Honorees blaze trails in diverse fields

Mitchell

Fourth generation New Mexico rancher Linda Mitchell Davis and computer graphics guru Alvy Ray Smith, '65, will receive honorary doctorates at NMSU's Dec. 18 Commencement. The ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Pan American Center. Davis, corporate vice president of the CS Ranch in Cimarron, has been a strong supporter of the state's agricultural industry and NMSU for several decades.

She has devoted countless hours working for cattle and agricultural associations in the areas of research, promotion and long-range planning.

Davis has served on the National Livestock and Meat Board, the Beef Industry Council, the New Mexico Beef Council and NMSU's Livestock Industry Advisory Committee. In 1992 she won the Golden Spur Award, given to the top cattle rancher in the nation by a group of ranching associations, and in 1995 she was inducted as a Western Heritage Honoree into the National Cowgirls Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

She majored in agricultural economics and minored in beef production at Cornell University.

Smith

Smith earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at NMSU in 1965 and a Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford University. He was involved in several ground-breaking computer graphics ventures before joining Microsoft Corp. in 1994 as its first Graphics Fellow. He directed the first use of full computer graphics in a successful major motion picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, while he was director of computer graphics research for Lucasfilm Ltd., 1980-86. The team he formed as co-founder and executive vice president of Pixar, 1986-91, went on to

create the first completely computer-generated film, Disney's 1995 Toy Story.

As founder and chief executive officer of Altamira Software Corp., 1991-94, he guided the development of a product known as Altamira Composer, which introduced the concept of image objects (sprites) to the personal computer imaging world. Sprites are based on the alpha channel concept of computer graphics, which he co-invented and for which he shares a 1996 technical Academy Award. In 1998 he received a second technical Academy Award for digital paint systems as a fundamental contribution to filmmaking.

Karl Hill

Presidential search committee takes shape

The NMSU Board of Regents has approved the composition of a 12-member Presidential Search Committee and has hired a consultant to assist in the search for the university's 20th president.

Regents President Adelmo Archuleta of Albuquerque is chairing the committee that also includes Regents Vice President Larry Sheffield, Faculty Senate Chair Marie Heaton and Associated Students of NMSU President Jacob Saiz. Other members include Vice President for Administration Juan N. Franco, Engineering Dean Jay Jordan, chemistry professor James Hageman, Intellectual Property Director Maureen Camunez, Cooperative Extension northern district department head Gerald Chacon, Carlsbad campus professor Doug Dinwiddie, Albuquerque business person Edward Lujan, and state Sen. Mary Jane Garcia. Staff support for the committee is being provided by Personnel Director Robert Howell.

The position has been advertised, and the committee was scheduled to begin reviewing applications later in November. Interviews will take place in the spring. President William B. Conroy's appointment extends through June 30, 2000.

The Board has hired R. William Funk to serve as a consultant in the search process. Funk is managing director of Korn/Ferry International's Dallas office, specializing in education and not-for-profit searches.

Funk conducted two days of meetings in October on and off campus, visiting with a wide range of campus and community constituencies. He asked for input into the qualities and background desireable for the next president.

"I'm going to be calling the best people in the country for this position, and there is much competition nationwide for good people. I need your help to develop a scenario that will attract the best by describing the challenges here and the compelling reasons for someone to want to come to NMSU," he said.

As part of what the consultant does, Funk sent out about 600 letters to higher education leaders nationwide seeking recommendations and nominations. He is working on "intensive telephone networking" to identify potential candidates. The process probably will produce between 75 and 100 applications. The committee then will create a list of 20 to 30 names, which will be screened more carefully. By early next year, the short list will be down to around 15. Funk's firm will do background checks, which become more detailed as the candidate list is narrowed. The next stage involves off-site preliminary interviews. Then, the finalists - probably about 5 - will be recommended to the Board of Regents and on-campus interviews will be scheduled.

Nominations and comments can be sent to Funk through various means: The e-mail address is bill.funk@kornferry.com. The NMSU Presidential Search Website is www.nmsu.edu/presidentsearch/. E-mail can be posted on the Web site. Mail can be sent to Funk at 3232 Lincoln Plaza, 500 North Akard St., Dallas, TX 75201.

Photo by Michael Kiernan

Famous Face ABC newsman Sam Donaldson, center, turns news maker during a visit to NMSU in October. Donaldson came to Las Cruces for a benefit dinner and social hour, which raised $14,000 for KRWG-TV's student-produced news program. He was interviewed at a press conference by student and professional journalists and by Dolores Lenko for KRWG-TV's Que Pasa With Dolores. A 32-year veteran of ABC News, Donaldson was born in El Paso, grew up on the family farm in nearby Chamberino, N.M., and since 1989 has owned a ranch near Hondo, N.M.