When UNM-Gallup opened its Zuni campus in 2002, things got off to a slow start. During those first years, college officials worried about how to put the $3.8 million, 36,000-square-foot facility to better use. But over the last year, the picture has changed for the better. The parking lot is full of cars, the classes are brimming with students, and as Fred Wey, interim program manager said, “We’re running out of room here.”
Wey credits this turn of events to an improved relationship with the Pueblo of Zuni. He has concentrated on keeping conversation open with the Zuni Tribal Council and the schools, businesses and organizations that serve Zuni and the surrounding communities.
“They felt that UNM-G was never fully supportive,” Wey said. Although such terminology as the “twig” – meaning that Zuni campus is a “twig” off the UNM-Gallup branch – was probably meant humorously rather than as a put-down, it rankled some locals, who also heard the campus referred to as the “stepchild” or “white elephant.”
Slowly, the image seems to be changing. One by one, obstacles have been overcome, such as getting reimbursement for UNM-Gallup instructors who drive from Gallup to teach classes, finding local instructors with the proper credentials, and transforming Zuni – through the services of administrative assistant Laura Leekela – into a one-stop shop for financial aid and advisement that is sensitive to the unique cultural needs of the community.
Recruitment and retention of students have advanced through a revitalized student senate and outreach by the Construction Club. “Students are rapidly spreading the word that the time for the Zuni campus has come,” Wey said.
One of the most important ways of getting students onto the campus has been advocating for the courses that Zuni needs.
“If our motto is ‘Stay close, go far,’ shouldn’t that apply down here as well?” Wey said.
The campus also has a renewed relation with Zuni High School, and offers many courses for dual enrollment or for the Center for Career and Technical Education vocational track. Wey said he plans to expand dual enrollment with Ramah High School and is increasing outreach with the Ramah and Pine Hill communities.
With classrooms now steadily full to capacity, plans for expansion are in discussion. Zuni students would like to see upgraded computers and a multi-use auditorium with projection equipment and a stage. The auditorium, Wey said, might be rented out to the local community – an idea that appeals to the Pueblo.
Wey said some discussion of housing for full-time faculty has been held, and that this might be achieved by partnerships with other entities in the area – perhaps with the school district, which already provides housing for its teachers.
Story by Linda Thornton