Data collected by the federal government on the diversity and
distribution of the nation’s academic labor force show that the
University of New Mexico (UNM) ranks near the top at recruiting and
retaining Latino/Hispanic faculty. In fact, when only tenured and
tenure-track faculty are considered (see table on page 31). UNM ranks
number one among Research I and II institutions (the ranking omits all
University of california schools, as well as four other institutions
for whom data were not available).
However, raw numbers don’t tell the whole story, say UNM professors and administrators.
While UNM Dr. President Richard Peck is proud of the university’s
ranking, he says the reality is that the numbers are eye-catching only
in relation to other campuses. When compared to the general population
of the state or the region, those numbers don’t seem as impressive.
Statistics reflecting the fail 1995 UNM faculty show Latnos
accounted for 8 percent — the highest percentage in the nation.
However, the state of New Mexico is 42 percent Latino. Additionally,
Latino undergraduates and graduates constitute 26 percent and 14
percent of UNM’s student population, respectively.
Nevertheless, there are close to 100 tenured or tenure-track Latino
faculty at UNM. And according to Peck, the reason that so many Latino
instructors are attracted to the university is that they are attracted
to the state of New Mexico.
“It’s the only state with two official languages, and most of the
Hispanic faculty are bilingual,” he says. “That’s part of it.”
When Latinos are recruited to UNM, they come to a campus with a large, supportive Latino community, says Peck.
