ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – After protests and a letter of defense from fellow faculty, UNM Provost Barbara Rodriguez reappointed Camille Carey as dean of the School of Law.
The University of New Mexico announced the decision Monday, and said Rodriguez made it after careful consideration.
“As Provost, I remain committed to working with Dean Carey and the entire School of Law community to strengthen the School, support its mission, and ensure it continues to serve the people of New Mexico with distinction,” Rodriguez said.
Carey has served as dean since 2022 and leads more than 30 faculty members and about 300 students at the school.
“I am honored by the opportunity to continue serving the UNM School of Law,” Carey said. “Our law school has a proud tradition of preparing lawyers who make a difference in communities across New Mexico, and I look forward to working with our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and legal community partners as we build on that tradition.”
UNM also released faculty vote numbers tied to the reappointment process. The university said 33 faculty members were eligible to vote. 31 responded for a 93.95% response rate. 24 voted to support reappointment and seven did not.
Opposition to Carey
Last month, some UNM alumni and organizations including the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association and American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico said they wanted Carey removed, arguing local applicants are down and Native students are underrepresented.
They argue a third of the classes for 2026 and 2027 are nonresidents and that Native American students are underrepresented.
“Our state’s only law school is turning away its own people. This is not simply a debate about admissions metrics. This is a debate about values,” said Jessica Martinez, a UNM graduate.
Faculty defending Carey
In a letter to President Stephen Goldstein and Provost Barbara Rodriguez, members of the 2025-26 UNM School of Law Admissions Committee said New Mexico applicants for the 2025 entering class were up since 2011.
They said 23 of 296 students enrolled in the 2025-26 school year, or 7.77%, identified as American Indian or Alaska Native. The letter said that compares with 24 of 294 students in 2021-22, the year before Dean Carey took office.
The faculty also said the 2025-26 student body includes 36 students who identify as Chicano, or 12.16% of enrollment, and said that number has grown in each of the last three incoming classes.
