University of Idaho Provost and Executive Vice President Doug Baker was named one of five finalists for the presidency at the University of New Mexico Monday.
Baker said he wasn’t looking for a new job when UNM began recruiting him this fall.
“It looked like a potentially interesting job with a lot of assets — a lot of good faculty, staff and students. There’s a lot of opportunities to move the university forward,” Baker said.
Baker said he was officially named a candidate over Thanksgiving break, and interviewed two weeks ago with a search committee in New Mexico.
“I think the attractive factor is the opportunity to make a difference at the university of New Mexico,” Baker said. “There’s also a lot of potential in the university and a lot of opportunity around the state for the university to make a difference in peoples’ lives.”
Baker said if he was offered the job he would like to work with “big picture” issues on the UNM campus to move both the university and the state forward.
“I think there’s great opportunity to build a strategic vision for the university, and to build a culture of collaboration within the university and with its stakeholders,” he said.
Baker said his current position at UI is more internally oriented than a president’s position. Taking the job at UNM would give Baker the chance to guide a strategic direction for UNM and build “critical partnerships” between the university and the community, he said. However, Baker said he would miss UI.
“I do greatly enjoy the staff, faculty and students at (UI),” Baker said. “There’s just a real Vandal culture here that’s really supportive. I would miss that if I were to leave.”
UNM will announce its choice for president in the next month, Baker said. Whoever fills the position would likely start this summer, he said.
Baker said whatever the decision, he would be happy to remain at UI or move on to UNM
“This was not a position I was out seeking … (so to be nominated) was a nice recognition and a good opportunity, but there’s a lot of great stuff that we’re doing at Idaho,” he said.
The other finalists for the presidency of UNM are Robert G. Frank, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at Kent State University; Meredith Hay, special advisor to the chair for strategic initiatives at the Arizona Board of Regents; Elizabeth Hoffman, executive vice president and provost at Iowa State University and Elsa A. Murano, professor and president emerita at Texas A & M University.