
The University of New Mexico
NEWS RELEASE
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1989; cell - (505) 362-5530
mckinsey@unm.edu
February 17, 2007
David J. Schmidly Named UNM President
With a unanimous vote, the University of New Mexico Board of Regents today named David J. Schmidly as the 20th president of the university. The announcement was made at a special meeting of the regents on the main UNM campus in Albuquerque.
Schmidly is CEO and President of the Oklahoma State University System and former president of Texas Tech University.
In nominating Dr. Schmidly, Regent Jack Fortner remarked that regents were looking for the candidate with experience in higher education, health sciences, research, athletics and capital campaigns. “This is our opportunity to select a sitting president from a major university,” said Fortner. “There will be no need for on the job training. Dr. Schmidly will step right in.”
Regent Don Chalmers said, “We had five wonderful candidates. But one stands head and shoulders above the rest. Dr. Schmidly came to us with a vision about how to take this university to the next level.”
Schmidly was one of five finalists selected by the regents in late January after a seven-month long search process. Each of the finalists took part in two days of campus interviews that included public forums with staff, faculty, students and the community.
After tabulating votes and comments from all of the forums, Regents President Jamie Koch said 91 percent of the UNM constituents who participated in the forums favored Schmidly. “We look forward to a dynamic presidency,” said Koch.
About David J. Schmidly
Schmidly is an internationally respected zoologist who has published eight books on natural history and conservation, as well as more than 100 scholarly articles. As CEO and President of the 32,000-student Oklahoma State University System, he directs operations at campuses in Stillwater, Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Okmulgee, as well as the OSU Center for Health Sciences and the OSU Medical Center in Tulsa.
Since assuming his position in 2002, he has spearheaded efforts that have raised nearly $850 million in private donations and public funds for new scholarships and infrastructure. He also implemented a strategic plan and campus master plan that are guiding a five-year, $826 million construction program that includes a $70 million interdisciplinary science and technology building on the Stillwater campus, a $47 million Helmerich Advanced Technology Research Center in Tulsa with five fully-endowed Chairs, and world-class athletic facilities in Stillwater.
Among other initiatives, he helped launch a national sensor testing center in Ponca City to develop new technologies for detection of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats; and land facilities in Ardmore that will explore cutting-edge technologies vital to bio-fuels, bio-processing and bio-production. Along with his wife he created a nationally-recognized Parents Association that has re-integrated the entire family into higher education.
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