reason To Postpone Big Plans Gov., Legislature Get Failing Grade for First 100 Days Medicaid Grants Would Hurt Young Join Battle Against Sexual Violence More Guest Opinions

          Front Page  opinion  guest_columns

Saturday, March 19, 2011

UNM VPs Achieve Their Goals

By David J. Schmidly
UNM President
          In its March 12 editorial, the Albuquerque Journal questioned the University of New Mexico's choice to have a vice president for athletics, without taking the time or effort to ask about the rationale behind this decision made three years ago. The same is true about our decision to have a vice president for equity and inclusion. So here are the ways a title can address management integration and strengthen university structure to accomplish important goals.
        At universities across the country, departments of athletics are routinely criticized for being fragmented from the main institution, resulting in limited interaction, different cultures and concerns about over-commercialization.
        That situation is best addressed by integrating athletics into the overall university structure and responsive to its overall mission. Arizona State has a similar integrated structure.
        The title of vice president for athletics, rather than athletic director, sends a clear message to coaches and athletes that they are connected to the university and need to be responsive to it. It creates a structure of stronger control and involvement which is vitally important to presidential leadership.
        As the salary remains the same under either title, there are no budgetary implications. There is, however, the clear resolve to have an institution where every department focuses on the success of its students.
        UNM Athletics under the vice president has seen graduation rates and grade-point averages that exceed that of the main student body, which is extremely rare and also very gratifying.
        In a similar vein, our choice to create a vice president for equity and inclusion was rooted in the very values of this university, where diversity is embraced. However, the diversity of the faculty did not reflect that of the student body and the underrepresented did not have their own champion sitting at the executive table so their concerns would be heard at the highest levels.
        Progress is now being made in those areas.
        Structure is important to presidential leadership. Our decisions about management structure have been based on clear and proven rationale and show success.
       

You also can send comments via our comment form