BY DAVID E. HANSON
White Rock

There have been a number of letters in the on-line news sites attesting to the qualifications, commitment and experience of all three candidates but I would like to share my experience of working with David and Conner on the UNM-LA Advisory Board during the past year. They have demonstrated a sustained commitment to UNM-LA and are making a real difference in improving the board’s oversight of UNM-LA.

Here is one example of their work on the Board: One of the important objectives that the Advisory Board is currently concerned with is a proposal to amend the Operating Agreement between UNM-LA and UNM to acknowledge that Board members must represent the NEEDS AND BEST INTERESTS OF THE COMMUNITY THEY SERVE. This change will have important implications for the Advisory Board’s oversite responsibilities. For example, this would enable the Board to regularly review and approve the Chancellor’s assessment of student success. This action will reinforce UNM-LA’s focus on providing quality education, relevant to the needs of our community. Both the UNM-LA Chancellor and Interim UNM Provost are actively engaged in discussions with the Board, so there is reason to believe that the Board will be successful. With this change in the Operating Agreement, there will certainly be, more oversight actions that the Board could undertake to broaden its ability to represent the ‘needs and best interests’ of the community. Both David Hampton and Conner Tharp are actively supporting this effort and Andrew Wright has also expressed strong support for it.

Although I am a UNM-LA Advisory Board member (outgoing), these opinions are entirely my own as a concerned resident of Los Alamos County.