UNM's Harwood Museum of Art, located in Taos, N.M., will present several summer exhibitions, including Mike Vargas: Santos on Paper. Santos on Paper is presented in concert with two other exhibitions: John Suazo’s Thirty Year Retrospective and Fritz Scholder’s Prints and Paintings from the Harwood Collection. A gallery talk for Scholder’s work is scheduled for Thursday, August 10 at 7 p.m. All three exhibitions will be on display through Sept. 10.
Photo: Mike Vargas: Santos on Paper
“Having my first major solo museum exhibition at Harwood was a prestigious move,” Vargas said. “I looked at the guest book and it seemed as though people had come from all over. It’s great; my art is being seen by people from all areas of the country. Harwood is one of the big plDavid Brookshire, I suppose.”
The summer program follows the vision of Harwood Museum of Art to meet and surpass its reputation generated through broad public and published appeal. Harwood has appeared in Art in America, Art News, Art Forum, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times and the New Yorker.
The museum offers the following exhibitions in the near future:
· Languages of Enchantment: The Art of Melissa Zink
Sept. 22 to Dec. 30, 2006, Martin Gallery
· From Behind the Altar, Mexican Retablos from the Paul Thiebaud Collection
Sept. 22 to Dec. 30, 2006, Scott Gallery
· Mildred Tolbert: Photographs of Taos Artists
Sept. 22 to Dec. 30, 2006, Foster Gallery
· Recent Acquisitions
Jan. 12 to March 4, 2007, Martin Gallery
· Sabra Moore
Jan. 12 to March 4, 2007, Scott Gallery
· Photographs by Zoe Zimmerman
Jan. 12 to March 4, 2007, Foster Gallery
· Anita Rodriguez
March 16 to May 20, 2007, Martin Gallery
· Northern New Mexico Santos
March 16 to May 20, 2007, Scott Gallery
· Gretchen Ewert
March 16 to May 20, 2007, Foster Gallery
Charles Lovell, director, defined Harwood’s goal of furthering established educational programs, such as the artist-in-residence program. “It is an exciting program that is being built upon,” Lovell said. “We are looking for more ways to collaborate with UNM main campus.”
The Harwood Museum of Art also offers movement and dance programs for children and adults, a lecture series and shared programs with the Museum Association of Taos. For more information about Harwood exhibits or programming, call Lovell at (505) 758-9826 or visit: Harwood Museum.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
UNM is hosting the second annual Mexican Traditional Medicine Fair on Friday, June 30, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Cornell Mall northeast of the Student Union Building. The fair received an award from New Mexico Press Women in the category for Public Service Campaign/Program for Public Good. Free and open to the public, the event will feature more than 40 curanderos, alternative medicine and local businesses will exhibit and provide demonstrations on use of plants and herbs.
Illustration: Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca
The following article was written by Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, vice president, Student Affairs, and used by permission. The article discusses who is a curandero and the history of three well-known traditional curanderos: Don Pedrito Jaramillo, Teresita and Niño Fidencio and the commonality they shared with Cabeza de Vaca, who was considered a folk saint by Indians.
The first Spaniards had already arrived in Mexico in the year 1519, some eight years before Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca's initial expedition of 1527. The Spaniards were amazed that the Aztecs had acquired such a vast knowledge of medicinal plants. Unfortunately, six years before Cabeza de Vaca's arrival, the Spaniards destroyed the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, also destroying some 3,000 distinct medicinal plants utilized by the natives.
Who is a curandero?
Before discussing Cabeza de Vaca's role as a Hispanic curandero, it should first be understood who is a curandero. He or she is a folk healer who heals in the material level with herbs, amulets and/or in the spiritual level using religion, God, saints, prayers and petitions to heal a patient.
The word curandero comes from the word ‘curar,’ which means to heal. Curanderos practice the art of folk healing using religion and the supernatural. The belief that all healing comes from God makes it religious as does the concept that a curandero can only bring God's will. The belief that certain rituals and practices can affect a certain outcome makes it supernatural. A person can receive a God-given gift or don to become a curandero or the gift can be accomplished through an apprenticeship.
Modern curanderos and well-known traditional curanderos of the early 1900's such as Don Pedrito Jaramillo (1829-1907), Teresita (1873-1906), and Niño Fidencio (1898-1938) appear to possess many of the qualities described in Cabeza de Vaca's experiences as a healer.
“Our method, however was to bless the sick, breathe upon them, recite a Pater Noster and Ave Maria and pray earnestly to God our Lord for recovery,” said Cabeza de Vaca. “We conclude with the sign of the cross.”
What did the three well-known curanderos, Don Pedrito Jaramillo, Teresita, and Niño Fidencio have in common with Cabeza de Vaca?
First, all three curanderos were considered folk saints recognized by the common people but not accepted nor canonized by the Catholic Church. Cabeza de Vaca was considered a folk saint by the Indians since they considered him and his companions truly children of the sun, a belief that none could die while we remained among them.
Second, all three traditional curanderos used a series of rituals in order to heal the sick. Don Pedrito would pray, massage the body, and prescribe simple herbal plants, the drinking of water, and the use of mud to rub on the ailment. Niño Fidencio would prescribe herbs, baths, and prayer. Teresita would also prescribe herbs, baths, prayer, and would use hypnosis. The three curanderos believed that healing occurred through God and that religion played an important role.
Religion and faith play an important role
Religion and faith play an important role in curanderismo or the folk healing process and is based on the patient's faith. Not being of Christian faith, the Indians may not have believed in Cabeza de Vaca's God but they believed in a spiritual being; therefore, the praying and sign of the cross was part of the healing process as it has been for years in curanderismo.
Third, all three curanderos, Don Pedrito Jaramillo, Niño Fidencio, and Teresita were charismatic leaders and healers. Don Pedrito was appointed by the State of Texas to serve as a welfare agent for the people of south Texas during the great drought of 1893 and had hundreds of followers.
Niño Fidencio also had a great following and became famous when he healed the President of Mexico, Plutarco Elias Calles and his daughter. Even nowadays, thousands throughout Mexico and the Southwest follow his Fidencista movement.
Teresita had a large following of Mayos and Yaquis tribes and her influence in Mexico was so strong that it scared the President of Mexico, Porfirio Diaz, who sent five hundred armed men to exile her. She fled to El Paso, Texas, and her charisma continued in the United States until she died in Clifton, Arizona.
This charisma is also evident in Cabeza de Vaca. He was appointed as Narvaez' royal treasurer by his role in the expedition, and by his powers as a leader and healer amongst the Indians. His charisma was evident in his healings and cures.
Curanderos believe they possess gift to heal
Fourth, the three famous curanderos believed they had a gift or don from God to heal. They all gave credit to God for their healing gift and prayed including laying of the hands on their patients. Cabeza de Vaca also believed he had a don or gift from God to heal the sick and always asked God to restore the Indians' health. Fifth, the three curanderos performed miracles and possessed extraordinary powers. It is said that Don Pedrito had psychic powers and the ability to detect the unbelievers; there are many stories that he could read minds.
Teresita also had great powers. In one instance, she was traumatized by an attempted rape and began to have seizures; one resulted in a coma appearing that she had withdrawn into death. She was dressed for burial, her hands bound across her chest, candles were lit, and a coffin built. Suddenly, Teresita sat upright as if resuscitating from death.
There are hundreds of accounts of El Niño Fidencio's cures including the ability to make mute men speak and paralytic patients walk. Cabeza de Vaca also revived a dean man.
It appears that all three curanderos as well as Cabeza de Vaca cured psychosomatic illnesses considered miracles during their times. Cabeza de Vaca could be considered the first curandero or shaman from the Old World who healed in the Southwest.
This conclusion is based on a comparison of Cabeza de Vaca's healing experience with those of three of the most famous Hispanic curanderos who influenced Mexico and the Southwest. All three traditional folk healers lived and had followers throughout Northern Mexico, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, which covered some of Cabeza de Vaca's route.
More on the Mexican Traditional Health Fair at UNM
** Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, author of “Curandero: A Life in Mexican Folk Healing and Arturo Ornelas Lizardi, director of El Centro Desarrollo Humano hacia a la Comunidad will give related lectures at the Student Union Building Theatre from noon to 1 p.m.
** Photographs by Greg Johnston of curandero activities in Albuquerque during the past two summers will be on display beginning Thursday, June 29 at the ASA Gallery in the Cochiti Room located on the second floor of the Student Union Building.
** The UNM Office of Student Affairs sponsors the fair.
** Two more Ferias de Salud or traditional Mexican health fairs, will be offered in addition to the fair UNM is hosting. For a complete schedule visit: Ferias de Salud.
How big is the universe? Where does it end? Are we alone amongst the stars?
Those are some of the questions posed in “Infinity Express,” the digital full-dome feature planetarium show returning to the LodeStar Astronomy Center on July 1. “Infinity Express,” is a stylish blend of science, art and entertainment that examines recent breakthroughs in the quest to understand our universe. Scientific visualizations and art combine to create compelling and memorable entertaining experiences for audiences of all ages.
“Infinity Express’ is a watershed for the cutting-edge immersive digital dome medium that the LodeStar Planetarium Theater employs. It’s highly educational, but in a style that reflects contemporary culture,” said David Beining, LodeStar’s director.
This immersive full-dome experience allows audiences to virtually fly over the surface of Mars, watch galaxies collide, witness the universe’s basic structure, and more. Dramatically narrated by acclaimed actor Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, Othello), the show features colorful, eye-popping visuals and a Dolby surround soundtrack, that together give viewers the feeling that they are rocketing through space.
In addition, a visually stunning and informative pre-show, titled “Deep Visions,’ will run prior to “Infinity Express.” This one-of-a-kind introduction shares some of the history and revelations of the Hubble Telescope’s 16 year mission. Be prepared to let Hubble’s beautiful images wash over you like ocean waves. “Deep Visions,” is a 15-minute short-story about the amazing Hubble Space Telescope, produced by the LodeStar Astronomy Center.
“Infinity Express” & “Deep Visions” will play daily at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and $3 for children ages 3 to 12. LodeStar’s presentation of “Infinity Express” is made possible with support from Molina Healthcare.
LodeStar’s world-class planetarium theater is equipped with a million-dollar digital projection system and the biggest screen in New Mexico. Located inside the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science at 1801 Mountain Road N.W., in Albuquerque, the LodeStar Astronomy Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information call (505) 841-5955 or visit: LodeStar Astronomy Center.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
In the last year, UNM entered into 10 agreements and exchanges with universities in Spain and Latin America. Dr. Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, vice president of Student Affairs, actively pursued some after hosting a group of university administrators from Mexico this spring. Torres has an eye to attract foreign students to UNM as well as to see UNM students and faculty pursuing study abroad programs at institutions in Mexico, Spain, Brazil, Ecuador or Chile.
The agreements or “convenios,” establish an agreement of academic and cultural cooperation. “The goal is to organize joint research projects as well as to organize faculty and student exchanges,” Torres said.
Other outcomes include joint scientific activities through classes, conferences, seminars, symposia and lectures. Both institutions generally agree in the exchange of published material.
The institutions that participated in the spring program are interested in collaborations with UNM, Torres said. They signed MOUs to doing a program with us – generally month-long programs, such as English language training through CELAC or other academic programs. The goal, Torres said, is to have those students come to UNM fulltime.
Robyn Côté, coordinator of agreements and study abroad at the Latin American and Iberian Institute, said that it is a “point of pride” for Latin American institutions to enter into convenios with U.S. universities. She is quick to note, however, that UNM is careful about entering into the agreements because something has to come of it.
“We noticed that if faculty get involved in the agreements, then something happens. They may have a colleague at another institution with whom they want to work out an exchange.”
Manuel de Hermenegildo, the Prince of Asturias Endowed Chair in Information Science and Technology, helped establish an agreement with his home institution, the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. The result is that a student from that school will attend UNM this fall, Côté said.
Côté noted the contribution international faculty bring to UNM, “Visiting faculty bring a different perspective on life that they pass on to students. They often conduct research while they’re here and work with our graduate students. Latin American study students get field research grants. The visiting faculty they work with become their contacts across the globe.”
The convenios also bring international students to UNM to “enrich the academic and cultural life of our students, expand their horizons and make them global citizens,” Côté said. She added that the students make friends and are then encouraged to go on an exchange.
Cynthia Radding, LAII director, established an agreement with the Centro de Investiaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología (CIESAS) to engage in a graduate student exchange.
The goal is to foster scientific research and produce master’s and doctoral levels in anthropology and the social sciences to carry out academic projects, and publish the results that contribute to the anthropological knowledge of Mexico. The agreement gives the authority to award scholarships, develop curriculum and evaluate and establish courses for different Mexican public administration agencies.
LAII is a campus resource for faculty interested in research, study and teaching abroad. “We can connect people with their counterparts at other institutions,” Côté said.
Students can also take advantage of their services.
For a list of all 58 UNM convenios, visit: http://laii.unm.edu/exchange/convenios.php.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The main campus Institutional Review Board (IRB) has issued a revised “IRB Policies and Procedures Manual” effective June 12, 2006. The revised manual includes new and updated information regarding the submission of biomedical research, the departmental review of protocols for scientific merit, definition of minimal risk studies, federal rules regarding prisoner related research, research on students and the use of research credits.
Additionally information includes, IRB Progress Reports for re-approvals and modification requests, Final Reports to close out studies, IRB appeals policy, audits of protocols, and procedures for conducting noncompliance inquires. New forms were also developed to replace previous ones, including the main application form and the forms requesting re-approvals and modifications to ongoing research.
All new or updated forms are dated June 2006. Effective immediately, applicant investigators should utilize these forms when submitting protocols to the IRB.
From July 1, 2006 onward, only these forms can be submitted for review. The previous forms will not be accepted by the IRB office. To review and download the new materials and application forms, please consult the IRB Web site: http://research.unm.edu/rcs/.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Acting President David W. Harris has banned fireworks on all university property. The ban goes into effect immediately and will remain in force until further notice. The ban comes as a result of the severe drought conditions and the potential risk to life, property and the environment. It is suggested that the branches in Gallup, Los Alamos, Santa Fe, Taos and Valencia also adhere to the ban.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The Telecommunications department telephone switch replacement project is nearing completion. During the main campus project, approximately 12,000 telephone lines were moved to the new switch.
Telecommunications has begun to resolve trouble tickets resulting from the accelerated cutover. At this time, departments are asked to check the phones of faculty and staff who are away for the summer to assure that the phones are working correctly.
Trouble calls placed now will help avoid delays in response during the busy time at the beginning of the fall semester. Telecommunications is beginning to work the backlog of orders placed on hold during the accelerated replacement and will clear the orders as quickly as possible.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Lisa Pacheco has been named acquisitions editor at the University of New Mexico Press. Pacheco, an editorial intern for UNM Press for two years prior to her hire as acquisitions editor, will acquire books in anthropology, archaeology and religious studies of the Americas.
Born in Las Cruces, but raised in Albuquerque, Pacheco lived for a time in Florida and earned a bachelor’s in English from the University of Central Florida. She worked as an editor for a legal publisher and as a web content writer and editor for Hard Rock Cafe. After moving back to Albuquerque to study anthropology at UNM, Pacheco was an editorial assistant for the “Journal of Anthropological Research.”
Pacheco’s interest in anthropology grew from her New Mexico roots. “I was interested in studying New Mexico history, culture and languages in my home state,” she said. She earned a master's and is pursuing a doctorate in anthropology at UNM.
“My goal is to publish books that will contribute to the study of the history and culture of the Southwest and become resources to the ever-broadening field of anthropology,” Pacheco said. She will also seek manuscripts on innovative methodologies and areas of research in the Americas including anthropological ethics, applied anthropology and
anthropologists’ collaboration with native communities.
“UNM Press has always had a strong presence in Southwest anthropology,” Pacheco said. “I'm looking forward to continuing that tradition.”
“We are delighted to have Lisa join the editorial staff at UNM Press,” Editor-in-Chief Clark Whitehorn said. “Her knowledge of anthropology and archaeology ensure that the press will remain at the forefront in those fields, and Lisa’s energy and enthusiasm ensure a long career for her in publishing.”
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Mary K. Bowannie, a lecturer in Native American Studies, received the 2006 Educator in the Newsroom Fellowship, awarded by the Radio-Television News Directors Association and Foundation in Washington, DC.
The award allowed her to work throughout June with a national radio program, National Native News, enhancing her applied journalistic background while fostering her college-level instructional skills.
“This fellowship was very beneficial because Native American Studies is increasingly incorporating media education into the program,” Bowannie said. “Native Americans utilize media and are impacted by media. Therefore, an important educational element is to learn how to use media, as well as how media impacts tribes.”
Bowannie, who has a background in public radio, worked primarily in the newsroom -- anchoring, producing and identifying breaking news and current events. She plans to apply her refreshed perspective on media to instruction in the classroom.
“A lot of our students are media oriented; they are into multi-media,” Bowannie said. “It is the way they’ve grown up.”
She reiterated the importance of educating students to become critical media makers and media consumers.
The Educator in the Newsroom Fellowship is designed to enhance broadcast journalism education. Fellows are college educators placed in television or radio newsrooms. This year 18 fellows were chosen from across the country. The overarching goal of the program, funded by the John S. and James L. Knight foundation, is to build a bridge between journalists and educators.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
Another semester. Another record. The combined grade point average for the Lobos’ 21 athletics programs during the 2006 spring semester was a school-record 3.08 according to the UNM registrar’s office. That’s the highest semester GPA since the school began tracking grades in the fall of 1988. The previous record was 3.05 in the fall of 2004. It’s also the eighth consecutive semester the GPA has been 3.02 or higher.
“I was certainly aware of the previous academic performances by University of New Mexico student-athletes,” said athletics director Paul Krebs, who started at UNM on June 1. “This GPA further reinforces my beliefs about the type of student-athletes and coaches that represent this institution. Considering the time constraints and demands that are inherent upon collegiate student-athletes, this is an outstanding accomplishment.”
Additionally, the Mountain West Conference today announced its Scholar-Athlete Award winners for the 2006 spring semester. UNM had 80 student-athletes receive recognition, the second-highest total in the league.
To be eligible for selection student-athletes must have completed at least two academic terms at the institution, while maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better, and have participated in varsity competition for their athletics team.
2006 University of New Mexico Spring Semester Grade Point Averages
Men
Baseball - 2.87
Basketball - 2.97
Football - 2.66
Golf - 2.91
Skiing - 3.53
Soccer - 3.28
Tennis - 3.38
Track - 3.04 *
Women
Basketball - 3.50
Golf - 3.40
Skiing -3.37
Soccer - 3.28
Softball - 2.96
Swimming - 3.29
Tennis - 3.29
Track - 3.32 *
Volleyball - 3.43
Total - 3.08
*includes cross country, indoor and outdoor track
Media Contact: Greg Remington, (505) 925-5525; e-mail: gregrem@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Provost Reed Dasenbrock has created a Graduation Task Force charged with identifying the most critical factors affecting graduation rates at the university and proposing strategies to improve them. The group will be co-chaired by Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Dean of University College Peter White and Associate Provost Wynn Goering.
Photo: Provost Reed Dasenbrock calls for a graduation task force.
“We've known for a long time that UNM students struggle to complete their degrees in a timely way and we've learned a great deal about the issue in previous initiatives,” said Dasenbrock. “That is why I am charging this task force to focus on solutions – to devise practical strategies that can have an immediate impact on the problem.”
Dasenbrock is calling for the group to report its recommendations to him by mid-January, in time for consideration in the Fiscal Year 2008 budget cycle.
Task force members include Terry Babbitt, director, Recruitment Services and interim director of Admissions; Mark Chisolm, director, Institutional Research; Jennifer Gomez-Chavez, manager, College Enrichment Program; Nancy Lopez, assistant professor, Sociology; and Mark Ondrias, associate dean, Student Academic Affairs.
Dasenbrock says these seven constitute a project steering committee that will in turn appoint other subcommittees to focus on specific elements of the task.
“The days when we could content ourselves with simply giving students the chance to attend UNM are over,” said Dasenbrock. “If we haven't done everything we can to help them complete their educational goals, we haven't done our jobs. That's the new bottom line.”
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The Science & Technology Corporation @ UNM announced today that it has executed three agreements with Berlex, Inc. a U.S. affiliate of Schering AG, Germany to license and collaborate on the development of drug discovery technology. STC has granted Berlex a worldwide license to its HyperCyt technology, an automated high-throughput flow cytometry screening analysis system.
Moreover, the two organizations entered into agreements to collaborate on two projects to identify therapeutic targets and potential therapeutic drug candidates.
“We are pleased to enter into the arrangement with Berlex, which allows the HyperCyt technology to benefit the public,” says Lisa Kuuttila, President and CEO of STC. “While a discovery based on HyperCyt technology has already led to the formation of one local start-up company, the licensing arrangements with Berlex demonstrate the technology is valuable to larger biopharmaceutical businesses that take laboratory discoveries and develop medical advances for patients.”
HyperCyt patent holder and professor of pathology at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine Larry Sklar said, “The match between the interests and expertise at Berlex and UNM promises to make the collaboration exciting with respect to research and economic development.”
About Science and Technology Corporation @ UNM
Science and Technology Corporation @ UNM is a nonprofit corporation formed by and owned entirely by the University of New Mexico to protect and transfer its faculty inventions into the commercial marketplace. STC licenses innovative technology developed at UNM, including optics, microfluidics, and high performance materials as well as therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices and drug discovery tools.
Peter White, dean of University College, has been named vice provost for Undergraduate Education. He will continue his duties as dean of University College, and add new activities to his portfolio. In his new position, White will be the provost’s liaison to the Faculty Senate, Undergraduate Committee and Teaching Enhancement Committee.
Photo: Peter White named vice provost for Undergraduate Education.
He will also adjudicate undergraduate student appeals and represent UNM on the New Mexico Articulation Task Force. The task force is assigned to help the institutions work out a way in which courses taught in specific subject areas are comparable and transferable among New Mexico colleges and universities.
White will also lead several quality improvement projects in undergraduate education, including the coordination of undergraduate research programs and an initiative to improve graduation rates.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Amy Wohlert has been appointed dean of Graduate Studies and vice provost for Graduate Education at the University of New Mexico. She is currently an associate provost and interim dean for graduate education. As dean and vice-provost for graduate education, Wohlert will retain supervision of the Office of Graduate Studies, in addition to other university-wide responsibilities.
Photo: Amy Wohlert was named vice provost for Graduate Education and dean of Graduate Studies.
She oversees UNM’s graduate degree approval process, represents the university’s graduate programs to the New Mexico Higher Education Department and New Mexico Deans Council, and manages UNM’s participation in the National Research Council rankings of graduate programs.
Wohlert is also charged with the leadership of UNM’s accreditation process for the NCA Higher Learning Commission, including its required core curriculum and academic outcomes assessments.
Prior to serving as Associate Provost, Amy Wohlert chaired the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences from 2000 to 2004. She continues to serve as the chair of the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and is a former executive board member of the Council for Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Wohlert will begin her new duties on July 1, 2006.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Michael Daly, the chief operating officer of Forest City Covington, Regent Sandra Begay-Campbell, representing the University of New Mexico Board of Regents and New Mexico State Land Commissioner Patrick Lyons signed the final agreement that put 3,002 acres of state land at Mesa del Sol into the hands of the developer.
Photo (l. to r.): Michael Daly, Sandra Begay-Campbell and Patrick Lyons.
The agreement took several months of negotiations among the three entities to complete the deal. The University of New Mexico received a check for $9,536,852. Most of the money will go into a scholarship endowment for students. The rest will be used for expenses associated with the sale and land exchange.
The very complex agreement involved an exchange of UNM owned land near Cochiti for state-owned land at Mesa del Sol, at the southern edge of Albuquerque. The land is contained within the city limits. UNM then sold the land to the developer.
Chairman of the UNM Board of Regents Jamie Koch said, “This is a win-win for everyone. This is a major business venture for the University and there will be no downside. We receive money from this sale, we have retained 480 acres for a future campus facility and we will share in the profits as the area is development. I can’t find anything negative for UNM in the transaction.”
Forest City Covington will now move ahead with development activity. Daly said he was pleased that Advent Solar, a solar energy panel manufacturing company will be the first tenant. He said he hopes to make other announcements about tenants in the near future.
State Land Commissioner Patrick Lyons said in a news release, “Mesa del Sol has been nothing but a dream for nearly 25 years. I commend the Regents for taking another step towards making it a reality. Lyons says Mesa del Sol is the largest parcel of undeveloped land under single ownership within a city’s limits in the nation, and one of the West’s most ambitious “new urbanism’ developments.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Master’s students in the School of Architecture and Planning tackled design problems in the commercial/residential neighborhoods south of the campus in the “student ghetto” this spring in architect Anthony Anella’s community studio. Anella recently presented the students’ work to university and city officials.
Photo: Architect Anthony Anella
The students’ proposals addressed the private sector side of Central Ave., concentrating on the area between Stanford and Princeton from Central to Silver.
“The area just south of the UNM campus is underdeveloped. It is frequently referred to as the ‘student ghetto,’ and is characterized by absentee residential landlords and precarious commercial enterprise,” Anella said.
The design problem sought to promote cooperative action between the university and the city and a win-win for the benefit of the entire community, he said.
“The students came up with creative ideas to revitalize the area while retaining its character as a student housing district,” he said.
“As architects, we can be more effective if we can identify an overlap of social needs. We can also be more effective if we understand the fundamental forces that influence the town-gown relationship and shape the built environment at the interface between the UNM campus and Albuquerque,” Anella said.
“Only by understanding these social, entrepreneurial, financial, regulatory and political forces can we learn to influence those forces so that they align with our design objectives,” he said.
This was a preliminary discussion to bring attention to the situation to campus and civic leaders.
“Additional sessions will take place with neighborhood groups and others to involve the community further in developing a course of action. We will be happy to host those events here at the school, said Roger Schluntz, dean, School of Architecture and Planning.
Media Contact: Carolyn gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
New telescope to provide distinct record of universe
Astronomers at the University of New Mexico are developing an exciting new telescope with capabilities that are unrivaled in astronomy circles. The CCD/Transit Instrument with Innovative Instrumentation, or CTI-II, is a special-purpose telescope where accuracy and precision are the key components allowing for unprecedented research opportunities.
Photo: One of UNM’s automated telescopes that measures image quality at McDonald Observatory in west Texas. The star to the left of the tower is Sirius, the brightest star in the sky.
The ground-based telescope does not move to survey the sky, a feature that allows for more precise measurements of brightness and position.
“The unique, stationary telescope is more precise than any other ground-based telescope because it is literally fixed to the Earth,” said John McGraw, professor, Physics and Astronomy. “It doesn’t move to track the stars as do most telescopes. It operates only in a ‘transit’ mode, observing in great detail a square patch of sky about the size of four full moons. The patch continuously passes overhead as the Earth rotates.
“Two hundred years ago transit telescopes were the epitome of precision measurement in science. Today, with CTI-II we are merging this centuries-old technique to modern optical systems, electronic detectors and computers to continue our quest for understanding about the wonderful array of objects in the universe, and the forces that activate them.”
Telescope location
Once built, the telescope, which is part of the Near Earth Space Surveillance Initiative (NESSI), will be based near the west Texas town of Ft. Davis at the McDonald Observatory where clear nighttime skies are abundant.
Most astronomical measurements of the brightness, positions and motions of objects in the sky are made with telescopes on Earth. The biggest disadvantage in using ground-based telescopes is that the Earth’s atmosphere absorbs a great deal of light from astronomical objects and the images are blurred by the turbulent atmosphere.
To help alleviate this problem, UNM astronomers are utilizing electronic light detectors called charge-coupled devices or CCDs, which are used in most digital cameras. If a galaxy changes brightness by more than only a few parts in a thousand, the CTI-II will detect and record those changes.
The telescope, under computer control, uses a prototype mirror six feet in diameter that was originally designed for the Hubble Space Telescope. It has the capability of producing more than 250 gigabytes of image data containing millions of galaxies and stars measured in five colors ranging from green to somewhat redder than the eye can see in a continuous high-efficiency readout.
Precise measurements to provide unique record
Numerous fundamental astronomical research programs depend upon the ability to make accurate measurements of the brightness, positions and motions of objects in the sky. If these highly precise measurements can be made daily over an interval of years, as they will for the UNM telescope, a unique record of our dynamic universe can be maintained.
“We’ll be able to make precise brightness measurements every night, all night, year after year, enabling the CTI-II telescope to maintain a distinctive record of our dynamic universe that hasn’t been made before,” said McGraw.
As an example of the application of precise brightness measurements, the centers of most, and conceivably all, spiral galaxies like our own Milky Way harbor supermassive black holes millions to billions of times more massive than our own sun. The hallmark of these supermassive black holes is brightness changes caused by galaxy material – stars and gas – falling into the vicinity of the black hole.
“Every clear night, the UNM telescope will monitor more than a million galaxies, making measurements of the light output of each of them,” said McGraw. “If a galaxy changes brightness by more than only a few parts in a thousand, the telescope will detect and record those changes. The record of the light from each galaxy will allow astronomers to decide whether the galaxy harbors a supermassive black hole.”
Observations of many galaxies will statistically determine if all galaxies contain black holes, whether black hole formation is a prerequisite or a consequence of the formation of galaxies, and whether the currently accepted single model of the galaxy core black holes completely explains the mechanisms at work deep in the centers of galaxies.
CTI-II also precisely measures positions, motions and distances to stars. In our own Milky Way Galaxy, faint red stars, the existence of which was discovered in only the last few years, dot our “solar neighborhood,” a region of space within a few tens of light years of our sun. Measuring the motions and distances to these stars will reveal details of the formation history of the Milky Way and may shed light on the unseen mass that seems to dominate the total mass of our Galaxy and others.
New scientific programs to emerge from data
Once completed, in approximately two years, the CTI-II will provide concepts, techniques, hardware and software, and the ability to field test components of sky surveillance systems including exploration of the current ‘find and target’ system and technologies and systems for inclusion in the development of the Air Force Space Surveillance Telescope (AFSST).
“Our unique telescope will produce precision data on the nearest stars and on distant galaxies,” said McGraw. “It will enable many new scientific programs in which university and high school students will be engaged and educated in science, math and engineering. At the same time, our project produces and tests new observing and computational technologies and techniques that directly apply to the mission of our Air Force Research Laboratory sponsors.”
Because it will operate for years, the lasting legacy for the future of ground-based astronomy will be the most precisely calibrated area on the sky, a useful reference for other telescopes and the observations and surveys they will accomplish.
“Every clear night for seven years, CTI-II will produce more than 250 gigabytes of digital image data,” said McGraw. “Those precision images, containing millions of stars and galaxies, will provide an unprecedented record of the brightness, color, position, motion and brightness variations of every one of those objects. CTI-II will produce so much data each night that our science team cannot extract all the useful information. To maximize the impact of CTI-II, our team will share data, literally as it is acquired, with the astronomical and educational communities.”
Students to play integral role
Due to the vast amount of data that will be produced, the technological limits of computing hardware and software will be pushed. McGraw and his team are collaborating with UNM computer scientists and engineers and their students to implement a forefront computing system that will allow astronomers and students worldwide to access our data and make their own discoveries.
During the two years it has already been under design, about 12 graduate and eight undergraduate students at UNM have been employed as research and laboratory assistants with the project. Ten professors and research faculty members are supervising their work.
“Students will play an integral role in analyzing the vast amount of CTI-II data,” McGraw added. “Our experience indicates that CTI-II data will result in at least one Ph.D. and one Master’s thesis every year it operates.
“We also plan for CTI-II data to be used in primary and secondary schools. Using CTI-II data and our data system, there is no reason a high school student, collaborating with UNM astronomers, cannot make an important astronomical discovery. Data from our telescope will open “discovery space” to high school students, as well as to the astronomical community. Data from CTI-II will allow high school students as well as professional astronomers to make discoveries about the content, structure and operation of our universe.”
The development of CTI-II is part of a major collaboration between UNM and The University of Texas at Austin. When completed, the telescope will be move to UT-A’s McDonald Observatory in West Texas, the continental observatory site with the darkest night skies. The collaborative project is funded by a grant from the Air Force Research Laboratory enabled by the support of U.S. Representative Henry Bonilla (R-Texas).
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Alumni Relations Director Karen Abraham was appointed recently to associate vice president for Alumni Relations announced Mike Carroll, vice president for Advancement. She is also the executive director of the Alumni Association, which represents and fosters long-term relationships, programs and services for more than 120,000 alumni in every state and in 92 countries.
Photo: Karen Abraham, associate vice president, Alumni Relations
“Karen is an extraordinary professional who has done so much for the alumni and University,” said Carroll.
Abraham, a UNM alumna with three degrees, started in 1970 as the assistant dean of students and has a long history at the University spanning more than 35 years. She has served as the Alumni director for the past 18 years. Prior to that, Abraham was the associate dean of students and director of the Student Activities Center for 17 years. She is a member of the Council for the Advancement & Support of Education (CASE), the Council of Alumni Association Executives and served as an elected trustee on both Boards of Directors.
Abraham has many accomplishments to her credit including the designation of Hodgin Hall as UNM Alumni Center specifically for alumni. The center will eventually house an art gallery, a reading room and a virtual museum. Additionally, she created an endowment to help sustain and support the Alumni Association and its various programs.
Throughout her career Abraham has been recognized with numerous honors and awards including: four-time recipient of the CASE Faculty Star Award, Honorary Letterman Award, Outstanding Alumnus Award, YWCA Woman on the Move Award, Lobo Award for Outstanding Service to the University, Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Education, the Division of Student Affairs Student Service Award and the UNM Regents Meritorious Service Award.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
An unprecedented five University of New Mexico students – Christine Chin, Marcus Bellamy, Jay Gutierrez, Matthew Ingram and Julia Gilroy – received Fulbright grants this year. They demonstrate a strong interest in international understanding and harmony by traveling abroad to explore a range of topics from alternate energy techniques to public policy.
Tom Bogenschild, director, Office of International Programs and Studies, said each of the students follows distinct but parallel paths and a similar ambition: cultural awareness coupled with an international education.
“The students are diverse in all senses,” Bogenschild said. “What they have in common is a real interest and inquiry about international issues. They are different in the way they approach those issues.”
Christine Chin, who studied alternate energy generating techniques, will present her ideas to academic specialists in China artistically. Her aim is to inspire unconventional scientific thought creatively, she said.
Marcus Bellamy, who will be traveling to Spain, will teach English in an elementary school while putting his athletic talents on the field by volunteering as a sports coach.
Jay Gutierrez will put his newly acquired degree in Communication and Spanish to work in Uruguay where he will teach and study public policy and the social welfare system. He has previous international experience in Uganda and Greece.
Matthew Ingram will complete the research for his doctoral dissertation on state-level judicial institutions in Brazil.
Julia Gilroy will participate in the U.S.-Mexico Bi-National Business Program. While taking classes at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Mexico, she will also work full-time with a business in Mexico City.
“I really value the idea that you can’t understand a country’s economy without understanding its particular culture and history, or visa versa,” Gilroy said. She added that faculty in economics, Spanish and the Honors Program prepared her by providing her with a comprehensive education.
The group of culturally diverse students will go off in five directions on the globe to exchange ideas, knowledge and skills. The Fulbright experience will produce lasting effects for each student, UNM and New Mexico, said Bogenschild. “It will ripple beyond state and even national borders,” he said. He added that UNM invests in its students by helping them put together their proposals. The student then becomes a link to the campus internationally.
Established in 1946 by the U.S. Congress, the Fulbright program aims to promote the exchange of persons and their ideas in order to “enable the government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries."
Bogenschild encouraged all students and faculty interested in participating in the Fulbright program to contact Ken Carpenter, International Programs and Studies, at carpenk@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
El Río y El Día – El Río Grande and El Día de San Juan will be celebrated at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico on Saturday, June 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Among scheduled events is Cochiti drum maker Arnold Herrera who will teach children his craft.
River demonstrations, games and activities including a rolling river trailer designed to teach children about the river and how it can be impacted, will be on-site. At 2:30 p.m., people can join a procession to the Río Grande for a blessing in honor of El Día de San Juan.
Free goody bags will be available for the first 50 children ages 3 -12. Refreshments will be provided. The event is free, open to the public and designated an Albuquerque Tricentennial celebration. It is produced by the Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.
El Río extends from the mountains of Colorado through the rugged landscapes of New Mexico and Texas into Northern Mexico. The Río Grande/Río Bravo Basin forms the lifeblood of cultural and ecological life for the region and its people.
All are invited to attend the exhibit featuring traditional and current ways of life from Tierra Amarilla to Cochiti, Bernalillo, Barelas….
The Maxwell Museum is located east of University Blvd. between Las Lomas and Dr. M. L. King Jr. Ave. Limited parking is available west of the museum, parallel to University between Dr. M. L. King Jr. Ave. and Las Lomas. Visit Maxwell Museum for more details. And while there, visit the Museum store, which offers a 40 percent discount on all items June 1 - 25 before closing for inventory from June 26 - July 1.
For more information, contact Mary Beth Hermans, 277-5963.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The first floor of Zimmerman Library will reopen on Monday, June 26. This includes the circulation and reference desks, the Center for Southwest Research, the West Wing and Starbucks.
Library hours will be 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, until further notice. Interim Dean of University Libraries Fran Wilkinson says she hopes the second and third floors of Zimmerman can be reopened by early July, but no specific dates have been set.
The paging system to retrieve books on the second and third floors will continue until those floors are reopened, and most journal articles that are requested will be directly emailed to students within 24 hours.
The reconstruction of the basement level that was damaged in the fire on April 30 is scheduled to begin in July, but there is no target date for a reopening. The journals and microforms that were housed on the basement level have been sent to Texas to be cleaned and will not be available until the basement level is reopened.
Up-to-date information about library services can be found at: http://elibrary.unm.edu/ziminfo.php.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Distinguished Professor of Physics Nitant Kenkre will give a lecture on science and spirituality, Sunday, June 25, at 5 p.m. at Rio Rancho Middle School. Sponsored by The Hindu Temple Society of New Mexico, the lecture titled, “View on Science and Spirituality from a Practicing Scientist’s Porthole,” will discuss the questions of what is science and what is not science among others.
Photo: Distinguished Professor of Physics Nitant Kenkre, second from right, with the Dalai Lama in Delhi.
Kenkre recently gave the same talk at an international conference earlier this year in February on science and spirituality in Delhi (India). Kenkre was invited to Delhi to present a scientist’s view on spirituality at a gathering of several hundred scientists, philosophers and theologians from countries including India, Russia, the Czech Republic, Germany and the United States. One of the other invited speakers at the conference was the Dalai Lama.
Kenkre will also discuss common meanings we may ascribe to the concept of spirituality and what significance is there to the opinion held by some that science and spirituality are necessarily in conflict. He’ll also explore what intellectual dangers lurk in the cavalier identification of certain concepts in science such as in quantum mechanics with similar sounding concepts in the spiritual literature.
An attempt will be made to address these questions, not from the standpoint of the philosopher, but from the viewpoint of one involved in the day-to-day practice of science.
To get to Rio Rancho Middle School take I-25 north to the Alameda exit and turn west. Alameda turns into 528. After crossing the Rio Grande it becomes a north-south road. Cross Southern Blvd and at Northern turn left. Turn right on 40th and the school will be on your right. Coming from the north, take the Bernalillo exit followed by 528 going south. If you go west on Idalia, you will meet 40th or you can again take Northern.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
He left the voice of a heritage, a culture. Luis Jiménez, age 65, born in El Paso, Texas, the son of a Mexican immigrant, died June 13 after an accident while working on an art piece at his studio in Hondo, New Mexico.
Photo: 'Fiesta Jarabe' by Luis Jiménez is near UNM's Popejoy Hall.
Studying art on both sides of the border throughout his youth, Jiménez developed an artistically renowned style unique to the Southwest.
Jiménez’ pieces are well recognized, including “Fiesta Jarabe,” a colorful sculpture on UNM’s campus near Popejoy Hall. Pieces such as the wild “Vaquero” sculpture, which adorns the entrance to the Smithsonian Art Museum in Washington, D.C., are celebrated nationwide.
New Mexico community outreach to include “Un León en Casa y en el Pueblo y en el Hogan”
Hearing “Your child has cancer” profoundly changes a family’s life, plunging members into a world of uncertainty, emotional upheaval and excruciating decisions. Every year in the United States, approximately 12,500 children and adolescents are diagnosed with the disease.
“A Lion in the House,” an intimate, intense and ultimately inspiring documentary about families facing childhood cancer is featured on the two-part program, a presentation of “Independent Lens” airing on Wednesday and Thursday, June 21-22 from 9 to 11 p.m. on KNME-TV 5.
In New Mexico, public television station KNME-TV (Albuquerque/Santa Fe) was one of only 11 PBS station nationwide to receive a grant from the ITVS (Independent Television Service) Community Engagement Campaign and the Lance Armstrong Foundation to deliver effective community outreach in conjunction with local partners around the “A Lion in the House” mini-series. The ITVS community engagement campaign seeks to build bridges between families in need and communities of support.
KNME’s Lion project is also called “Un León en Casa y en el Pueblo y en el Hogan,” because New Mexico has many houses and communities – the Spanish casa, the American Indian Pueblo and the Navajo hogan, to name a few. The project will reach out to underserved Spanish and Native American speaking communities in New Mexico, focusing on health disparities due to language, differences in cultural context and poverty.
With the “A Lion in the House” series and online resources as a catalyst, KNME and its partners use multilingual approaches to raise awareness and promote the use of resources available to underserved New Mexico children with cancer.
The Lion in the House collaboration between KNME and the community partners will include producing multilingual public service announcements, distributing a children’s book, “The Jester Has Lost His Jingle,” by David Saltzman; and a phone bank, available at 1-800-593-1845, during the airing of “Lion” to answer viewer questions. Additionally, the UNM Center for Native American Health received a variety of multicultural children’s books.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
UNM is hosting the second annual Mexican Traditional Medicine Fair on Friday, June 30, from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Featured will be Mexican folk healers known as curanderos, local vendors, and demonstrations of massage, acupuncture and the use of plants and herbs for medicinal purposes. Nearly 40 Mexican curanderos are expected to participate. The event is free and open to the public.
Photo: A curandero or Mexican folk healer performs massage during the 2005 Mexican Traditional Medicine Fair at UNM.
Vice President for Student Affairs Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, director of the UNM curanderismo program, and Dr. Arturo Ornelas Lizardi, director of La Tranca in Cuernavaca, Mexico, will speak in the Student Union Building theater from noon – 1:00 p.m. Torres is the author of two books: “Curandero: A Life in Mexican Folk Healing” and “Healing with Herbs and Rituals: A Mexican Tradition.”
Steve Chavez and the New Mexico Marimba Band will perform during the event. There will be refreshments and prizes.
The fair will be held on UNM's main campus, north of the Student Union Building .
The Mexican health fair is held in conjunction with an annual visit each summer to UNM by curanderos who participate in a two-week course offered by UNM Continuing Education. The course is taking place June 19 – 30.
A series of Ferias de Salud or traditional Mexican health fairs, will be offered in addition to the fair UNM is hosting. For a complete schedule visit: Ferias de Salud.
Media Contact: Greg Johnston, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: gregj@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Central Event Planning Office was established recently and has received authorization by the UNM Executive Cabinet to begin managing the non-academic scheduling needs of the University.
The new office for event planning/management will be administered by the UNM Student Union Department and will electronically facilitate the coordination of non-academic meetings and events with multiple facilities on campus and campus support services.
The Central Event Planning Office will be a portal for external clients to more efficiently utilize University facilities and related services. The Student Union Department will initiate meetings with persons responsible for non-academic scheduling activities in their respective facilities in the near future.
The targeted date for implementation is August 2006.
The Board of Regents of the University of New Mexico has appointed Teri Willey to the board of the Science & Technology Corporation @ UNM. Willey brings a distinguished and impressive set of credentials in the technology transfer area. She is director of Cambridge Enterprise, the technology transfer group at Cambridge University.
Photo: Teri Willey
“We are very pleased to have Willey on our board,” said Lisa Kuuttila, president and CEO of STC. “She will add a unique perspective and will undoubtedly make many contributions to the programs at STC.”
Willey previously served as managing partner of ARCH Development Partners, Chicago, an early stage venture fund where she specialized in fund management, fund raising and investment in the biotech and medical-based communities.
Willey was also vice president of ARCH Development Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of Chicago, which handles licensing and new company development based on University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory technologies. While at ARCH, Willey was an adjunct faculty member of the College of Business, Gigot Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Notre Dame.
Willey has also served as director for Special Commercialization Projects and special assistant to the Vice President of Research at Purdue Research Foundation, as well as director of the technology licensing programs at Northwestern University. She is a past president of the Association of University Technology Managers and is an advisor to select technology and investment associations.
The Science & Technology Corporation @ UNM is a nonprofit corporation formed and owned entirely by the University of New Mexico.
The mission of STC is to connect the business community to UNM – to protect and transfer intellectual property and faculty inventions to the commercial marketplace and to assist companies and organizations who wish to access facilities, expertise and research conducted at the University. As STC has evolved, the corporation not only assists UNM faculty, but students, outside inventors and entrepreneurs alike.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The UNM Bookstore's 2006 Lecture Under the Stars series kicks off on Monday, July 10 with former UNM President Bud Davis, reading from and signing his book, “Miracle on the Mesa,” which covers the changes and growth experienced by the university since its founding on February 28, 1889.
Image: "Miracle on the Mesa' is written by former UNM President Bud Davis.
All the lectures are from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Keller Hall in the UNM Center of the Arts and are free and open to the public.
The story of the “Miracle on the Mesa” is told chronologically, within the framework of each administration, beginning with the “joint presidencies” of Elias S. Stover and Hiram Hadley, who served from 1892 through 1897, and ending with Louis Caldera.
The second lecture on Monday, July 17, features Aimee and UNM Alumnus David Thurlo, authors of two popular local mystery series. The Thurlos will discuss their latest book “Prey for a Miracle,” which follows “Thief in Retreat” in the Willa Cather Award winning Sister Agatha mystery series.
The series wraps up on Monday, July 24, with Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez and her book, “Make Him Look Good.” With several satisfying romances set against Miami’s music, club and modeling scenes, “Make Him Look Good” is irresistible fiction from one of America’s most original voices. The “him” is Ricky Biscayne, a Latin singing sensation who has taken the pop world by storm.
All books featured in the Lecture Under the Stars series are available for purchase at the UNM Bookstore: 2301 Central Avenue NE, UNM campus.
For more information, contact Anicia Esposito at 277-9752, or e-mail at aespo@unm.edu.
Telecommunications has set the dates for the cutover to the new telephone switch that serves the majority of main campus. The accelerated schedule, which begins Friday, June 16, is imperative due to developing stability issues with the existing switch. UNMH, the Health Sciences Center, and north and south campus telephone service will not be affected by the cutover of individual phone lines.
Service outages will occur throughout the business day, evenings and weekends. Tentative schedules, subject to change, listing buildings and telephone numbers to be moved throughout the project will be posted at: http://its.unm.edu/communications/swupgrade.html.
Additional information on how the project affects individual users and tips on preparing for the move to the new system can be found at Fast Info: Fast Info, under Voice Communications (Telecom); sub category: Switch Replacement.
Individual phones will be moved to the new switch beginning June 16. The work will be completed in two shifts per day and is projected to be completed June 26. During the migration, there will be telephone service outages in several buildings every day. Office phones, alarms, payphones, ATM machines, fax machines and modems are all affected by the outages. Services will be affected in groups of up to 25 telephones at a time. Due to the way the campus cabling infrastructure is laid out, a building may have more than one partial service outage.
While a phone is being moved to the new switch, the following will occur:
* No incoming calls can be received and voicemail will not pick up
* No outgoing calls can be made
* The phone will have no display or dial tone
* Speed dial information will be lost
* Message waiting light will be out of synch so check messages when the phone returns to service. Existing voicemail messages will not be lost and you will continue to check voicemail by dialing 7-9997.
The afternoon and morning following a building outage, technicians will deliver replacement phones for any Dterm II phones located in the building. Please note, until the technician arrives with the new phone, the Dterm II will be out of service. If the telephone has voicemail, callers will be able to leave a message once the service has been migrated to the new switch. Check Fast Info for tips on preparing for the Dterm II replacement.
Due to the scope and complexity of this project, it is possible that unexpected service disruptions and anomalies will occur.
If you have questions regarding the switch replacement project, please check Fast Info Category: Voice Communications; Sub Category: Switch Replacement or contact Telecommunications at 7-1111 or via e-mail at: telecomm@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Managers seeking inexpensive ways to reward and recognize staff this summer need look no further. Encourage employees to participate in the UNM Staff Council’s Staff Appreciation Week, June 19-23. Events are free and open to all staff.
UNM Regent Raymond Sanchez will speak at a Tuesday luncheon for councilors and council committee members. Government Relations Committee Chair Bill Bloom will be honored with the Jim Davis Outstanding Staff Councilor Award.
The third annual celebration features a new Health Sciences-sponsored event “You Deserve a Break Today” Thursday, June 22, near the nursing/pharmacy building. Relax with a fruit cup, bottled water, yoga instruction, massages, manicures and more.
“We receive lots of great feedback and each year we incorporate new and exciting ways to celebrate staff,” said Karin Retskin, event founder and Staff Council administrative coordinator.
Other scheduled activities, sponsored by the council’s Rewards and Recognition Committee, include:
Monday, June 19
· Pancake Breakfast: Bring your office buddies to the SUB for pancakes served by campus VIP's and state legislators
· UNM Staff as Artists exhibit at the John Sommers Gallery, art building, south of Woodward Hall, poetry readings, opening reception 4-6 p.m.
Tuesday, June 20
· Councilors and committee members celebrate 16 years of Staff Council at the Hibben Center. Reservations required, 277-1532. A perpetual plaque honoring recipients of the Jim Davis award will be unveiled.
Wednesday, June 21
· Book Exchange at the SUB, noon to 2 p.m. (free books, cassettes, videos, CDs, DVDs). Donate a buck and get a book titled “The University in Turmoil and Transition” by Calvin Horn. Proceeds benefit Shiame Okunor’s library project in Africa.
· UNM retirement/retiree insurance presentation, 4 to 6 p.m., limited seating available. For information call 277-1532.
Thursday, June 22
· You Deserve a Break Day, near the nursing/pharmacy building, noon to 1:30 p.m.; Staff as Students graduation and SAS manager award presentation, 3-4:30 p.m. in the SUB.
Friday, June 23
· Outdoor noontime concerts on Cornell Mall near the SUB and HSC plaza. Food will be available for purchase.
For more information visit: Summer Staff Appreciation Concerts.
Based on a staff survey, the Staff Council and Human Resources Department will sponsor Staff Appreciation night at a Lobo football game in the fall. This event will take the place of the staff picnic, which served as the culmination of Celebrating Staff Week.
Staff Council is the collective voice of UNM’s 5,000+ classified staff. The council identifies issues related to compensation and benefits, health care, work+life, parking and government relations and presents ideas and recommendations to the UNM Administration and Board of Regents.
Values in Action is the focus of a reading and booksigning by Joan McIver Gibson, retired senior bioethicist from the HSC Institute for Ethics, and Mark D. Bennett, part time faculty, School of Law. They will read from and sign their new book, “A Field Guide to Good Decisions: Values in Action,” Wednesday, June 21, from 4 – 6 p.m. in the Nursing/Pharmacy Auditorium, Room 135.
The UNM Bookstore will have copies of the book available for purchase on-site.
Gibson and Bennett have more than 20 years of experience working with people and organizations facing difficult decisions. The book is a practical guide to making tough choices in a number of different settings where important values collide: family, profession, neighborhood, community and government.
Gibson retired in 2003 as director of the HSC ethics program and chair of the St. Joseph Hospital’s ethics committee. Bennett works with organizations and teaches mediation at the School of Law. Together they consult on decision-making with clients nationally and internationally including Sandia and Los Alamos National Labs, Centura Health System in Colorado, the New Mexico Department of Health and the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Great outdoor music begins in June at UNM with Summer Staff Appreciation Concerts. Concerts will be held monthly on Fridays, noon to 1 p.m. at University Honors Plaza, southeast of the Student Union Building. Hot dogs, lemonade and ice cream will be sold for $1. Trees nearby allow for ample seating in the shade.
On June 23, the final day of UNM Staff Appreciation Week, the Adobe Brothers will perform. They are an eclectic band that plays a wild mix of acoustic music including Celtic, Latin folk music, Western swing and international bluegrass. Members include Civil Engineering Professor Bruce Thomson, performing on fiddle and guitar as brother Toby Adobe. This band has played together more than 25 yeas and has received numerous awards.
Rahim AlHaj, a native of Baghdad, will perform solo on July 21 on the Iraqi oud, an ancient stringed instrument. AlHaj, who lives in Albuquerque, is known as one of the worldwide virtuosos on the lute-like instrument. He recently collaborated and recorded an album “Friendship” with a quartet of classical musicians from the area known as the Sadaqa Quartet.
Jasper plays on the final Friday before the start of classes, August 18. Jasper plays a danceable groove of reggae, New Orleans soul, world beat and rock & roll. Members are veteran Albuquerque musicians Terry Bluhm, bass guitar; Frank McCulloch, guitar and banjo; and Jefferson Vorhees, drums and percussion. These guys are sure to get your feet tapping.
Concerts are presented by the UNM Staff Council and the Work + Life Committee and are free and open to the public. Support is provided by the Office for Institutional Advancement and the Student Activities Center.
Media Contact: Greg Johnston, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: gregj@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Acting President David Harris today announced the appointment of C. Christine Chavez as Director of Internal Audit and Marc H. Saavedra as Government Relations Director.
As internal audit director, Chavez will be responsible for the overall operation of the internal audit department, which conducts independent review and appraisal of the fiscal and administrative operations of the University. The director also consults with and advises the Board of Regents, university administrators, faculty and staff on operational and administrative issues.
“A strong and effective audit function is essential to the University,” said Harris. “Christine's extensive experience in public sector performance-based auditing is just what UNM needs at this time.”
Chavez has more than 20 years experience in public sector auditing. She has been with the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee since 1991, most recently serving as deputy director for Performance Audit. She also held positions of performance audit manager and senior performance auditor.
Prior to working for the state legislature, Chavez was with the State Auditor's office for six years. She is a UNM graduate with a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting. She is also a certified public accountant.
Chavez will start her position on July 10, 2006. She replDavid Brookshire Debra Yoshimura who resigned in May.
Saavedra was one of 45 applicants from New Mexico and around the country who were identified as part of a competitive search process for government relations director. His selection was recommended by a search committee comprised of a dean, faculty and staff from across campus who have been involved in UNM's legislative affairs initiatives. As director, Saavedra will advocate for UNM during the legislative session and coordinate relations with external constituencies. He started his new position on June 12, 2006.
“Through the interview process, Marc demonstrated he was the most qualified candidate,” said Carlos Rey Romero, associate vice president of Government and Community Relations. “I am confident he will do an excellent job representing UNM.”
Saavedra brings more than 16 years of government relations and budget and appropriations expertise to the job. A graduate of the University of Arizona, he began his career as a paid intern for U.S. Senator Pete Domenici, working for the Senate Budget Committee in Washington, D.C.
Upon his return to New Mexico, Saavedra worked for three years as budget analyst and legislative liaison at the 2nd Judicial District Court in Albuquerque. He was then hired by the Bernalillo Country Metropolitan Court (BCMC), progressing from the position of management analyst to that of court administrator for the largest court of limited jurisdiction in the state, a position he held for three years.
During his tenure with the courts, Saavedra was responsible for preparing, administering and lobbying for the state's two largest judicial budgets. He was also involved with government affairs, representing BCMC at the federal, state and local levels.
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1989; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico is one of five institutions in the country hosting an Aerospace and Technology Honors Camp designed to introduce high-achieving high school cadets to scientific, technical and Air Force-related career opportunities.
UNM's Special Programs Office in the Division of Student Affairs, in conjunction with Kirtland Air Force Base, will host a total of 100 cadets from across the nation for two one-week sessions, June 11-16 and June 25-30. The agenda can be accessed at: AFJROTC Agenda.
Camps are hosted on a college campus with an Air Force ROTC detachment. Other participants include Arizona State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Wright State University in Ohio, and the University of Oklahoma.
An initiative of the Secretary of the Air Force, the hands-on curriculum includes visits to air and space operational units, research labs, historical sites, aerospace industries, research and technology centers and museums. Participants will take simulator and airplane rides and hear lectures from general officers, astronauts and pilots.
At UNM, cadets will live in the dorms, learn about university life and take short courses in engineering, chemistry, physics and math.
Selection to attend the camps is highly competitive. Those selected have a minimum GPA of 3.0, are rising sophomores, juniors or seniors enrolled in college-prep math and science courses, and demonstrate leadership potential. 470 cadets were selected from 1,600 applicants and represent the top one-half of one percent of the approximately 110,000 AFJROTC cadets worldwide.
For more information, call Derek Maestas, UNM Special Programs, 277-0401.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
To continue to ensure that parking is accessible to people with disabilities, UNM’s Department of Parking and Transportation Services has made some modifications to the way handicapped parking on campus is handled. You may have recently noticed some of the following Parking and Transportation initiatives to enhance the accessibility of the UNM campus for persons with disabilities.
Photo (l. to r.): Janet Luarkie, Albert Tafoya and Wendell Billingsley install barriers in the dismount zones of handicap spDavid Brookshire to discourage people from parking in these areas.
· As part of a state-wide increase, fines for improperly parking in a handicap space went up from $100 to $250.
· Barrier posts have been installed to prevent people from parking in the dismount zones required around all handicap spDavid Brookshire.
· Those who use handicap parking at the Cornell Parking Structure may be asked to show their handicap parking placard identification card and drivers’ license, in addition to clearly displaying their handicap placard, to confirm eligibility.
· Parking enforcement personnel are continuing to make accessibility a top priority with strict enforcement of placard display requirements and restrictions on obstructing dismount zones and wheelchair cuts.
· Approximately 90% of the Parking and Transportation Services shuttle fleet is equipped with wheelchair lifts. The department expects to reach 100% as older shuttles are replaced over the next few years.
Display of a state-issued handicap parking placard entitles the placard holder to free parking in regular permit spDavid Brookshire, at parking meters, and at the Cornell Parking Structure, in addition to designated accessible parking spDavid Brookshire.
“As a student who uses accessible parking, I am happy to see these changes,” said Jose Quinones, student chair of the Accessible Parking Working Group at UNM. “It is my hope that UNM Parking and Transportation will continue to make accessible parking a top priority and continue to find ways of making accessible parking available for people who legitimately need it.”
Media Contact: Stacy Nagyvary, (505) 277-5692; e-mail: snagyvary@parking.unm.edu
University Library Administrators hope to open the first three floors of Zimmerman Library in late June, although an exact date has not yet been set. Students will be able to check out books and use portions of the library as a study area.
Currently crews from the UNM Physical Plant and an outside contractor are cleaning soot from the books and wiping down surfDavid Brookshire in the library in preparation for the re-opening. Electrical crews are working to rewire the library so that a fire alarm system is in place.
Access to the periodicals will continue to be online, since the bound periodicals are being professionally cleaned. Interim Dean of University Libraries Fran Wilkinson hopes it will be possible to bring back the bound periodicals sometime in the fall. Articles can be requested through interlibrary loan at http://illiad.unm.edu/illiad/logon.html or click on interlibrary loan on the elibrary page at: elibrary. Articles not sent to student’s email accounts and books borrowed through interlibrary loan can be picked up at Centennial Library.
Materials from the Center for Southwest Research are unavailable, as are the microfilms that were housed in the basement area, but library administrators say most other materials in the library are available if professors and students consult the reference librarians in advance.
Library administrators are trying to incorporate planned improvements into the recovery effort by looking into the remodeling of parts of the library in preparation for a long-planned research plaza.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
A six-week course is being offered at UNM this summer to create videos along Central Avenue. “Highway 66 Revisited: Documenting Contemporary Route 66” will be taught June 19 – July 28. Different styles of video documentary production will be explored and participants will become part of a production team. Students will venture into the community to look for stories and will produce 10 – 12 minute videos.
Robert Russell teaches the course. Russell earned a bachelors in Media Arts at UNM and is currently working toward a masters in American Studies. He says the goal of the course is for students to continue to tell stories in a contemporary context.
“We want to know what people are thinking about Route 66 today,” Russell said.
The course will meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 – 5 p.m. It is co-sponsored by the UNM Media Arts Department and the Research Service Learning Program at University College.
For more information call 247-0491 or e-mail:
Media Contact: Greg Johnston, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: gregj@unm.edu
Maria Hinojosa, managing editor and host of “Latino USA” on National Public Radio, and senior correspondent for the PBS newsmagazine “NOW,” will be the inaugural Summer Sunset Lecturer for the new UNM Libraries series. She will speak at the Student Union Building, Ballroom A, on Saturday, June 24, at 6:30 p.m. Her topic will be “Stories from the Frontlines of American Journalism…Immigration, Katrina and our Divided Country.” This event is free and open to the public.
Photo: Maria Hinojosa
Hinojosa has had a distinguished history in journalism as the urban affairs correspondent for CNN, the New York based correspondent for NPR, and the host for New York Hotline, a live primetime call-in public affairs show for WNYC-TV. She has also served as a producer for “CBS This Morning” and has worked as a producer for CBS Radio.
Hinojosa has written two books – “Crews: Gang Members Talk with Maria Hinojosa,” which was based on her award-winning PBS report, and “Raising Raul: Adventures Raising Myself and My Son,” a memoir about raising a Latino child in a multicultural society.
Other scheduled Sunset Lecture Series speakers are Luci Tapahonso, a Diné poet, writer and professor of English and American Studies at the University of Arizona in Tucson, and Simon Ortiz, Acoma Pueblo poet, writer and professor of Indigenous Literature and Indigenous Literature of Resistance at Arizona State University.
Other Lectures in the Series
Luci Tapahonso – Diné Poet, writer and professor
“Saah: Luminous Beads of Beauty”
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
6:30 p.m.
Zimmerman Library, West Wing
UNM Main Campus
Simon Ortiz – Acoma Pueblo poet, writer and professor
“Indigenous Sovereignty and Identity: Land, Culture, Community”
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
6:30 p.m.
Zimmerman Library, West Wing
UNM Main Campus
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Alumni Association recently honored three legislators and elected six new board members to its Board of Directors. Representative Henry “Kiki” Saavedra was honored with the 2006 Higher Education Distinguished Legislator Award, while Senator Cisco McSorley and Representative Joe Stell were recognized with the 2006 Legislator Service Awards.
Saavedra was given the award based on his extraordinary and exemplary contributions to higher education at UNM during the immediate past legislative session. The award includes a $500 scholarship to Rep. Saavedra to a UNM student of his choice.
McSorley and Stell were recognized for their 20 years of dedicated public service in making a difference to the lives of all New Mexicans. They received a brick with their names engraved. The bricks will be installed on the Alumni Walkway outside of Hodgin Hall.
New board members include: Charles Barth, Steve Chreist, Mark Ortega, Matthew Martinez, Randy Royster and Jimmy Trujillo. New board terms are through June 30, 2009.
They join current board members Gene Baca, John Benavidez, Gig Brummell, Tom Daulton (2nd term), Rich Diller, Marion Fleck, Michael Gallegos, John A. Garcia, Kathy Gordon (2nd term), Michelle Hernandez, Dee Johnson, Joel Jones, Arthur Lindberg, Lillian Montoya-Rael (2nd term), Laurie Moye (2nd term), Pat Mulhall (2nd term), Lori Murphy, Hilary Noskin, Mark Ortega, Roberto Ortega, Francisco Mario Ortiz, Jennifer Riordan (2nd term), Betty Sabo, Ruth Schifani, Andrew Schultz, Erma Sedillo, John Thorson, Angie Vachio and Judy Zanotti.
Officers for 2006-07 include: Roberto Ortega, president; Lillian Montoya-Rael, president-elect; Angie Vachio, past president; and John Garcia, treasurer. The executive committee includes Gene Baca, Hilary Noskin, Ruth Schifani and Judy Zanotti.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Chief Information Officer William Adkins announced today the reorganization of the Computer and Information Resources and Technology (CIRT) and the Telecommunications Department. The reorganization includes services and staff that, together, will now become Information Technology Services (ITS) effective July 1.
Telecommunications Director Paula Loendorf and CIRT Director Moira Gerety will report to Adkins under the reorganization. Improved customer service is one of the primary benefits to the UNM campus community anticipated under the plan.
“The new organization will address three issues: how ITS will provide customer services; transparency in the cost and funding of central IT services; and the convergence of voice and data network services.” said Adkins. “ITS will continue to be positioned as a key contributor and coordinator in the execution UNM’s Information Technology Strategic Plan.”
The primary mission of the new ITS is to provide central, integrated IT environments that advance the core academic, research, public service and administrative missions of the university. ITS is also a hub point for coordinating distributed IT services across the university including infrastructure, hosting, desktop hardware, software and support, applications and the IT component of solutions to business problems.
Principles guiding all IT Services include: providing access, support, privacy, and security to all of the University’s IT customers; improving the effectiveness of IT services and sharing IT resources across UNM; supporting UNM’s mission, goals and values; coordinating IT planning and communication for better use of resources; and ensuring development and sustainability of high IT standards for UNM.
The LINK Project, currently under the CIO and scheduled for completion in July of 2007, will only be affected as applications are implemented and people move from the project budgets back into functional areas across campus or into technical areas in ITS.
Check the ITS Web site at: Information Technology Services, for updates, changes and new or consolidated services as they happen.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Tamarind’s Summer Sweep! featuring 50 percent reduction on hundreds of prints made between 1970 and 2000, will be held tomorrow, Thursday, June 8 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Tamarind Gallery, 110 Cornell Drive SE.
To check out the types of prints on sale, visit Tamarind Institute and click on “print inventory” on the left hand side.
Prints by more than 100 artists who have worked at Tamarind are currently available, with sale prices ranging from $125 to $3,500 for individual prints and from $600 to $8,500 for suites and portfolios.
For more information, call 277-3901.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico’s Recreational Services Challenge Course Program is hosting an open house, Wednesday, June 14 from 1 to 4 p.m., to offer faculty and staff an opportunity to experience first-hand what services the Challenge Course Program offers.
Photo: Participants help each other over a wall in a team-building challenge course exercise at Recreational Services.
Bring a co-worker or two and be ready to participate and experience a number of special activities including team-building high and low ropes courses, cooperative games and a variety of demonstrations, all designed to help departments with communication, team-building and trust.
Staff from Recreational Services will meet interested participants at the Low Ropes Course on the east side of Johnson Center, next to the fields.
For more information about the Challenge Course Program visit: Challenge Course Program or call Jim Painter, coordinator, Challenge Course Program, at 277-0178.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Beginning June 19, traditional Mexican clothing will be seen on the University of New Mexico campus. Curanderos from Mexico – practitioners of an ancient craft, using herbal medicines and knowledge of ancient healing rituals – will participate in a popular two-week course that enrolls nearly 50 students from New Mexico and from around the U.S. “Traditional Medicine without Borders: Curanderismo in the Southwest & Mexico” has been taught at UNM every summer since 2002.
Photo: Sergio Gomez, a Mexican curandero, demonstrates acupressure on Ellen Klaver during a course at the University of New Mexico.
Thirty or more Mexican healers come to participate in the class and offer instruction. The course is led by UNM's Vice President for Student Affairs Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, a noted international authority on curanderismo, traditional Mexican folk healing.
A series of Ferias de Salud, or traditional health fairs, will be offered in conjunction with the class, including one on the main campus scheduled for Friday, June 30, outside the Student Union Building from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The contingent of Mexican healers is under the direction of La Tranca Healing Institute in Cuernavaca, in the state of Morelos, Mexico. The Healing Institute specializes in bringing together conventional medicine and traditional healing practices.
Folk healing is a primary avenue of health care for the poor because it is based on ancient cultural traditions that continue to exist in cities and especially in outlying rural areas of Mexico. Many villages have curanderos who are the primary caregivers for whole areas of the country, and who charge relatively little for their services. In some cases, people in these villages seek both conventional and traditional, holistic forms of medical care.
“Much knowledge is contained within the curanderismo tradition that is either unknown to conventional medicine or has been lost to western science, and this knowledge may prove one day to be a highly effective component of modern medical practice,” Torres said.
The course brings a higher profile to UNM nationally and internationally, Torres said, which helps with student recruitment and with name recognition for UNM beyond New Mexico.
Media Contact: Greg Johnston, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: gregj@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Libraries presents the Summer Sunset Lecture Series on the UNM campus. The lectures are all free and the public is welcome.
Maria Hinojosa – Latina journalist
“Stories from the Frontlines of American Journalism…Immigration, Katrina and our Divided Country”
Saturday, June 24, 6:30 p.m.
Student Union Building , UNM Campus
Ballroom A
Maria Hinojosa is an award-winning journalist and author. She is managing editor and host of NPR's LatinoUSA and Senior Correspondent and host of PBS “NOW.”
Luci Tapahonso – Diné poet, writer and professor
“Saah: Luminous Beads of Beauty”
Wednesday, July 12, 6:30 p.m.
Zimmerman Library, UNM Campus
West Wing
Luci Tapahonso was born and raised in Shiprock , New Mexico on the Navajo Nation reservation. She is a professor of English and American Indian Studies at the University of Arizona in Tucson . She is the author of five books of poetry and three children's books.
Simon Ortiz – Acoma pueblo poet, writer and professor“Indigenous Sovereignty and Identity: Land, Culture, Community”
Wednesday, July 26, 6:30 p.m.
Zimmerman Library, UNM Campus
West Wing
Simon Ortiz is a professor of indigenous literature and indigenous literature of resistance at Arizona State University . He is the author of “Out There Somewhere,” “Beyond the Reach of Time and Change,” “Woven Stone”, “From Sand Creek” and other books. Ortiz will discuss today's awareness of the existence of indigenous people in New Mexico and throughout the Americas from a literary perspective.
University of New Mexico-Gallup recently received a $150,000 endowment, the first of its kind at the branch campus.
The Rollies’ children established the Allen and Leone Rollie Scholarship Fund, all of whom have long associations with Gallup. The fund will benefit the UNM-Gallup nursing program by awarding scholarships to the school’s nursing students, as selected by the program chair.
Participating in the agreement between the family and UNM-Gallup were Charles and Arlene Rollie High, Karen Rollie Head, Margaret Bell and Dr. Allen Rollie High II.
Mike Carroll, UNM vice president for Institutional Advancement and president of the UNM Foundation, made the announcement. He said, “This endowment represents the largest cash gift to UNM-Gallup. The gift reflects the passion the donor has for nursing and addresses a statewide need that will positively impact the Gallup area.”
UNM Gallup Executive Director Beth Miller, said, “The Rollie family has been an integral part of this community for decades and their support of improved health care in our region is well known. This gift enables our nursing program to continue to bring in talented local students who will apply their training here in their home territory.”
A recent event honoring the Rollies’ gift was held at UNM-Gallup’s Gurley Hall Common.
The event is the first of what is to be an ongoing effort by the Community Affairs Department both to keep the community informed about development at UNM-Gallup and seek support.
“This gift lays the groundwork for building a strong development program in Gallup,” Carroll said.
As previously announced, the 10,000-line telephone switch serving the majority of main campus is in the process of being replaced. Until late last week, the cutover to the new equipment was scheduled for June 15 through August 1, 2006. However, due to some environmental issues related to nearby construction that affected the stability of the existing telephone switch, the cutover has been accelerated and condensed into a shorter time frame.
The cutover is now set to begin June 5, 2006, and should be completed by the end of June with resolution of remaining issues throughout July and August. The current issues should not impact UNMH, the Health Sciences Center, north and south campus telephone service. A schedule of service outages, affected buildings and progress reports will be posted on the Telecommunications Web site at: Switch Upgrade.
Telecommunications has already begun working to transition to the new system. Unlike the original schedule, some buildings will be without telephone service during the day, while others will be affected at night. Previously, the cutover was structured to avoid outages during business hours.
Due to the magnitude of this project, no changes or additions to telephone service requiring programming can be completed without approval from the director of Telecommunications. This policy is effective immediately and will continue through the duration of the project. Additionally, trouble reports will be evaluated and attempts made to resolve the issue. However, some troubles may not be resolved until the service is migrated to the new telephone switch.
The goal is to keep the system as stable as possible until services can be migrated to the new system. This may mean certain service related issues might not be resolved for a small group of users. The focus is on maintaining the majority of services to best serve the University.
For more information contact Ann Swancer, (505) 277-0622.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
University of New Mexico medicine, pharmacy and nursing schools are among the top 25 for graduating Hispanics, as reported in the June 5 issue of “Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education.”
The UNM Health Sciences Center puts New Mexico in the top five states for granting the most nursing degrees to Hispanics and among the top 10 states in granting medical degrees to Hispanics.
The College of Pharmacy ranks 4, with 89 graduates 22, or 25 percent, being Hispanic. The School of Medicine ranks 10, with 16 of its 69 graduates, or 23 percent, being Hispanic. The College of Nursing ranks 11, 61 of its 195 graduates, or 31 percent, being Hispanic.
The article notes that the 2005-06 entering class was the larges on record with more than 17,000 first-time enrollees in the nation’s 125 medical schools. Similarly, enrollment in entry-level baccalaureate nursing programs increased 13 percent from 2004 to 2005.
Statistical data from 2005 was provided by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Program profiles Dennis Chavez, Allan Houser, John Lewis, Maria Martinez and Georgia O’Keeffe
A new episode of the KNME-TV Channel 5 series “Colores!” honors the Albuquerque Museum Foundation’s “Notable New Mexicans” of the year – Former U.S. Senator Dennis Chavez; sculptor and artist Allan Houser; jazz musician John Lewis; potter Maria Martinez and artist Georgia O’Keeffe. The program airs Friday, June 9, at 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. with a repeat on Sunday, June 11, at 6:30 a.m.
Each year the Albuquerque Museum Foundation celebrates individuals’ achievements and contributions to New Mexico. An excerpt of this KNME production will be shown at the Notable New Mexican event at the museum on June 2.
Entering its 17th season, “Colores!” is KNME-TV’s long-running, award-winning cultural affairs series, focusing on New Mexico and American Southwest art, music, history and culture. “Colores!” has received widespread recognition, this year winning three Southwest Regional Emmys and previously receiving a national Emmy Award nomination for community service.
“Colores!” is seen across New Mexico and distributed nationally and internationally. For more information on the series, contact Michael Kamins, 277-0434 or mkamins@knme.org.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The 4th annual Cognitive Systems Workshop, sponsored by Sandia National Laboratories, the University of New Mexico, the MIND Institute, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, will be held June 27-29 at the La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe.
The workshop will emphasize emerging opportunities for progress in the neurosciences to spawn deeper understanding of the relationship between brain and cognitive processes, and the application of these advancements to innovative technologies.
This year's theme, “Bridging Cellular to Social.” provides an emphasis on opportunities for advances in the neurosciences to spawn innovative technologies. In addition to a lineup of prestigious speakers, the workshop will feature demonstrations, posters, breakout sessions, and a tutorial entitled “Fundamentals of Neuroscience for Engineers, Computer Scientists, and Other Technology Developers.”
For more information including a review of the workshop's preliminary program, visit: http://www.sandia.gov/cog.systems/cognitive_workshop/index.htm.