UNM's newly appointed leader has a plan

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Just minutes after the University of New Mexico regents picked UNM graduate Robert “Bob” Frank to be president of the state's largest school, Frank told reporters he has big plans for the university.

There were five candidates vying for the presidential seat at UNM. Wednesday morning, the board or regents announced Bob Frank would be the university’s 21st president.

He will be the first president to have three degrees from UNM. He will need all of that knowledge for a job that includes balancing the budget during tough economic times to improving graduation rates.

“Many universities lose about 20 percent of the students between their first and second year, which is about what UNM is losing right now,” Frank said.

Frank said he believes he can improve that rate and already knows where to start working.

“Looking at the data as I came in as a candidate,” Frank said, “math skills appear to be not strong enough for college level math.”

Frank said programs used at Ohio’s Kent State University, where he is currently provost, could help address those issues. However, it's no secret that financial strain on a student can also lead to high drop-out rates.

“Tuition hikes are a last resort. We don't want to do it,” Frank said. “We won’t do it unless there is no other way to keep the university operating.”

That statement is something students will remember. Frank’s predecessor, David Schmidly who announced his is retiring at the end of his current contract , has been criticized for making almost $600,000 a year while hiking tuition and cutting budgets. Schmidly's pay also includes housing, car and country club allowances.

University officials said Frank will earn less than that, adding that they've heard that Frank plans on living on campus, which would eliminate the need for a housing allowance.

There is no word on any other allowances at this time. UNM said the contract is not official so it could not give any more details.

However, Frank gave some insight on what he will be pulling in.

“My salary will be $355,000, which is an extraordinary salary,” Frank said.

Frank will take over in June. He will make several trips here before then to get ready for his new job.