Job Details

President

Position Number: 6800902
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Position Type: Presidents and Chancellors

The University of New Mexico
Search for the President
Albuquerque, NM

The University of New Mexico (UNM), the state's flagship public research institution, seeks a dynamic, visionary, and collaborative leader to serve as its next President. UNM stands at a moment of extraordinary momentum, having experienced nearly a decade of transformative growth across academics, research, healthcare, economic development, and student success.

The next President will join a thriving institution with a clear strategic direction, strong community partnerships, and a deep commitment to public service. This is a compelling opportunity to lead UNM into its next chapter, building on its strengths, accelerating its impact, and boldly shaping the future for the University and the state it serves.

With the Albuquerque campus occupying 800 acres near historic Route 66, UNM's statewide footprint includes a Health Sciences Center and health system, branch campuses in Gallup, Los Alamos, Taos, and Valencia, a satellite campus in Rio Rancho, technology incubators, and multiple research and education centers throughout the state. UNM serves more than 28,000 students, over 82 percent of whom are New Mexico residents. It is designated a Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) and is a proud member of the Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Research Universities, one of only 26 campuses designated as both Hispanic-Serving and a Carnegie R1 institution. The student body reflects the highly diverse population of New Mexico, including over 45% Hispanic students and approximately 9% American Indian students representing many of the state's 23 sovereign tribes, nations, and pueblos (the Pueblos of Acoma, Cochiti, Isleta, Jemez, Laguna, Nambe, Ohkay Owingeh, Picuris, Pojoaque, Sandia, San Felipe, San Ildefonso, Santa Ana, Santa Clara, Santo Domingo, Taos, Tesuque, Zuni and Zia; the Fort Sill Apache Tribe, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, the Mescalero Apache Tribe; and the Navajo Nation).

UNM's decades-long commitment to access and affordability is reflected in its effort to maintain low tuition and is powerfully reinforced by New Mexico's statewide investment in higher education. The state offers the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship and the New Mexico Lottery Scholarship, along with 25 other scholarships, grants, and college financial aid programs - making college attainable for thousands of students each year. As a result, more than three-quarters of UNM students receive significant scholarship or financial aid support, including a substantial percentage who benefit from Pell Grants.

UNM plays a vital role in educating New Mexico's citizens and driving its economy through research excellence, workforce development, and a robust health-science enterprise. Guided by its strategic framework, UNM 2040: Opportunity Defined, the University has articulated a bold vision for the future—one that informs investments in interdisciplinary research, student success, healthcare access, and economic development. The Grand Challenges Initiative, launched in 2019, has attracted over $100 million in external funding to address pressing societal issues, including sustainable water resources, artificial intelligence, substance use disorders, and child health.

UNM's health enterprise is undergoing unprecedented expansion to meet the state's growing need. Major investments in facilities, including the new Critical Care Tower and the modernization of facilities for the Colleges of Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health, are increasing access to care and strengthening the healthcare workforce. The University is also expanding its medical education pipeline, with plans to double the number of health care profession graduates and the construction of a new School of Medicine building.

As a major economic engine for the state, UNM operates New Mexico's only Level I trauma center and largest teaching hospital, serves as one of the state's largest employers and producers of skilled labor, and attracts over $500 million annually in contract and grant funding. A 2023 economic impact study estimated UNM's total output in 2022 at nearly $5.2 billion, including university operations, student expenditures, alumni human capital, and technology innovation and transfer. The creation of the South Campus Tax Increment Development District (TIDD) and the proposed expansion into downtown Albuquerque are catalyzing new infrastructure, innovation, and community engagement, further embedding the University in the state's social and economic fabric.

UNM's financial foundation reflects both the scale and strategic growth of the institution. The University's 2024-2025 budget is approximately $4.2 billion, supporting a broad array of academic, research, healthcare, and public service initiatives. Its endowment reached $714 million at the end of fiscal year 2023, representing a significant growth of more than $300 million over the past decade. Together, these indicators reflect a university on the rise, setting the stage for the next President to lead with vision, purpose, and impact.

To continue the University's success, the President will address the following key opportunities and challenges, as described later in this document:

Advance UNM 2040: Opportunity Defined, aligning academic, research, healthcare, and economic priorities while guiding transformative change
Strengthen financial resilience through strategic resource management, innovative revenue streams, and expanded philanthropic and public-private partnerships
Accelerate enrollment growth and student success, positioning UNM as a national model for fostering inclusive excellence
Expand UNM's research and innovation enterprise through deeper partnerships with national labs, commercialization of discoveries, and leadership in emerging fields
Enhance UNM's role as New Mexico's healthcare leader by extending the reach and impact of the Health Sciences Center
Elevate UNM's visibility and reputation through athletics, academic and research excellence, strategic communications and marketing, and community engagement
Lead a dynamic organization by fostering strong relationships, streamlined operations, promoting transparency, and embracing inclusive decision-making to achieve operational excellence

The University of New Mexico has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in this search. Applications, including a CV and letter of interest, as well as inquiries, nominations, and referrals, should be submitted via the Isaacson, Miller website for the search: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/university-new-mexico/president. Pursuant to New Mexico law and University of New Mexico Board of Regents Policy, the Board will select and publicly announce at least five finalists who will be invited to the campus for interviews.

Julie Filizetti, Joe Kralick, Phuong Ta, Gabi Nayar
Isaacson, Miller

UNM is an Equal Opportunity employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected class.