Preface

The Faculty Handbook provides the University of New Mexico (UNM) faculty with a written record of faculty policies and procedures. Policies in the Faculty Handbook are unifying documents that describe academic principles, the reasoning behind the principles, and institutional procedures necessary for implementation. Faculty Handbook policies contain governing principles and procedures that mandate or constrain actions and apply to UNM faculty; therefore, the development of policies requires input from faculty members who have extensive knowledge on the subject matter and review by faculty members from a variety of academic disciplines at UNM.

This manual is a source of information to be used along with the Board of Regents' Policy Manual, the University Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual, the University Catalog, and the Pathfinder. The Board of Regents' Policy Manual shall be controlling in any matters in which there is an inconsistency between the Faculty Handbook and the Board of Regents' Policy Manual.

All UNM policies which pertain primarily to faculty and academic matters are placed in the Faculty Handbook. The scope of Faculty Handbook policies is established by the “Faculty Constitution” and the right to review and take action on these policies is granted to the faculty by UNM Board of Regents Policy 5.1 “The Faculty’s Role in the University's Academic Mission.” The Faculty Handbook shall be controlling in any faculty and academic matters in which there is an inconsistency between the Faculty Handbook and the University Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual, the University Catalog, or the Pathfinder. It is not the purpose of the Faculty Handbook to serve as a manual of school/college and departmental policies or procedures; however, the Faculty Handbook shall be controlling in all matters in which there is inconsistency.

Each item in the Faculty Handbook is separated as either policy or information. Please note this distinction. It is also important to note that those items designated as policy are only those policies under the purview of faculty. Some informational items may actually be UNM policy but are not under the purview of faculty so are provided as information for the purposes of this document.

The policies set forth in this Handbook are subject to revision at any time. Any faculty member wishing to propose a change to an existing Faculty Handbook policy or propose a new policy should send their request to the Office of the University Secretary.

Nancy D. Middlebrook
Secretary of the University

Indigenous Peoples' Land and Territory Acknowledgment
Founded in 1889, the University of New Mexico sits on the traditional homelands of the Pueblo of Sandia. The original peoples of New Mexico—Pueblo, Navajo, and Apache since time immemorial—have deep connections to the land and have made significant contributions to the broader community statewide. We honor the land itself and those who remain stewards of this land throughout the generations and also acknowledge our committed relationship to Indigenous peoples. We gratefully recognize our history.
(Developed by the Special Assistant for American Indian Affairs to the UNM President in consultation with the Native American Faculty Council. Approved and adopted by President Garnett S. Stokes, February 2020.)