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Athletics, health care and quantum theory.
Those were some of the topics that University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes covered at the Albuquerque Economic Forum last week.
Her visit came at a time when major changes are happening at the university. Dr. Douglas Ziedonis, the executive vice president of the UNM Health System CEO, was removed from his position last week, and Eddie Nuñez, the former athletic director, left his post for the same position at the University of Houston.
I'll go through some of the highlights of Stokes' address.
On Lobos football losing 35-31 to Montana State to open the year:
"We did lose, but it was an incredible game. It was fun to watch, and it was clear that under the leadership and direction of our new coach, Bronco Mendenhall, we are moving in the right direction."
On the departure of Nuñez:
"We had him for seven years. He's a wonderful, wonderful A.D., a good friend and colleague. The reality is, he helped build something here, and we have incredible momentum and enthusiasm and goodwill for our athletic program."
The fall semester started last month. On student enrollment:
"I don't know how many of you have been to campus, but the truth is, it's crowded. It's very crowded and it's amazing.
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We don't have our official enrollment numbers for the fall ... but our enrollment has been trending upwards, and I expect enrollment this fall to be higher (than last year). Last fall, we had our largest first-year class in UNM history."
UNM opened a Quantum New Mexico Institute, which Stokes said could attract businesses to Albuquerque.
"One of our most exciting initiatives is the pioneering work that we are doing in the development of quantum information science and engineering. We partnered with Sandia National Laboratories to launch UNM's 11th research center, the Quantum New Mexico Institute, and together we're making New Mexico a destination for quantum companies, nuclear technologies and scientists around the world."
On the ongoing development of UNM's South Campus:
"We're in the planning stages for a sports and entertainment district that will complement our athletic facilities, bringing even more people to the area on game day."
There's major health care changes underway at UNM. In addition to a change in leadership, there is also a new hospital tower under construction that Stokes said will open next year:
"It's incredible to realize what the impact of this is going to be and what the health care workforce is going to need to look like. We're going to need to hire 2,100 hospital staff. We're going to have 20,000 more admissions. We're going to be needing to have 300 School of Medicine faculty, 200 residents and fellows. Can you imagine what that's going to look like? So when I say we are at a pivotal point in New Mexico, it is a time when we absolutely must accelerate our growth"
