UNM takes over the Roundhouse

Annual UNM Day at the State Capitol important for institutional initiatives

Mike Richards, MD, MPA, Exec. Vice Pres., UNM Health Sciences & CEO, UNM Health System, and University of New Mexico President, Garnett S. Stokes, PhD.

(The Following was gathered and re-published from the UNM Health Sciences Center Newsroom. By UNM and HSC Communications Staff | January 31, 2025.)

The University of New Mexico made its presence known to legislators in Santa Fe and the state of New Mexico as part of UNM Day at the State Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 29, demonstrating why it is The University for New Mexico by highlighting its outstanding programs and program initiatives. 

The Lobo community, including leadership, faculty, staff and students packed the Roundhouse to engage with legislators on key priorities for UNM, the HSC and the university’s branch campuses. Those needs include programs integral to the state that resonate with the public and infrastructure requests across all of UNM’s campuses to enhance the institution’s ability to provide the various academic and student support services necessary for an R1 institution. 

A few of the capital priorities on main campus for fiscal year 2026 include a new humanities and social sciences complex, Title IX improvements, and an improved police department headquarters. On the HSC side, projects include a new facility plan and design for the School of Medicine’s Fitz Hall and Phase 2 of a College of Pharmacy renovation. UNM’s branch campuses are seeking additional support for necessary upgrades to enhance programming.

Participation in UNM Day at the State Capitol is important and helps the institution meet those goals by visiting with lawmakers and the general public.

Assata Zerai, vice president for equity and inclusion, said her Division for Equity and Inclusion’s participation at UNM Day is a great way to engage with a variety of audiences and show all the many resources that the division offers the Lobo community, such as hiring resources, a mentoring program for students, and educational workshops for our campuses and communities. 

“As both an MSI [minority-serving institution] and HSI [Hispanic-serving institution], it’s important that we share with our state legislators all the ways we promote inclusive excellence among our students, faculty, and staff at UNM,” Zerai said. 

Michael Hix, chair of the Department of Music, said he loves coming to the Roundhouse to represent and promote his department and especially enjoys being able to showcase students — several of whom had the opportunity to perform at UNM Day.

“We have tremendous student musicians, and I enjoy being able to highlight their talents, hard work, dedication and passion,” he said.

Students who performed at UNM Day were members of UNM Opera Theatre and included Valeria Texeira, Santiago Alfonzo Meza, and Maria Bollinger, as well as The Enchantment Winds – Wind Quintet, with members Myra Bernard, Kasey Cote, Levi Walsh, Hollis Smith, and Skylar Stone.

Gregory Vigil, who joined the School of Engineering as a recruiter last fall, took part in UNM Day at the School’s table alongside coworkers Carly Bowling, communications and marketing manager, and Aidira Macias-Gonzalez, education and outreach manager. Vigil is an alumnus of the School in mechanical engineering and was a student member of the Lobo Launch team. 

Part of the School’s display at the Roundhouse was a previous Lobo Launch rocket, which Vigil was well-qualified and ready to discuss. Coming back to the School of Engineering as a recruiter represents a full-circle journey for Vigil, and he was eager to attend UNM Day to promote his alma mater.

“I really enjoyed my time in Engineering as a student, and it’s very easy for me to talk about all the ways the School has changed my life and can do so for others,” he said.

UNM Health Sciences Priorities

Also, among the university’s legislative priorities this year are expanding New Mexico’s health care workforce and improving health outcomes statewide.

“One of the most important things that we do is that we train the health care workforce for the state, and so many of our educational programs are well represented here,” said Mike Richards, MD, the executive vice president of UNM Health Sciences and CEO of the UNM Health System.

“What I really hope we achieve is support for some of the big educational projects that we’ve advanced. One of the most important of those is the replacement of our School of Medicine facility, which will allow us to double the size of our graduating classes within ten years.”

— Mike Richards, MD, MPA, Exec. Vice Pres., UNM Health Sciences & CEO, UNM Health System

During the 2025 legislative session, the UNM Health Sciences Center has requested support for five capital projects, including $37 million for a plan and design of a new School of Medicine building, $28.5 million for phase two of renovations for the College of Pharmacy building and $1.35 million for new simulation and research equipment.

Patricia Finn, MD, dean of the UNM School of Medicine, adds that public investments into educational health care programs and facilities are a direct investment into the overall health of the state.

“We can save so many lives, we can prevent so much. I understand the value of each and every dollar, but I also believe in the value of each person. We can educate more. We can train more. We can be there for our population’s health needs, both in urban and rural settings. We can do it because we have the best minds and the best hearts.”

— Dean Patricia W. Finn, MD, UNM School of Medicine

A replacement of the School of Medicine will allow UNM to graduate more physicians, as well as allied health professionals such as physical therapists, occupational therapists and physician assistants. 

“We’re thinking very carefully,” Finn said. “We’re all scientists. We care about the data, and when you think about your own finances for your own community, you want to have best value, and that’s what we’re here to do.” 

Over the next two months, UNM Health Sciences leaders said they hope to gain support from the New Mexico Legislature and the Executive to make progress toward these goals and many others that would impact community health care statewide.

“We play roles in terms of delivering clinical care through our cancer center and our hospital, but we also train the health care workforce, and we play a really big role in research, which is an opportunity to participate in both innovation and economic development,” Richards said. “UNM Day is an opportunity for us to share that with key stakeholders and our state leaders to help them understand how we can make multiple contributions to shape New Mexico as a great place to live.”

For more information, visit UNM’s FY26 Legislative Priorities.