
The University of New Mexico
NEWS RELEASE
June 27, 2006
UNM Provost Appoints Graduation Task Force
University of New Mexico Provost Reed Dasenbrock has created a Graduation Task Force charged with identifying the most critical factors affecting graduation rates at the university and proposing strategies to improve them. The group will be co-chaired by Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Dean of University College Peter White and Associate Provost Wynn Goering.
“We've known for a long time that UNM students struggle to complete their degrees in a timely way and we've learned a great deal about the issue in previous initiatives,” said Dasenbrock. “That is why I am charging this task force to focus on solutions – to devise practical strategies that can have an immediate impact on the problem.” Dasenbrock is calling for the group to report its recommendations to him by mid-January, in time for consideration in the Fiscal Year 2008 budget cycle.
Task force members include Director of Recruitment Services and Interim Director of Admissions Terry Babbitt, Director of Institutional Research Mark Chisholm, Manager of the College Enrichment Program Jennifer Gomez-Chavez, Assistant Professor of Sociology Nancy Lopez, and College of Arts and Sciences Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs Mark Ondrias. Dasenbrock says these seven constitute a project steering committee that will in turn appoint other subcommittees to focus on specific elements of the task.
“The days when we could content ourselves with simply giving students the chance to attend UNM are over,” said Dasenbrock. “If we haven't done everything we can to help them complete their educational goals, we haven't done our jobs. That's the new bottom line.”
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The University of New Mexico is the state's largest university, serving more than 32,000 students. UNM is home to the state's only schools of law, medicine, pharmacy and architecture and operates New Mexico's only academic health center. UNM is noted for comprehensive undergraduate programs and research that benefits the state and the nation.
www.unm.edu