Contact: Frank D. Martinez, 277-1811

May 13, 2003 Incoming President Louis Caldera and current President F. Chris Garcia. REGENTS NAME LOUIS CALDERA AS UNM'S 18TH PRESIDENT The University of New Mexico Board of Regents today unanimously voted in a public meeting to select Louis Caldera as the University's 18th president, effective Aug. 1, 2003. Caldera, who currently serves as the vice chancellor for University Advancement at California State University (CSU) system, where he also is president of the CSU Foundation, begins his employment at UNM July 14, 2003 under the terms specified in his presidential contract. However, current UNM President F. Chris Garcia will continue as UNM's president until July 31, 2003, under the terms of his contract to provide an opportunity for transition. As UNM's president, Caldera will receive an annual base salary of $270,000 and other benefits. "We are very excited that the Regents have unanimously selected Mr. Caldera to lead us to the next level. He is truly qualified in every sense of the word," said Board of Regents' Vice President Jack Fortner. "I am very excited, very delighted to be here today," Caldera said. He recognized "the tremendous effort of the Regents to do all of the consultation that they did" throughout the search process. Caldera also praised UNM's past presidents and UNM's "great faculty. It's a tremendous honor when you come to recognize all that has come before you to make this the great University that it is," he said. Before the vote was taken to approve Caldera's selection, UNM Regent John M. "Mel" Eaves detailed the search process and described it as the "most open search process" ever conducted by UNM. Following the Regents' vote, Caldera and his wife, Eva, were escorted into the meeting room and were greeted with a standing ovation. # # #   I

Please let us know what you thought of this article. Comments to: paaffair@unm.edu

The University of New Mexico
Public Affairs Department
MSC01 1170
Hodgin Hall, 2nd floor
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0011
Telephone: (505) 277-5813
Fax: (505) 277-1981