Long-time University of New Mexico (UNM) employee Cheryl Wallace, who most recently served as the director for the Student Union Building (SUB), is set to retire on June 30. Reflecting on her nearly three-decade career at UNM, Wallace quoted Abraham Lincoln: “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” She plans to spend her retirement finishing her dream house in New Mexico's East Mountains and spending more time with family.
Wallace's tenure at UNM saw her work under nine university presidents and witness significant changes, including the transition from paper to digital course registration systems and the modernization of the SUB. Her professional journey began outside higher education in banking and later at Fisher Scientific before she joined UNM in 1995 as an administrative assistant in General Accounting.
“Prior to my first job at UNM, I worked in banking and had worked my way up to branch operations supervisor,” Wallace said. “I then went to work for Fisher Scientific as a just-in-time contract coordinator where I was in charge of the warehouse responsible for delivering chemicals and safety equipment to Sandia National Labs.”
Wallace felt limited without a college degree at Fisher Scientific. “My husband and I were talking about the best way to earn a college degree and a living at the same time, and we thought that working at UNM would provide the best of both worlds,” she said.
She started working as an administrative assistant under former Vice President Eliseo “Cheo” Torres in 1998. Torres encouraged Wallace to pursue higher education, which led her to earn a Bachelor of University Studies with an emphasis on Psychology and Family Studies by 2013 while continuing her work in Student Affairs.
“I watched her get her degree and saw her career excel in the Division,” Torres said.
Wallace found passion working with students during her stint as supervisor of administrative support in Recruitment Services starting from 1999. Corine Gonzales, now strategic project director for Enrollment Management, praised Wallace's student-centered approach: “Cheryl’s contributions and leadership within her prior role in Recruitment Services and current role in the Student Union Building have been truly admirable.”
In 2009, Wallace became operations manager for SUB, later becoming its director after Walter Miller retired in 2019. Under Miller’s lead before Wallace joined SUB, it underwent significant renovations that laid foundations for further improvements by Wallace.
“During my time at the SUB, I was able to complete a multi-stage roof replacement, added technology options to all meeting room spaces, and upgraded all areas with ADA accessibility,” she said.
Gonzales acknowledged Wallace's mentorship: “Not only has Cheryl been able to lead efforts to make the SUB a better place... but she has been a phenomenal mentor.”
Current Vice President for Student Affairs Eric Scott lauded Wallace’s contributions: “Her positive and solution-oriented mindset combined with cultural and institutional knowledge made her incredibly effective.”
As she prepares for retirement, Wallace reflected on missing interactions with students: "We touch so many students’ lives on a daily basis—I don’t think we even realize how much influence we’ve had until they return."
Wallace hopes that through her work as SUB director she has created lasting resources for future students. The division collectively remarked on her departure saying: "The world finally gets a chance to miss your expertise."
Cheryl Wallace has left the building.
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