An important message from our Director

Dear CARC Community Member,

The federal government recently issued multiple executive orders and actions that impact members of the CARC community related to issues such as  diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) efforts, immigration, gender identify, and climate change. These orders have upended long-standing programs around the country and placed significant restrictions on institutions’ abilities to use federally-provided funds for some projects. Just as importantly, they have created turmoil, fear, and uncertainty nationwide, in New Mexico, at UNM, and at CARC, particularly but not exclusively in members of the communities and programs they directly impact.

As Director of CARC, I want so assure you that CARC remains committed to the UNM 2040 goal of inclusive excellence for all New Mexicans. As President Stokes shared in her message to the UNM community, we welcome all members of the UNM community, and CARC will  continue our efforts to expand opportunity, create new knowledge, and provide service to all New Mexicans regardless of their race, color, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, age, disability, citizenship, or immigration status. To do so, CARC staff and I are working with UNM leadership to ensure that CARC can continue to support you and your academic advanced computing needs while complying with updated federal rules, regulations, and guidance.

To help us in this endeavor, I ask that all members of the CARC community to let me know immediately if you encounter any CARC-related challenges related to updated federal guidance that I can work with you to address. The President’s office and the Vice Presidents of Research at UNM have provided very helpful information in this area; however, due to the wide ranging impacts of this guidance, please do not hesitate to contact me if there is anything that CARC leadership can do to help you navigate these issues.

Finally in related news, I encourage you to read the upcoming CARC Newsletter, where we will provide details on the next-generation computing systems CARC recently finalized the purchase of, the centerpiece of which will be the new Easley cluster, named after NASA computer science and math pioneer Annie Easley.

Sincerely,

Patrick G. Bridges

Director, UNM Center for Advanced Research Computing

Professor, Department of Computer Science