Hiring Controversy at U. New Mexico

The Albuquerque Journal reports that Brian Schmidly, son of the president of the University of New Mexico, declined a $94,000 job last week as its associate director of sustainability just days after he was hired. He would have started the new job yesterday, but gave it up following complaints from faculty members.

According to the Journal, which reviewed the 33 applications for the job, “Brian Schmidly beat out engineers, award-winning environmentalists and state and UNM employees who have been working in sustainability fields for years,” even though “many of his credentials directly related to sustainability were obtained in September, the same month he applied for the job.”

The university’s president, David Schmidly, issued a public statement denying any involvement in his son’s selection for the job. The university’s physical plant director, Mary Vosevich, likewise defended Brian Schmidly’s hiring, telling the Journal that she chose him for his marketing and business experience (he has a master’s degree in international management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Ariz.).

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