David James Schmidly (born December 20, 1943) was installed as 20th president of the University of New Mexico on October 7, 2007.[1] On April 22, 2011, Schmidly announced his decision to retire as UNM's President at the end of his five year contract in 2012.
Previously, Schmidly served as CEO and 17th president of the Oklahoma State University System (2002–2007). Before coming to OSU, he was the President of Texas Tech University, where he also served as Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School.
A native of Levelland, Texas and an accomplished zoologist, he earned his B.S. and M.S. in zoology at Texas Tech University,[2] where he was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity, and his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Illinois. He has been inducted into the Texas Hall of Fame for Science, Mathematics and Technology and has a species of deer mouse named for him, Peromyscus schmidlyi.
Schmidly was criticized while at OSU for his decision to use eminent domain to raze a low-income neighborhood in Stillwater to build a new athletic village using a gift of $165 million from Boone Pickens. For some in the OSU community, the emphasis that Schmidly placed on athletics far outweighed his concern about academics. [3] [4]
The Oklahoma State University Faculty Senate called for Schmidly's resignation over the size of severance packages offered to former staffers from Texas Tech that Schmidly had hired at OSU.[5]
One of Schmidly's first acts as president of the University of New Mexico was to halt an official investigation into complaints of a hostile learning environment in the University's English Department. The investigation involved Associate Professor Lisa D. Chavez, who had been moonlighting as a phone sex worker on various bondage and sadomasochism websites with current and former graduate students. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, Schmidly authorized the use of an outside attorney, who was tasked with investigating Chavez's complaints against faculty members she accused of discrimination and slander.
At UNM, accusations of cronyism arose within the first 18 months, when he hired long-time friend, John Stropp, a senior executive at the Texas A&M Foundation, with a compensation package of $325,000. According to the Albuquerque Journal, Schmidly acknowledged he has known Stropp for years but said he wasn't hired because of their friendship, saying "This is not a crony hire."[6] On January 31, 2009, the Albuquerque Journal reported that at least 233 of the approximately 1,800 eligible university faculty had signed a petition of no confidence in President Schmidly's leadership.[7]
Also at UNM, on October 25, 2011, Schmidly denied the renewal of a permit for (un)Occupy Albuquerque, a protest movement in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, which had been encamped at Yale Park since October 1.[8] The protesters were subsequently forced out of the park by UNM Police, the Albuquerque Police Department, and New Mexico State Police during the night of October 25, resulting in dozens of arrests as some protesters refused to leave, citing their First Amendment right to "peaceably assemble". Other arrests were made as hundreds of protesters were forced into Central Avenue, which bounds Yale Park on the south. UNM students were among the arrested individuals. At least one UNM student left the University in response to Schmidly's action, citing the denial of First Amendment rights, and several other students, including Sebastian Pais, engaged in a hunger strike to demand that Schmidly allow the protesters to return.[9] Schmidly has also been criticized for closing Yale Park to the public, and ordering UNM Police to arrest any protesters or students who violated the closure. Relenting to pressure from supporters on campus and in the community, including multiple UNM faculty members, on October 26, Schmidly's office issued a new, modified permit which will allow the protesters to return to Yale Park during strictly defined periods.[10]
| Preceded by David W. Harris |
President of University of New Mexico 2007 – 2012 |
Succeeded by To be determined |
| Preceded by James Halligan |
President of Oklahoma State University 2002 – 2007 |
Succeeded by Marlene Strathe |
| Preceded by Donald Haragan |
President of Texas Tech University 2000 – 2002 |
Succeeded by Jon S. Whitmore |
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