The University of New Mexico is hosting public forums for the five finalists under consideration to become its next president. The sessions give campus groups and the broader public a chance to hear each candidate’s priorities and ask questions about challenges facing the university.

The finalists include senior academic and health-affairs leaders from several institutions. They are:

• Elizabeth “Liz” Watkins — Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, University of California, Riverside
• Ashwani Monga — Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer, University System of Georgia
• Eric L. Barker — Vice President for Health Affairs, Purdue University
• Steven Goldstein — Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, University of California, Irvine
• Eric Link — Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, University of North Dakota

The first forum, held Monday, featured Elizabeth Watkins. Attendees raised concerns about pay and basic living costs for graduate students, who said their current stipends make it difficult to cover housing, food and other essentials. Dominic Oddo, a final-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, noted that graduate workers do much of the teaching and grading across campus yet face tight budgets on a roughly $2,000 monthly stipend.

Staff pay was another recurring theme. Damien Terrell, the current Staff Council president, pointed out that many classified and hourly workers earn wages that lag behind inflation and, in some cases, sit near or below poverty thresholds. Incoming Staff Council president Joseph Lane also emphasized campus safety as a priority, citing a summer shooting that exposed gaps in communication between different campus locations and saying the council has asked for funding for measures such as nighttime drone footage to identify poorly lit areas.

The next forum on the schedule will feature Ashwani Monga. All candidate sessions are set to take place in the Student Union Building Ballroom C, with the following appearances planned: Eric L. Barker on Monday, May 11, 1:15–2:30 p.m.; Steven Goldstein on Tuesday, May 12, 1:15–2:30 p.m.; and Eric Link on Wednesday, May 13, 1:15–2:30 p.m. Each forum will allow time for audience questions so attendees can directly engage with the finalists about compensation, safety, academic priorities and other campus concerns.