In the words of Tom Waits: It’s nice work, if you can get it.

The Albuquerque Journal reported yesterday that UNM has hired Brian Schmidly, the son of university President David Schmidly, to serve as “associate director of sustainability” for the campus. The president’s son will earn an annual salary of nearly $94,000.

Where to start? The salary? The appearance of cronyism? The public relations debacle?

Let’s start with the salary. If you know a professor at UNM, especially folks that teach in the humanities, you know that the university has been in a state of academic crisis for at least the past decade due to the university’s inability to retain faculty and fill empty seats. Why? Because faculty are demoralized about the low pay and are leaving for better salaries elsewhere.

For example, a friend of mine — tenured faculty, Ivy league credentials and 10 years experience at UNM — makes $60,000. Understandably, she is not pleased about younger Schmidly’s new salary.

A few years back, another friend who had been chair of the Department of Political Science lamented as one quality faculty member after another left town for a better salary. A few years ago, he left town for the same reason, although he and his wife really loved Albuquerque and were torn over the decision.

As for the cronyism and public relations debacle, the Journal article states:

Brian Schmidly, who has served as marketing director for Centex Homes New Mexico for the last 18 months, will spearhead development and implementation of UNM’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He is slated to begin his new job Oct. 29.

Exactly what Brian Schmidly’s duties will be are still being worked out.

President Schmidly said he had nothing to do with his son getting the job. He said regents were informed Tuesday. Schmidly said the hire doesn’t violate UNM’s nepotism policy because his son will report to managers several levels below him.

So, if I’m reading this correctly, younger Schmidley’s most recent work history is in the field of sprawl development. Wouldn’t that make him more of an expert in promoting the production of green house gas emissions — not the reduction?

Meanwhile, did you catch that loophole in the nepotism policy?

The Journal also reports:

A statement issued by UNM confirming the hire noted that he is on the city of Albuquerque’s Climate Task Force and the Urban Land Institute and that he holds certification by the U.S. Green Buildings Council as a Leader in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED.

In his application, Brian Schmidly said he was asked to take part in the city’s Climate Action Task Force in September. Membership in the Urban Land Institute is open to anyone who pays a fee. …

Vosevich confirmed that Brian Schmidly wasn’t LEED certified when he applied for the position on Sept. 4, though she said he and another finalist obtained the certification before she interviewed them. He’s held six jobs in the last eight years ranging in length from four months to three years and four months.

The president’s son has been on the city’s Climate Task Force for a month? My intuition tells me the task force has not done much, if the group has met at all, since he “was asked to take part.” I checked the city’s Web site and there is no mention of the Climate Task Force anywhere. I called 311 and the operator had never heard of it, and patched me through to Environmental Health Department, where I was passed on to the Clean Air Division and forced to leave a message. I’ll let you know if somebody calls me back.

As for the Urban Land Institute (ULI), I’m a member, and I can tell you we are not a very active bunch in Albuquerque; our membership numbers and activities just qualified us as an official District Council in New Mexico earlier this year. ULI promotes land use and development practices that are antithetical to the production home builder business model you find from folks like Centex Homes. Regardless, membership (i.e., paying a fee) is hardly a noteworthy experience, nor should it be mentioned as a qualification, for a $94,000-a-year job at UNM or anywhere else, in my humble opinion.

Throw in the last minute LEED certificate and there is no way this hire passes the smell test — at least not as this story is reported. If UNM was putting a value on LEED credentials, it should have been mentioned in the job posting, and the job search committee should have only interviewed folks with the LEED experience in hand. I can assure you there are plenty of architects, builders and other professionals in town with years of LEED experience that might have applied for this job had they known this was relevant.