President David Schmidly recently addressed the campus on the potential impact of the economic downturn on the UNM community. In his call to action, each and every one of us has been asked to do our part to create an environment that allows us to continue to meet our priorities in the areas of student success, excellence in research, healthy communities and economic and community development.
By answering the call, we are addressing possible financial threats early with the realization that what we do today will determine our effectiveness both now and in the future. This requires all of us to align our efforts in the spirit of teamwork and effective planning. The framework in which we will accomplish this is coined a “strategic spending pause.”
The “pause” differs from a “freeze” in that we are not being asked to stop critical initiatives. Rather, we are being asked to exercise prudent judgment in
meeting today’s objectives with a thoughtful eye on tomorrow’s challenges.
While this is important to consider with any spending, it is especially significant when addressing position vacancies. With labor costs approaching 80 percent of the university’s budget, it is impossible to reduce spending, and thereby save for the future, without considering jobs. Every vacancy in our workforce provides an opportunity to “pause,” rethink how we do business and creatively address the needs of the organization.
As we begin these efforts, every employee is encouraged to look for ways to streamline processes, reorganize work towards key objectives and find opportunities for partnership to address common needs. Remember, with every vacancy that we are able to postpone filling, we are better positioning ourselves to weather the economic uncertainty ahead.
The university is committed to its employees and we are confident in the ability of our people to meet the challenges of the economy. Please check with a Human Resources consultant for assistance in preparing to meet the president’s call.
By Helen Gonzales, vice president, Human Resources