Dr. Michael Hix Selected for Prestigious UNM LIFT Leadership Program
Albuquerque, NM — Dr. Michael Hix, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Department of Music at the University of New Mexico, has been selected to participate in the 2026 cohort of the Leadership Innovation for Faculty Transformation (LIFT) program, a competitive leadership development initiative led by UNM’s Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) in partnership with Academic Affairs.
Dr. Hix was chosen by a university-wide review committee from a strong pool of applicants in recognition of his sustained record of academic leadership, national service, and commitment to inclusive excellence in higher education. The LIFT program is designed to provide tenured faculty with focused mentoring, resources, and structured support to advance leadership capacity while elevating the university’s profile in research, scholarship, and service.
Since 2021, Dr. Hix has served as Chair of the UNM Department of Music, where his leadership has emphasized student success, faculty mentorship, curricular innovation, facilities improvements, and strong engagement with alumni and the broader New Mexico arts community. In addition to his work at UNM, Dr. Hix currently serves as Chair of Region 1 for the National Association of Schools of Music, contributing to accreditation standards and policy discussions impacting music programs across the western United States.
His national leadership service also includes previous roles as Governor of the Rio Grande District of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and President of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American Musicological Society. These roles reflect Dr. Hix’s interdisciplinary reach across performance, pedagogy, scholarship, and academic administration.
The year-long LIFT program will begin in January 2026 and run through the full calendar year, including summer months. As a LIFT Fellow, Dr. Hix will develop and implement an Individual Development Plan (IDP) centered on a personally relevant leadership project with defined outcomes. The program provides significant support, including monthly cohort meetings, leadership training sessions, peer mentoring, access to the Faculty Research Development Office, limited professional travel funding, and a one-course release during the Fall 2026 semester.
Expectations for Fellows include active engagement in cohort-based learning, participation in leadership-focused readings and discussions, regular progress updates, and the completion of a final report and campus presentation highlighting outcomes and impacts of the year’s work.
UNM leadership anticipates that the LIFT program will strengthen the university by cultivating a cohort of nationally visible faculty leaders equipped to guide complex initiatives, mentor colleagues and students, and advance UNM’s mission across research, education, and service. Dr. Hix’s selection underscores both his individual contributions and UNM’s ongoing investment in thoughtful, mission-driven academic leadership.
For more information about the LIFT program and faculty leadership initiatives at UNM, visit the Office of the Vice President for Research and Academic Affairs.