The University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning is held its honors and awards convocation recently. The event represented more than $35,750 in scholarship money and recognized scholarship recipients and the donors who endowed them. It was also an opportunity to highlight the academic and creative success of the students.
Photo: Ric Richardson, acting dean, presents the distinguished alumni award to Laurie Moye.
Ric Richardson, acting dean, presented the general school awards.
A special award, the Distinguished Alumni Award, was given to Laurie Moye, president of the UNM Architecture and Planning Alumni Chapter and second term member of the UNM Alumni Association Board of Directors. Moye earned a master's degree in community and regional planning in 1982. She was the very first graduate of the program.
Among her accomplishments, Moye rallied the board and other volunteers to make nearly 300 phone calls in a single month to fellow alumni on behalf of the capital campaign for George Pearl Hall. These efforts raised more than $80,000 for the building.
After receiving her degree, she worked for a number of years at Dekker/Perich/Sabatini. She is now coordinator for the regulatory project and public participation at PNM, where she has worked for the past seven years.
Larry and Dorothy Rainosek offer three Frontier/Golden Pride Scholarships. This year's recipients were: Anthony Santi, architecture; Yolynda Begay, planning; and Lisa Burkstaller, landscape architecture.
Carrie Barkhurst received the Allen Stamm Travel Fellowship.
Regents' Graduate Student Fellowships were awarded to Tori Johnson, landscape architecture; and Paul Lopez-Oro, community and regional planning.
Christopher Price received the Presidential Scholarship, while Matthew Everett and David Augustyniak receive Performing Arts Scholarships. Ubaldo Muñoz was the recipient of the Gates Millennium Scholarship.
The American Indian Council of Architects and Engineers Scholarships were awarded to Eugenia Quintana and Dedra Youvella.
Geraldine Forbes Isais, program director, presented the architecture program awards.
The Rinker Materials Student Design Competition was awarded in each studio. In Katya Crawford's section, first place winner was David Fischman, second place, Brandi McLaughlin, and special mention Kate O-Dowd-Lane. In Kima Wakefield's section, first place went to Noe Quiñonez, second place, Alfred Kahn, and special mention, Rebecca Davila. In Berry Langford's section, the first place winner was Nayah Lee, second place Christopher Stewart, and special mention Ryan Harris .
The American Institute of Architects Santa Fe Chapter Endowed Scholarship recipient was Noreen Richards, while the AIA Santa Fe Chapter/Bradley P. Kidder Endowed Memorial Scholarship went to Louvenia Magee. Richard Maldonado received the AIA Albuquerque Chapter Scholarship as an undergraduate, while the graduate recipients were Ronald O. Nelson and Ryan Martin.
Kenneth Marold was the Antoine Predock Architectural Scholarship recipient.
Tanya Johnson, Emily Stout and Holly Strachen are this year's New Mexico Graduate Scholars.
The Charles Edward Brown and Katherine McBride Brown Scholarship went to Sandra Clough; while Joe Nash, Viktor Ramos and Sandy Johnson received the Michael “Mickey” Kosanovich Endowed Memorial Scholarships.
The Marian B. and Kevin F. Ryan Endowed Memorial Scholarship goes to Miles Cook; and Ana Petkovic received the Matthew Smilovits Endowed Memorial Scholarship.
Emily Stout was the first recipient of the Westwork Architects Scholarship in Memory of Glade Sperry and Lawrence Licht.
The Alpho Rho Chi recipient was Robert Williams.
The AIA Silver Medal went to Adam Wilmes and the AIA Gold Medal was awarded to Veree Parker.
David Henkel, director of the Community and Regional Planning program presented the awards for his program. Receiving the award for Bachelor of Arts in Environment, Planning, and Design in the community and regional planning track was Savannah Gene. From the landscape architecture track, the recipient was Kihei Mayer.
The Research/Scholarship Award went to Sarah Bautista; while the Community Building Awards were given to Maruja Clensay, Eugenia Quintana and Erin Murphy.
Awarded for Service to the Wider Community were Vicente Quevedo and Jacobo Martinez.
The New Mexico American Planning Association award winner was Nicole Sanchez-Howell.
New Mexico Graduate Scholarship recipients were Meghan Bayer and Annie Oandasan.
Mayra Madriz received the Charna E. Staten Community and Regional Planning Scholarship.
Landscape Architecture Program Director Alf Simon will presented awards for his program. The American Society of Landscape Architect Book Awards went to students with the highest academic standing. First-year student recipient was Tori Johnson, second-year student was Scott Casell and the third-year student was Brett Milligan.
The Elizabeth Reardon Award for Excellence in Construction Technology went to Julia Mulder, while Amy Duckert received the Elizabeth Reardon Award in Planting Design.
The Sites Southwest Award for Excellence in Sustainable Design was given to Shafee Jones-Wilson.
The Resource Technology Inc. Award for Excellence in Design went to first-year student Susan Corban. The Consensus Planning Award for Excellence in Design went to second-year student Peter Wong. The Design Workshop Award for Excellence in Design goes to third-year student Genieve Sanchez.
New Mexico Graduate Scholars included: Tyler Albers, Amos Arber, Amy Duckert, Susan Frye, Philip Rottman, Ryan Schwend, Pablo Navrot, Julia Mulder, Peter Theroux and Cynthia Patulski.
Baker Morrow presented the Historic Preservation Certificate Awards for program Director Chris Wilson. The New Mexico Heritage Scholarship recipients were Susan Corban, Daniel Mallach, Hollis Lawrence, Meghan Bayer, Carolyn Mead and William Powell.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The College of Education presents, Conversations in Education and Learning, a monthly faculty forum series beginning Wednesday, Oct. 11. Discussions will be held Wednesdays, 12 – 1:30 p.m. in Simpson Hall, room 135. Lunch is provided and space is limited to 30 attendees. RSVP to Shawna Tucker at 277-7267.
Faculty, students and staff throughout the university are invited to participate in a discussion of the challenges facing higher education as it prepares students for the 21st century.
Topics scheduled are:
· Oct. 11 – Latin American programs in education
· Nov. 8 – How does effective professional development survive in the prescriptive climate of No Child Left Behind?
· Dec. 6 – The challenges of the potential inherent collaboration – the Albuquerque community schools and community learning projects
· Jan. 24 – Trends in issues in American Indian Education
· Feb. 14 – Critical issues in bilingual education
· March 28 – Reusable-learning objects: A road to instructional improvement in the College?
· April 25 – Developing minds in context
· May 9 – Connecting teaching research and service to New Mexico’s school setting
Media Contact: Greg Johnston, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: gregj@unm.edu
In October, the University of New Mexico Theatre and Dance Department features work by Latino playwrights, a world premier adaptation of Candide and a castaway saga.
Caminos
Readings of New Latino Plays
Theatre and Dance presents the Caminos series, an exploration of the diverse Latino playwright’s voice, on Tuesday, Oct. 10, and Tuesday, Oct. 24, both at 7:30 p.m. in the Experimental Theatre, Center for the Arts. This fall, UNM students will perform staged readings of historic works from Valdez to Fornes as well as newer works by emerging playwrights. Caminos is free and open to the public.
Candide
Adaptation of the Voltaire novel
“Is this the best of all possible worlds?”
Tricklock Theatre Company, UNM’s first Theatre company-in-residence, presents its first collaboration with the University of New Mexico’s Department of Theatre and Dance, with the world premiere of Candide, conceived and developed by Joe Feldman and Tricklock Artistic Director Joe Peracchio, script and direction by Joe Feldman, and produced by Joe Peracchio.
In this ambitious new musical adaptation, featuring Tricklock Company members and UNM Theatre and Dance students, the young Candide and his tutor, Pangloss, travel from the old world to the new, through all times and no time, and even into space. They encounter kings and beggars, mermaids and truck stop managers, priests and cabdrivers along their journey of discovery. Contains adult situations and language.
Rodey Theatre, Center For The Arts
October 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28 at 7:30 p.m.
October 15, 22, and 29 at 2p.m.
Ticket Prices: $25 Gala Opening Night, Thursday, Oct. 12, includes a post-performance reception; other performances: $20 general, $15 faculty and seniors, $10 staff and students. Available at UNM ticket offices, 925-5858, or online at www.unmtickets.com.
Fat Men In Skirts
By Nicky Silver
Directed by Kathryn Olguin
Commit yourself and enter the twisted world of Bishop Hogan, where the line between reality and delusional fantasy becomes increasingly hard to distinguish. After the plane carrying Bishop and his mother crashes on a deserted island, leaving them stranded for five years, they return to civilized society where they struggle to re-acclimate to their normal lives. When they are reunited with husband Howard Hogan – who has moved on with life with a sexy girlfriend – will the primal instincts of the island overtake them? Follow Bishop’s journey from the island to the mainland to the mental institution in this seriously dark, seriously disturbing, seriously funny comedy.
Experimental Theatre, Center For The Arts
October 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28 at 7:30p.m.
Ticket Prices: $10 general, $8 faculty and seniors, $7 staff and students,
UNM ticket offices, 925-5858 or online at: unmtickets.com.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Special UNM community night performance on Thursday, Oct. 19
Tricklock Company presents its first collaboration with the University of New Mexico’s Department of Theatre and Dance as UNM’s first theatre company-in-residence with the world premiere of Candide, conceived and developed by Joe Feldman and Tricklock Artistic Director Joe Peracchio, with script and direction by Joe Feldman and produced by UNM and Joe Peracchio. This new adaptation of Voltaire’s classic novel, with original music, begs the question, “Is this the best of all possible worlds?” It runs from Tuesday, Oct. 12, through Friday, Oct. 29, at Rodey Theatre in UNM’s Center for the Arts.
Photo: UNM acting student Babak Tafti (left) as Martin with Tricklock's Kevin R. Elder as Candide. Photo credit: Chad Johannesen
Thursday, Oct. 19, has been designated “UNM Community Night,” designed to introduce the Tricklock Company to the broader UNM community. The first 200 people who present a UNM ID will be able to purchase one ticket for the performance for only $5. Additionally, two other special evenings are planned.
On opening night, Thursday, Oct. 12, university, civic and state leaders will be invited to a pre-performance catered gala and post-performance reception to launch the show and formally kick off the new residency. On Thursday, Oct. 26, Quality of Life Initiative Night will raise awareness of the upcoming Quality of Life Initiative ballot measure and encourage the community to unite and celebrate our creative city and its future as a leader in the arts in the Southwest.
“In approaching this classic work, we wanted to stay true to the aspects that have made it a beloved novel since it was written in 1759. The book is full of wisdom, sarcasm, religious and political conflict and sexiness,” Joe Feldman said. “Naturally, Tricklock is bringing its unique combination of absurdism, theatricality and physicality to this adaptation. This show is a feast for the eyes and ears with great costumes and sets, plus original musical numbers and sound design by Michael Keck.”
“UNM is bringing its expertise in costume, set and prop construction, technical support in lighting and sound, and far more sophisticated technical and design facilities and elements than Tricklock had in its former smaller space,” Theatre and Dance Department Chair Susan Pearson said. “This first collaboration will bring a new energy to the educational experience of both our acting students and the design/tech students who are working on the show.”
Candide follows the comic adventures of the eponymous youngster (Tricklock Company member Kevin R. Elder) and his tutor Pangloss (veteran Albuquerque actor William Sterchi). The pair travels from the old world to the new, through all times and no time, and even into space. They encounter kings and beggars, mermaids and truck stop managers, priests and cabdrivers along their journey of discovery. The cast features 10 UNM Theatre and Dance students playing more than 30 roles, along with Tricklock Company members Kate Houska (Cunegonde), Chad Brummett (Cacambo), Elsa Menendez (Old Woman) and Summer Olsson (Captain X/Orchid of Delphi/Head Butler).
In addition to UNM’s acting students, the theatre department’s technical staff and faculty are participating side by side with Tricklock artists and staff. The stage manager, Chelsea Usherwood, is an undergraduate, and the scenic designer, Casy Mraz, is a graduate student.
“In addition, UNM Costume Shop supervisor, Stacia Smith, Scene Shop Supervisor Richard Hess and Master Electrician Luke Olson are working with Tricklock’s design staff to realize their visions using student labor and integrating Candide-related projects into their design classes,” Pearson said.
Candide runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are available from the UNM ticket office by calling 925-5858, or online at unmtickets.com.
Prices for the Opening Night gala performance are $25 for all seats. For the rest of the run (except for UNM Community Night), prices are $20 general admission, $15 for UNM faculty and senior adults, $10 for UNM staff and students, and $4 for Theatre and Dance majors. The play, suitable for teenagers and adults, contains some suggestive sexual situations and a sprinkling of strong language.
Tricklock Company is an international theater organization founded in 1993 whose mission is to create, tour, and produce theatrical productions as a permanent resident company committed to artistic risk, physicality, absurdism and poetic work. The company’s Web site is Tricklock Company.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
A man infected with HIV in tainted blood products as a young child will kick off this year’s New Member Summit for Greek organizations at the University of New Mexico. Shawn Decker will speak to hundreds of members of UNM fraternities and sororities about life with sexually-transmitted diseases and dispel the myths about safer sex practices.
His one-hour speech this Saturday, Sept. 30 kicks off the UNM Greek councils’ New Member Summit, an annual event dedicated to educating Greek organizations and members in their first semester about the rights, responsibilities and realities of Greek life.
The event begins starts at 10 a.m. in the UNM Student Union Building’s ballroom and continues at 11 on the building’s top floor.
Media Contact: Jon Gayer, (505) 277-4706; e-mail: jgayer@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Center for the Southwest presents the 2006-07 “Southwestern Film Series,” monthly, starting Monday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Building Theatre on the UNM campus. All the films shown during the series were produced in the Southwestern United States. The viewings are free and open to the public.
“We want to provide public and university audiences with a greater awareness of the historical, cross-cultural and social values found within the region’s rich film production and dynamic past,” said Cathleen Cahill, director, Center for the Southwest in the UNM Department of History.
The first film, from 1913, is “The Rattlesnake: Psychical Species,” directed by Romaine Fielding.
“The Rattlesnake” is a shorter silent movie filmed on location in Las Vegas and Montezuma, N.M. for Lubin Films (1897-1917), an independent production company formed by Siegmund Lubin in Philadelphia, Penn. Fielding was an unusual actor and Lubin Film’s leading male star for a time. He became popular for the psychological implications of films he made in the Southwest. The authenticity of the westerns he made for Lubin Films earned him the reputation as “The Man Who Put ‘Real’ in Realism.” He made history when he wrote, produced, directed and played the only two roles in a film titled “The Toll of Fear,” itself a film of daring subject matter and innovative treatment.
“The Rattlesnake” will begin with a short introduction by Gabriel Meléndez, associate professor and chair of American Studies at UNM. Meléndez teaches courses at UNM on autobiography, Latino/a-Chicano/a film and the politics of identity in the Southwest. He has a particular interest in the representations of ethnicity and culture in film and is currently working on a manuscript titled, “Film Dramas in New Mexico: Encounters On and Off the Screen.”
For more information visit: Scripps Blogs (full schedule listed under the article 'Slithering Along the Trail') or Duke City Fix (on the calendar the week of the event). Interested individuals may also call 277-7688 or contact cntrsw@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The annual Fall Frenzy event is a one-day service project scheduled for Friday, Sept. 29. Held annually before Homecoming week, Fall Frenzy is sponsored by the ASUNM Community Experience in conjunction with Physical Plant Building and Grounds Department. This year, Fall Frenzy will consist of 200 volunteers who help beautify the UNM campus. All Homecoming candidates take on the responsibility of serving as group leaders for projects.
The ASUNM Community Experience is a Student Service Agency that works to provide the undergraduate population with various service opportunities throughout the year. Ranging from small projects such as working closely with the Ronald McDonald house to large scale service events such as Fall Frenzy and Spring Storm, the Community Experience is continuously taking on new opportunities to benefit UNM and the surrounding community.
The Community Experience has worked hard this year to coordinate more campus beautification projects rather than simply focus on trash clean up. Some of these projects were inspired by suggestions and feedback from UNM students in order to have a positive impact on the greater UNM community.
For example, filling in the divots on Johnson Field (in order to prevent continued injuries that have taken place on the field as a result of students tripping), transferring gravel that surrounds the 34 trees along Yale Mall and replacing with a crusher fine material to reduce tripping/falling that has occurred as a result of the large gravel, and removing juniper plants from various locations and replacing them with more water conservative plants).
Other sponsors of Fall Frenzy include ASUNM Student Special Events and Lobo Spirit Student Service Agencies, Pepsi, Student Union Building, Embroid-Me and Dos Hermanos. With the extra help of these supporters CE is able to make Fall Frenzy a truly fun filled day with customized t-shirts, live music, and a catered lunch to be enjoyed by all those who participated.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Learn more about “Lightning & Thunderstorms: New Mexico & The U.S.” at KNME’s fifth “Science Café,” Saturday, Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at the National Atomic Museum, 1905 Mountain Road N.W. Admission is free. KNME Science Cafés are presented with support from New Mexico Tech and Lockheed Martin/Sandia National Labs.
New Mexico’s topography is conducive to lightning and to its study. Lightning-like discharges are sometimes observed during volcanic eruptions and hydrogen-bomb explosions can generate their own lightning.
KNME-TV Channel 5 has launched Science Café, featured six times per year at various locations. The idea is to show clips from an episode of NOVA scienceNOW, with a topical expert on hand to answer questions, and have an open discussion with the audience in a café style atmosphere. People can take part or just listen in a fun and casual learning environment. The cafés have been drawing from 50-80 people.
This month’s expert is Ken Eack, associate professor of physics from New Mexico Tech’s Langmuir Labs. He is also featured in the NOVA scienceNow episode. He will lead the discussion about lightning in New Mexico.
For more information call (505) 245-2137 or 277-1218.
Media Contact: Evy Todd, (505) 277-1218; e-mail: etodd@unm.edu
A panel presentation, “Perspectives: Three Authors Discuss Writing about the American West,” is set for Friday, Oct. 6, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the University of New Mexico Student Union Building, ballroom A.
Richard Etulain is a UNM professor emeritus of history. Author of more than 40 books, his recent publication is “Beyond the Missouri: The Story of the American West.” He also wrote “Telling Western Stories: From Buffalo Bill to Larry McMurtry,” and “Cesar Chavez: A Brief Biography with Documents.” Etulain is the former director of the Center for the American West at UNM.
Nasario García is professor emeritus of Spanish at New Mexico Highlands University. A native New Mexican, he is considered one of the state’s leading folklorists. García authored 18 books, primarily with a focus on New Mexico’s Hispanic oral and folk history. Among his titles are “Old Las Vegas: Hispanic Memories from the New Mexico Meadowlands,” “ Chistes: Hispanic Humor of Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado” and “Tiempos Lejanos: Poetic Images from the Past.” García retired in 2001 and currently resides in Santa Fe.
Glenda Riley is the Alexander M. Bracken Professor Emeritus of History at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. The author of several books, her work primarily focuses on the history of women in the American West. Some of her titles include, “Confronting Race: Women and Indians on the Frontier, 1815-1915,” “Women and Nature: Saving the ‘Wild’ West,” and “Taking Land, Breaking Land: Women Colonizing the American West and Kenya, 1840-1940.”
The UNM Bookstore, UNM Press, and the Center for the Southwest present this event, which is free and open to the public. Following the panel discussion, the authors will be available to sign books.
For more information, please call 277-7494.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Events scheduled to aid faculty, staff and students with cyber security
Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to bring their laptops to the University of New Mexico campus for a security scan on Tuesday, Oct. 3 as part of UNM’s Computer Security Day. UNM’s Information Technology Services will present a number of events in participation with National CyberSecurity Awareness Month in October. Presentations will be held in the Student Union Building, the Health and Sciences Center and University Hospital throughout the day.
Many events are open to all UNM faculty, staff and students. Highlights include a raffle for the possibility to win one of three DELL computers (one computer awarded on main campus north campus and University Hospital) and presentations by the FBI and Sandia National Laboratories.
Jeff Gassaway, ITS Security Administrator, will present two lectures on “Securing Your Computer for UNM Students, Faculty, and Staff” in the Student Union building, Ballroom A, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. UNM’s Health Sciences Center and University Hospital will also have presentations on North Campus.
For more information concerning times and locations of the many events see Computer Security Day.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The latest issue of “History Now” focuses on the American West and features an essay by Virginia Scharff, University of New Mexico history professor and director of the Center for the Southwest. In her essay, “Women of the West,” Scharff addresses the critical roles women have played from the earliest Indian societies to the homesteaders' era to modern times.
The quarterly online journal is available at History Now.
Each issue of “History Now” addresses a major theme or figure in American history with an interactive feature, articles by historians, lesson plans for teachers, links to related websites and bibliographies.
The issue's Interactive History section, “Views of the West,” is a map which links to more than 200 late 19th century and early 20th century photographs of the American West from the Gilder Lehrman Collection. The images depict the mountains, rivers, railroads, bridges and people of the American West. Photos from Yellowstone, Pike's Peak, Yosemite, Promontory Point and Little Bighorn are featured, as well as images of Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Salt Lake City. The section includes several dozen photos of Native Americans.
“Of course, for many students, mention of ‘The West' conjures up popular stereotypes: macho cowboy heroes, Indians in warpaint, gunfights in saloons or wagon trains filled with pioneer families,” said Carol Berkin, “History Now” editor and professor of History at Baruch College and City University of New York Graduate Center.
“These images, powerful and simplistic, come from movies and television and adventure books. But modern scholarship has given us a much more complex, realistic—and more interesting—history of the American west."
Teacher lesson plans in the issue include: “Women of the West,” “June 25, 1876: Interpretation of an Historical Event,” “Native American Policy,” “The Pony Express: The Fastest Delivery of a Message Across America.”
Last November, “History Now” was selected by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for inclusion on EDSITEment as one of the best online resources for education in the humanities.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico is piloting a program to serve parents of prospective and current students. The UNM Parent Relations Office, opening Oct. 2, will be a component of Enrollment Management in the Division of Students Affairs. The pilot is made possible with the support of University Communication and Marketing.
A parent Web site and electronic newsletter will be among the new services. An e-mail has been established for parents to submit questions. A parent advisory group is being formed.
“The creation of Parent Relations is important because of trends we have seen in recent years toward greater family involvement in the academic success of students,” said Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, vice president for Student Affairs. “In orientation sessions that we hold for parents of incoming students, we see an ever-increasing number of participants. Encouraging further involvement by parents will be very positive. If there are strong parent-student partnerships, we believe that student retention and graduation rates will improve significantly.”
UNM Senior Communication Representative Laurie Mellas, a UNM graduate who has served in the university communication department for 12 years, is charged with day-to-day operations. She will facilitate communication between UNM and parents to promote an appropriate role for parents in the campus community.
Mellas, who is housed in the UNM Welcome Center, will work with programs across campus to provide parents with a better understanding of the student experience, including how to support learning and how to empower students to take personal responsibility for academic and social choices.
For more information, contact Laurie Mellas at 277-5915 or parent@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
More than 200 schools across U.S. participating
The University of New Mexico will join with more than 200 schools in 44 states to participate in “Guantánamo: How Should We Respond?” – an unprecedented collaborative effort of academia, journalism, religion, medicine and the military in exploring the government's detention policy and practices in the “war on terror.”
UNM's School of Law, UNM Peace Studies and a coalition of student organizations will co-sponsor the "virtual teach-in" Thursday, Oct. 5, from 8 a .m. to 5 p.m. in rm. 2401 at the law school.
Seton Hall Law School in New Jersey is hosting the event live with a panel of constitutional and military lawyers, law professors, policy makers and others.
Participating schools will tune in through the Ethernet. Students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend, as is the greater community.
UNM will host a live panel at 3 p.m., co-sponsored by Peace Studies, the International Law Students Association, the UNM Student Bar Association and the UNM student chapters of the ACLU and Federalist Society.
“The panel will provide our community with the opportunity to look at the human, policy and legal impacts of the war on terror, and to explore legal and political reforms,” said UNM Professor of Law and Peace Studies Director Jenny Moore.
For more information about the teach-in, visit School of Law or Guantánamo Teach-in.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
Seven business leaders have joined the Foundation of the University of New Mexico’s Anderson Schools of Management including: Robert J. Bigler, 2 Canon Escondito; Lee Ann Buras, SPHR, Vice President Human Resources of Vantage Builders, Inc.; Darin Davis, Executive Vice President of Grubb and Ellis New Mexico; Henry A. Kelly, Sutin Thayer and Browne; Bart Kinney, President of Kinney Agency, Inc.; Milt McConnell, CRMC, Vice President/General Manager of Citadel Broadcasting Corporation; and Calvin Tafoya, CEO and President of Santa Clara Development Corporation.
The new Executive Committee is comprised of Terry Horn, Foundation Chair, Vice President and Corporate Secretary of PNM; John Brown, Vice Chair, Partner of Sandia Capital Partners LLC; Kim Nunley, Past Chair, Managing Partner of Grant Thorton; Carol M. Cochran, Treasurer Chair of the Finance Committee, Principal of REDW Business and Financial Resources, LLC; Elizabeth Roussos, Secretary, Global Collections Analyst and Vice President of Citi Cards; Lawrence J. Alei, Co-Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, Strategic Analyst, Fav/Sort Manufacturing at Intel; Francis Edwards, Co-Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, Private Investor; Deborah Gorenz, Co-Chair of the Advancement Committee, President of Hospital Services Corporation; Daniel M. Sachs, Co-Chair of the Advancement Committee, President and General Manager of Team Specialty Products Corporation; and Kathy Sporing, Chair of the Recruiting and Nominating Committee, Wells Fargo Bank New Mexico, N.A.
The Anderson Schools Foundation Board is comprised of area business leaders who provide direction and support to the Anderson Schools of Management. In addition to serving in an advisory capacity to the Dean, the Board sponsors the annual Hall of Fame awards and generates resources for Anderson’s nationally recognized programs in business education.
Media Contact: Sophie Martine, (505) 277-7117; e-mail: martin@mgt.unm.edu or Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The American Society for Microbiology has selected senior Katie Liberatore from University of New Mexico as a 2006 award recipient of the ASM Undergraduate Research Fellowship. The fellowship is aimed at highly competitive students who wish to pursue graduate careers in microbiology.
Stephanie Ruby, associate professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, is Liberatore’s mentor. The title of her research project is: Identification and characterization of the N-terminal binding region of Prp5p in yeast.
Each fellow receives up to a $4,000 stipend, a one-year ASM student membership and reimbursement for travel expenses to the 2007 ASM General Meeting. Recipients have the opportunity to conduct full time summer research at their institution with an ASM mentor and present their research results at the 2007 ASM General Meeting the following year if their abstract is accepted.
This year 73 applications were received and 43 were awarded. Of the awardees, 19 students were from doctoral/research universities-extensive institutions, nine students were from baccalaureate colleges-liberal arts institutions, eight students were from master’s colleges & universities I institutions, four students were from baccalaureate college-general institutions, two students were from doctoral/research university-intensive institutions, including Liberatore, and one student was from a master’s college and university II institution.
The American Society for Microbiology (ASM), headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the oldest and largest single biological membership organization, with over 40,000 members worldwide. For more information please visit: American Society of Microbiology.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Choosing university president focus of free lecture
Former University of Minnesota Chancellor Samuel Schuman has been selected the University of New Mexico's 2006-07 Garrey Carruthers Chair in Honors, announced Rosalie Otero, University Honors program director. Schuman will deliver a free public lecture, “Everything you ever wanted to know, but were afraid to ask, about being – and choosing – a college president,” on Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. in the University Honor's Forum, Student Health building lower level.
Photo: Samuel Schuman, Garrey Carruthers Chair, Honors
Schuman has been campus CEO at two public universities, beginning in 1991 at the University of North Carolina-Asheville, and at the University of Minnesota, Morris, prior to coming to UNM.
“I want to try to de-mythologize the job a bit and describe it, as I've experienced it, in a straightforward way. What are the challenges and tribulations, what are the gratifications and the rewards of being the chief administrator at a contemporary college or university? What is required of a university president or chancellor in the 21st century?” Schuman said.
“It seemed to me that this topic might be of some general interest to the UNM community, as it prepares to search for and select its own new president,” he said.
Schuman is teaching “Vladimir Nabokov: An Introduction,” a course cross-listed with the English Department, and “Shakespeare in Film” in honors. He earned a Ph.D. in British Renaissance drama from Northwestern University and is past president of the Vladmir Nabokov Society and National Collegiate Honors Council. He has authored dozens of articles and chapters, and five books on English Literature and American higher education.
His latest book, “Old Main: Small Colleges in Twenty-First Century America” was published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2005. The book documents the historical shift from the early 1800s, when all colleges and universities were small, to present-day higher education. “Schuman describes the fascinating range of missions, levels of prestige, Carnegie classifications, structures, and faculty in his group of small colleges and enlivens his narrative with individual interviews and stories,” writes reviewer Charles Blaich of the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College.
For more information about University Honors, call 277-4211.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
The Campus Office of Substance Abuse Prevention (COSAP) recently received a grant from the New Mexico Department of Health to form a higher education prevention consortium aimed at reducing high-risk drinking among New Mexico college students.
“The consortium's goal is to expand prevention efforts so students throughout the state can fully benefit from their college experience without being derailed by alcohol-related consequences,” said COSAP Program Manager Jill Anne Yeagley.
Charter members are UNM, New Mexico State University, New Mexico Highlands University, San Juan College, Eastern New Mexico University and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute.
The consortium's first initiative is to assess each school's community using informant interviews, focus groups, social indicator/arrest data and a nationally-standardized alcohol and other drug (AOD) survey, the first multi-site AOD survey of New Mexico college students. Survey results and community assessment tools will allow each school to design a prevention approach.
“Bringing together AOD professionals from colleges across the state to explore and implement solutions to hazardous drinking is something we've wanted to do for years,” said John Steiner, survey coordinator. “Now we have funding to build the kind of prevention capacity at the smaller schools that previously existed only at UNM and NMSU.”
Increased prevention can lead to lower rates of drinking and driving and improve retention and graduation rates, Yeagley said. National statistics indicate 1,700 college students die each year from alcohol-related causes. Nearly 30 percent leave before graduating due to heavy alcohol/other drug use, she said.
“That's not the future we want for students here at UNM, or at any college in New Mexico,” Yeagley added.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
UNM’s Physical Plant Director Mary Vosevich was recently named 2006 Energy Management Executive of the Year by the New Mexico Association of Energy Engineers (NMAEE). The award is presented for outstanding leadership in promoting the ideals of and providing the resources for energy management and energy projects development.
Jack McGowan, president of Energy Control Inc. and chairman of the Awards Committee said, “Mary Vosevich has made energy efficiency an important element of new projects and initiatives at the University of New Mexico. Award-winning initiatives that Vosevich has supported at UNM include the Retro-commissioning program, the Direct Digital Controls, lighting, and variable frequency drives that would not have been possible without her leadership.”
Vosevich received the award at the joint NMAEE, NM Facility Managers’ Network and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) meeting in Albuquerque on Sept. 20.
Mary Kenney, interim associate vice president for Facilities and Real Estate Management said, “Given escalating energy costs, UNM is fortunate to have Mary Vosevich's leadership in energy management systems. Her efforts provide a strong foundation for a sustainable campus."
Media Contact: Sabra Basler, (505) 277-7590; e-mail: sbasler@unm.edu
For the second year, USA Today and the University of New Mexico Division of Student Affairs are collaborating to bring free newspapers to faculty and students for use in the classroom. The New York Times is a new addition to the program, and along with USA Today will be distributed free of charge at five locations across main campus.
Last year's successful program drew a great deal of praise from students, staff, and faculty, said Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, vice president for Student Affairs.
“It gives me great pleasure to sponsor the newspaper readership program again and to add the Times,” Torres said. “It helps to create newspaper readers among our students in a time when newspaper readership is declining nationwide.”
Newspaper reading helps promote critical thinking skills and keeps students informed about national and world events, Torres said.
UNM faculty are encouraged to use the newspapers on a regular basis as part of lesson plans and course curricula.
Faculty and students can pick up newspapers Monday through Friday through the end of the academic year at the Anderson Schools of Management, Dane Smith Hall, Student Services Center , Student Union (Plaza Level) and Zimmerman Library.
For more information, call Student Affairs at 277-0952 or 277-5299.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
The Samaritan Counseling Center of Albuquerque presented UNM’s Anderson Schools of Management a gift of $9,042 on Wednesday, Sept. 20, at a meeting of the Anderson Foundation Board. The funds, which will be used to support Anderson ethics education programs, was given in appreciation of the Anderson partnership in the Samaritan Counseling Center’s New Mexico Ethics in Business Awards program, and for furthering ethical business practices in New Mexico.
The partnership between Samaritan and Anderson has been beneficial to both entities. Samaritan executive director Paul Hopkins stated, “It is a privilege for the Samaritan Counseling Center to be partners with the school, and we are grateful for the leadership that the people on the Anderson Foundation Board provide to our community.”
According to John Ackerman, Anderson Rust Professor of Business Ethics, the funds from Samaritan will be used to send Anderson students to compete in the International Ethics Case Study Competition at the University of Arizona.
The Samaritan Counseling Center of Albuquerque is a not-for-profit company where children, adults, couples and families throughout Central New Mexico can receive counseling for reasonable prices.
The 2007 New Mexico Ethics in Business Awards Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, April 18, 2007. For reservations or tickets call (505) 842-5300 or visit the SCC Web site for more information, Samaritan Counseling Center.
Media Contact: Sophie Martin, (505) 277-7117; e-mail: martin@mgt.unm.edu or Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The University Committee for Public Service and Community Engagement
presents the Community Matters Luncheon Series, highlighting the public service and community engagement work of UNM staff, students and faculty.
The next meeting will be Wednesday, Sept. 27, 11:30-1:00 p.m., in the
Roberts Room in Scholes Hall. UNM staff member Adam Hathaway will speak about his work with the Society for Creative Anachronism and Erika Gerety will discuss her work with the Albuquerque Folk Festival.
Lunch is provided and seating is limited to 40 people. Please RSVP to cpsce@unm.edu by Monday, Sept. 25, 2006.
Media Contact: Greg Johnston, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: gregj@unm.edu
A groundbreaking ceremony that marks the start of construction for UNM-Gallup’s Health Careers II building is set for Tuesday, Sept.26 at 9 a.m. The groundbreaking site is adjacent to and southeast of the existing Health Careers Building.
Jaynes Corporation has been authorized to begin mobilization on the 18,328 square foot building, which is scheduled for completion in May 2007.
“This facility will enable our nursing program to have the space needed to
improve our training of nursing students,” said Beth Miller, executive director. “We will be able to admit more students to the program and incorporate more technology into instruction. The building will also house our Health Information Technology program, our Nursing Assistant Program, and the newly established Radiology Technologies program.”
Miller added that approximately 75 percent of the costs of this building are from the Local General Obligation Bond passed by McKinley County voters in February 2005.
“We certainly appreciate the community support; without it, we couldn’t do the projects necessary to continue meeting the community's higher education needs,” Miller said.
Brett Newberry, chair of the UNM-G local board, said, “The Health Careers facility will allow us to prepare students for healthcare jobs in this area, and by doing so, contribute to the overall economic health of this area.”
The building will house three nursing/nursing assistant labs, a simulation lab, a computer lab, a student lounge, a self-contained radiology technician program, four general classrooms, 12 offices (not counting the two in the radiology tech area), a small work room/break room, a conference room and a lobby, according to Kathy Head, chair of the Nursing Department.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Maya Angelou spoke at Popejoy Hall Sept. 15. She asked that the following poem be considered her gift to New Mexico. It is dedicated to the hope for peace, which lies, sometimes hidden, in every heart.
We, the people, on a small and lonely planet
Traveling through casual space
Past aloof stars, across the way of indifferent suns
To a destination where all signs tell us
It is possible and imperative that we learn
A brave and startling truth.
Photo: Maya Angelou
And when we come to it
To the day of peacemaking
When we release our fingers
From fists of hostility
And allow the pure air to cool our palms
When we come to it
When the curtain falls on the minstrel show of hate
And face sooted with scorn are scrubbed clean
When battlefields and coliseum
No longer rake our unique and particular sons and
daughters
Up with bruised and bloody grass
To lie in identical plots in foreign soil
When the rapacious storming of the churches
The screaming racket in the temples have ceased
When the pennants are waving gaily
When the banners of the world tremble
Stoutly in the good, clean breeze
When we come to it
When we let the rifles fall from our shoulders
And children dress their dolls in flags of truce
When land mines of death have been removed
And the aged can walk into evenings of peace
When religious ritual is not perfumed
By the incense of burning flesh
And childhood dreams are not kicked awake
By nightmares of abuse
When we come to it
Then we will confess that not the Pyramids
With their stones set in mysterious perfection
Nor the Gardens of Babylon
Hanging as eternal beauty
In our collective memory
Not the Grand Canyon
Kindled into delicious color
By Western sunsets
Nor the Danube, flowing its blue soul into Europe
Not the sacred peak of Mount Fuji
Stretching to the Rising Sun
Neither Father Amazon nor Mother Mississippi
who, without favor,
Nurtures all creatures in the depths and on the shores
These are not the only wonders of the world
When we come to it
We, this people, on this minuscule and kithless globe
Who reach daily for the bomb, the blade and the dagger
Yet who petition in the dark for tokens of peace
We, this people, on this mote of matter
In whose mouths abide cankerous words
Which challenge our very existence
Yet out of those same mouths
Come songs of such exquisite sweetness
That the heart falters in its labor
And the body is quieted into awe
We, this people, on this small and drifting planet
Whose hands can strike with such abandon
That, in a twinkling, life is sapped from the living
Yet those same hands can touch with such healing,
irresistible tenderness,
That the haughty neck is happy to bow
And the proud back is glad to bend
Out of such chaos, of such contradiction
We learn that we are neither devils nor divines
When we come to it
We, this people, on this wayward, floating body
Created on this earth, of this earth
Have the power to fashion for this earth
A climate where every man and every woman
Can live freely without sanctimonious piety
Without crippling fear
When we come to it
We must confess that we are the possible
We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world
That is when, and only when
We come to it.
UNM-Taos Campus is joining with Northern New College and New Mexico Highlands University to persuade more high school students in northern New Mexico to go to college. The three schools are sharing a $3.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education Title V funding program. Part of the money will be spent on high school bridge programs aimed at low income students in Taos , Peñasco, Questa, Cimarron, and Mesa Vista. Two local charter high schools will also be involved.
Students at UNM-Taos will also have more student support such as bilingual language development and other support services to improve student's ability to remain in class. UNM-Taos will also be increasing its postsecondary offerings accessible via distance education, and aligning and articulating curricula with secondary and postsecondary institutions in the collaborative; and supporting student success, retention and graduation by providing academic skill-building and effective support services.
In addition there will be services to better prepare students for baccalaureate and graduate level degree programs. UNM-Taos will work directly with Northern New Mexico College, Highlands University, and The University of New Mexico in a long term effort of joint planning and in order to make transfer among the institutions easier.
Chandler Barrett, Director of Planning & Institutional Development at UNM-Taos says, “We want to increase the number of students who stay in school and graduate. This five-year project will give us a real chance to overcome barriers of geography and to help students who are under-prepared for college level work to succeed.”
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico’s Office for Policy, Security and Technology presents a symposium, “The Reliable Replacement Warhead Program and the Future of the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex,” on Friday, Sept. 29, from 1:30 to 4 p.m. in the UNM Student Union Building Santa Ana rooms A and B. This event is a collaborative effort by OPST, a joint venture of UNM and Sandia National Laboratories, and Women in International Security, a national organization based at Georgetown University.
The symposium features speakers from the National Nuclear Security Administration and Sandia National Laboratories. Confirmed speakers include Susan Stoner, science advisor, defense programs, National Nuclear Security Administration; Bruce C. Walker, director, NM Weapon Systems Engineering Center, Sandia National Laboratories; Linda J. Branstetter, Advanced Concepts Group, Sandia; Celeste Drewien, System Studies Department, Sandia; and Elizabeth A. Stanley, assistant professor, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and the Department of Government, Georgetown University.
Andrew L. Ross, director of the Office for Policy, Security, and Technology and UNM political science professor, said he is “delighted to have had the opportunity to work with WIIS and Sandia to develop the program.” He is “looking forward to a serious examination of the requirements and plans for the Reliable Replacement Warhead Program and a broad-ranging discussion of its potential implications.”
The program will be preceded by a Women in International Security informational meeting from 12:15-1:15 p.m. and followed by a reception for speakers and participants.
This event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Andrew L. Ross, Director, OPST at 505-277-7391 or aross@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
A 22-member advisory committee for the University of New Mexico presidential search has been announced by search committee chair and UNM regent Raymond Sanchez.
“After hearing from our many constituency groups – which involved talking to over one hundred and fifty individuals including faculty, staff, students and community members – we identified dozens of people passionately interested in dedicating their time and effort to serve on this committee,” said Sanchez.
“The committee also reflects the diversity of the UNM community and the state,” said Sanchez. The committee includes nine faculty members, two students, one staff member, one alumni representative, one representative from the UNM Foundation and five community members. There are nine women and 13 members of minority groups.
Sanchez went on to say that “a common thread running though each of the constituent groups with whom we met was the importance of aggressively recruiting the most qualified candidates, with a special emphasis on looking at eligible women and minority candidates.”
Regent Sanchez is joined on the committee by regents Sandra Begay-Campbell and Mel Eaves. The remaining members of the committee are Beverly Singer, assistant professor of Anthropology and Native American Studies; Fred Hashimoto, distinguished professor of Medicine; Tey Diana Rebolledo, distinguished professor of Spanish; Peter White, professor of English and dean of University College; Finnie Coleman, associate professor and director of African American Studies; Jose Martinez, professor of Law; Julia Fulghum, professor and chair of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering;
James Brown, distinguished professor of biology and member of the National Academy of Sciences; Teresa Córdova, associate professor of community and regional planning in School Architecture and Planning; Una Medina, graduate student in communication and journalism; Louis Jeantete, undergraduate student in political science and history; Rita Flores, assistant to the director of athletics; Maria Griego-Raby, president/principal of Contract Associates, Inc.; Robert Matteucci, president and CEO of R3M Consulting;
Alex Romero, president and CEO of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce; Thelma Domenici, vice chair of the UNM Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors; Bill Snead, president of the Law Offices of William Snead P.C.; Stephen Durkovich, President of Stephen Durkovich Law Offices; and Doug Brown, New Mexico State Treasurer.
“We have a truly talented committee and we are looking forward to working together to recommend to the regents the strongest pool of presidential candidates,” said Sanchez.
The first committee meeting is scheduled for early October.
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1989; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico has appointed Terry Babbitt as associate vice president for Enrollment Management and Tim Gutierrez as associate vice president for College Enrichment and Outreach Programs, announced Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, vice president for Student Affairs.
The new positions will unite and oversee critical areas requiring coordinated direction in the Division of Student Affairs, he said.
Babbitt is currently director of UNM Admissions and Recruitment Services. In his new position he will also be in charge of the Scholarship Office and the newly created Parent Relations program.
Gutierrez is director of the UNM College Enrichment Program (CEP)/Office of Special Programs. He will continue to oversee the programs that have been under his charge, the CEP, bridge and prep programs, including the Research Opportunity Program, Ronald McNair, College Prep, and Upward Bound. Gutierrez now will also oversee the newly created Title V program, which will be headed up by Jennifer Gomez-Chavez, CEP program manager.
Torres said the new appointments reflect the “growth and efficient reorganization of some elements of the Division of Student Affairs.”
“We're proud to have landed a $2.8 million Title V program grant,” Torres added. “The creation of Parent Relations and the Title V program speaks well of our continued vitality and commitment to delivering the best possible services to students at UNM.”
Tim Gutierrez is qualified to lead the College Enrichment and Outreach Programs area, Torres said, because of his long experience in creating and leading these kinds of initiatives within the Office of Special Programs.
Of Babbitt's new appointment, Torres said, “The science of identifying recruitment regions, type of student, admissions process, and matriculation has proven to be successful at several colleges and universities. Terry knows the philosophy and concepts of enrollment management and will work to integrate them successfully at UNM.”
The new titles are effective immediately.
For more information, contact the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, 277-0952 or 277-5299.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
Data shows crime statistics down despite increasing population
The University of New Mexico annual crime statistics report shows some fluctuation over the three-year reporting period, but statistically, violent crime on campus remains low while the campus population continues to increase.
UNM Police compile the statistics annually in compliance with the federal Cleary Law, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Education and requires colleges and universities to release three years of crime statistics for homicide/manslaughter, sex offenses, robbery, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson, hate crimes and aggravated assault. In addition, the number of arrests for alcohol violations, drug violations and weapons violations are reported.
For the past three years, UNM has not had any homicides or hate crimes and incidents of rape have decreased from five reported in 2003 to one in 2005. At the same time, the 2005 numbers for robbery and aggravated assault more closely resemble numbers for 2003, while the 2004 numbers were lower.
“UNM's student population changes by about 25 percent every year as new students enter and others graduate, which substantially impacts fluctuations in UNM's reported crimes from year to year,” says UNM Police Chief Kathy Guimond. With a daily population of between 40,000 and 50,000 people located in the heart of an urban area, Guimond says that changes in crime numbers at UNM are not statistically significant.
In addition to the Cleary Law report, UNM also reports crime statistics to the Uniform Crime Reporting system administered through the U.S. Department of Justice, which has different deadlines and definitions from the Cleary report. UCR reports UNM with a 1 percent increase in violent crime.
UCR specifically cautions against comparisons from one university to another. Location in an urban environment and population density impact the amount of crime urban universities experience, and therefore tends to be higher than for predominately rural universities.
UNM traditionally experiences more property crime than violent crime. “Due in large part to our open academic environment and our ever-changing population, the campus community is often very trusting,” says Guimond. “This results in opportunities for people to commit property crimes.”
Guimond says UNM's proactive efforts also help identify more crimes as well as being a deterrent. New initiatives, such as training UNM staff to be “eyes and ears” for police, have been put in place. The campus is also engaged in consolidating police and security services and making available services such as emergency “blue light” phones and a 24-hour campus escort program.
UNM's crime statistics report for 2003 – 2005 can be found at Campus Safety 2003-05. UCR can be found at: FBI.
Media Contact: Lt. Patrick Davis, (505) 249-8304
The 8th annual New Mexico Data Users Conference will be held Thursday, Nov. 2 beginning at 7:30 a.m. at the University of New Mexico Continuing Education Conference Center, 1634 University Blvd., N.E. Sessions will be held in Ballroom C.
The annual event, presented by UNM’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER), has become a valued learning experience for businesses, government agencies, service organizations, information providers and students.
This year’s speakers come from a variety of organizations including BBER; the U.S. Census Bureau; the Mid-Region Council of Governments; and the Small Business Development Center, NMSU-Carlsbad.
The conference will feature a plenary session, nine breakout sessions and a luncheon presentation featuring BBER Senior Economist Larry Waldman, who will present a review of New Mexico’s recent economic performance and a short-term economic outlook.
Also, included are various topics related to Census Bureau databases and programs — Census 2010, the American Community Survey, the 2002 Economic Census, the American FactFinder Web site, Local Employment Dynamics, and use of census data for grant-writing and for small business research.
Additional sessions will address the economic impacts of the Federal government in New Mexico, and of the arts and cultural industries in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, GIS applications in population estimates and forecasts, small area forecasting with a land use model, and an update of BBER's population estimates program.
The conference will also provide information about complex socioeconomic databases and a sense of how these data are applied in practical situations.
Registration is $45 per person and includes all conference materials, continental breakfast, beverage breaks and a luncheon buffet. For more information and a registration form visit BBER’s Web site at; www.unm.edu/~bber/conference.htm.
Interested individuals may also register by calling Kevin Kargacin at (505) 277-3038 or via e-mail: kargacin@unm.edi; and or Karma Shore at (505) 277-8300 or via e-mail: kshore@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The pace of economic expansion in the New Mexico economy dipped slightly during the second quarter of 2006, as non-farm employment growth slipped to 2.6 percent after having reached 2.8 percent during the first quarter of the year. It’s not a cause for concern, though. Employment growth has held in the 2.6 to 2.8 percent range for the last four quarters, and it appears to have found a comfortable level. In fact, similar growth, or a little less, is expected for the next couple of years, says UNM Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) Senior Economist Larry Waldman.
The New Mexico economy added 21,166 net jobs from the second quarter of 2005 to the second quarter of 2006. More than half of the additional jobs came in just three sectors — construction, government and health care/social assistance.
New Mexico has ridden the crest of a construction wave the last three years, during which time the sector has added more than 10,000 jobs -- an average annual increase of 6.6 percent. In the second quarter of 2006, the gain was 9 percent, 4,833 more jobs than a year ago. Health care and social assistance employment increased 4 percent (3,667 jobs), while the government sector gained 3,367 jobs, a 1.7 percent increase.
The mining and natural resources sector maintained its path of robust growth, posting a 12.2 percent gain (2,000 jobs). Most of the increase came in oil and gas extraction and drilling (1,833 jobs, 14.9 percent). Employment in non-oil and gas mining was up 133 jobs (4.2 percent) compared to a year ago. Oil and gas production each slipped 3.4 percent in the first quarter of 2006.
Several other sectors each added more than 1,000 jobs, including manufacturing, business services and retail trade. The overall assessment and outlook for New Mexico indicates a good economy on solid footing, with every sector adding jobs and plenty of more jobs in the pipeline, added Waldman.
Non-farm employment growth will remain in the neighborhood of 2.5 percent through the end of 2007. Strength during this period will come from a number of sectors, including mining and construction. Other sectors making significant contributions include manufacturing, health care and social assistance, information, business services and educational services.
For those interested in the New Mexico economy, BBER has two publications available by subscription, New Mexico Business, a monthly summary of recent economic trends, and The FOR-UNM Bulletin, a quarterly economic forecasting newsletter. For more information contact Waldman at (505) 277-7077 or via e-mail at lwaldman@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
EOC centers federally funded for additional four years
The Educational Opportunity Centers in the University of New Mexico Office of Special Programs/College Enrichment Program have received federal funding for an additional four years. The EOCs were funded for the past four years under TRiO, a program administered by the United States Department of Education.
The centers will receive approximately $876,000 to provide guidance and counseling for adult students who want to complete a GED and/or enter or continue a program of post-secondary education.
UNM Special Programs' Student Program Specialist Chester Brown, Jr., oversees EOC programs in three New Mexico counties – Bernalillo, Torrance, and Valencia. Last year approximately 1,300 adults were served, he said.
EOC programs provide the following:
• Information on college financial aid
• Information on college admission requirements
• Assistance in completing college applications
• Academic advisement
• Personal counseling
• Career exploration
• Informational activities
• Tutoring, mentoring
Eligible individuals are U.S. citizens or permanent residents 19 years or older.
For more information, call Chester D. Brown, 277-0276.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
The 2006 D.H. Lawrence Festival celebrates the writer in a full-day event this Friday, Sept. 22, in Taos at the Taos Community Auditorium. There will be dancing, poetry performances and passionate tributes to the beauty of New Mexico as Taos literary and arts luminaries and Taos High students celebrate D.H. Lawrence’s time in New Mexico.
Photo: D.H. Lawrence
The British writer, a pioneer in frank portrayals of relationships between men and women, lived near San Cristobal for 18 months in the 1920’s. He was a master of nature poetry and short stories.
Films
The festival begins at 10 a.m. with Taos Mayor Bobby Duran reading a proclamation honoring Lawrence, followed by “Priest of Love” with Ian McKellen as D.H. Lawrence and Ava Gardner as Mabel Dodge Luhan. The film also stars John Gielgud.
At 1:30 p.m. “Women in Love,” starring Glenda Jackson, Alan Bates, Oliver Reed and Jennie Linden, will be screened. Jackson won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role opposite the menacing Reed.
Book Signing
Art Bachrach, longtime owner of Moby Dickens Bookshop, will sign his new book, “D.H. Lawrence in New Mexico: The Time is Different There” in the TCA lobby from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Charlie Strong’s sculpted heads of Lawrence will also be on display and on sale. Winners of the essay and poetry contests will also be announced.
Live Performances
Steve Rose, veteran host of several World Heavyweight Championship Poetry Bouts, is emcee for an evening that includes Jenny Vincent, Steve Parks, Magdalene Smith, Larry Torres, Veronica Golos, Roberta Courtney Meyers and surprise guests telling stories and reading Lawrence’s work and their own. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Taos Community Auditorium.
Nancy Jenkin’s Taos High students will recite a rich array of Lawrence poems about animals, school and “the Dark Gods,” interwoven with music and dance.
Tickets
Tickets for the full day’s events, including the evening program, are $10 or $8 for those who come in Lawrence-era costume. Tickets are available at Taos Center for the Arts, (505) 758-2052 or Taos Center for the Arts, and at Moby Dickens Bookshop, (505) 758-3050 at 124-A Bent St. in Taos.
Taos Community Auditorium at the Taos Center for the Arts is located at 133 Paseo del Pueblo Norte near the plaza. (505) 758-4677
The 2006 D.H. Lawrence Festival is a fund-raiser and friend-raiser for the Friends of D.H. Lawrence. The Friends are dedicated to furthering the tradition of creativity envisioned by the writer’s widow, Frieda Lawrence, when she gave the D.H. Lawrence Ranch, near San Cristobal, to UNM, and to the preservation and development of the ranch as a center for writers.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Professor of Chicana/Chicano Studies at the University of California-Santa Barbara, Francisco Lomeli, will return to the University of New Mexico on Oct. 25 at 4 p.m. to deliver the Critica Nueva Lecture in the Willard Room of Zimmerman Library.
Photo: Professor Francisco Lomeli returns to UNM to present a lecture on what it was like to be a free thinker in 18th Century New Mexico.
What was it like to be a free thinker in 18th Century New Mexico? Find out about one Santa Cruz resident who discovered the limits of free speech when he was visited by representatives of the Spanish Inquisition. The Critica Neuva Lecture sponsored by University Libraries will offer a glimpse into the Spanish Colonial world of the 1730s.
The title of his lecture is “Miguel de Quintana: Early New Mexican Poet in a State of Disenchantment.” Lomeli taught at UNM during the 1980’s, and in 2005 wrote a book about Quintana in collaboration with Clark A. Colahan. The book is titled, “Defying the Inquisition in Colonial New Mexico.”
Quintana came to New Mexico with Diego de Vargas in 1694. He settled in Santa Cruz de la Cañada, where he became a farmer, a notary and an assistant to both the civil and ecclesiastical authorities. Quintana was one of the very few settlers who could read or write and he was investigated by the Holy Office or Inquisition in the 1730s as someone who tested the limitations of free thinking in the Spanish colonial world with his poetry.
Lomeli and Colahan translate and discuss Quintana’s poetry in their book. This short section is from a poem titled “Jesus, Mary and Joseph.”
Have humble confidence
in the Queen of Heaven,
for her powerful arm
frees you from the arrogant lion.
Lomeli has written or edited a number of books, including a major reference work on Chicano Literature. The UNM Bookstore will have several of his books for sale after the lecture.
Lomeli will also meet with students for a discussion on literary criticism at noon on Oct. 25 in the Willard Room of Zimmerman Library.
The lecture and discussion are free and and open to the public.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Clinical Law Program's economic development clinic will present a free, three-hour seminar for the northern New Mexico small business community on Friday, Sept. 22, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Northern New Mexico College in Española, room AD 101/102.
Participants will be introduced to the legal aspects of starting and operating a small business. The seminar is co-sponsored by the Española and Taos chambers of commerce and Northern New Mexico College Small Business Development Center.
UNM law students will present information on starting a new business, structuring a business to reflect business and tax-planning objectives, keeping records and financing. Written materials will be provided and much of the seminar will be devoted to answering questions.
“The clinic began its economic development clinical law section just over a year ago. This seminar is our most ambitious undertaking thus far in expanding the scope of our educational outreach to assist New Mexico's small business community,” said Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, associate dean for clinical affairs. “It will also provide our law students with valuable exposure to the daily challenges faced by New Mexico businesses.”
“The seminar is a win-win opportunity for the business people who attend and for the students who present,” says Nathalie Martin, director of the law school's Economic Development Program.
The nationally recognized Clinical Law Program at the UNM School of Law provides second- and third-year law students with an opportunity to practice their skills while providing assistance to the community. Client services are available to small businesses, start-ups, nonprofit organizations and economic development programs. With partial funding from a federal Taxpayer Advocate Service grant, the clinic also represents low-income taxpayers before the IRS and provides Spanish-language tax education seminars.
For more information, contact Evan S. Hobbs, (505) 277-5265.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
STC.UNM is the new name for the wholly owned UNM non-profit corporation formerly known as Science & Technology Corporation @ UNM. The name change reflects an evolution in the operation of the corporation. STC.UNM is expanding in a new direction, handling copyright materials and selling them through its online operation.
President and CEO Lisa Kuuttila says, “This change supports UNM’s economic development agenda better through a broader emphasis which isn’t so tied to science and technology.”
Part of the reason for the change is the success of folio direct sm, an online distribution service that STC.UNM offers for licensable intellectual property and works from university creative communities. Folio direct sm distributes copyright materials, books, courseware, simple copyright forms, music, biological materials, software subscription and other merchandise for UNM and a number of other universities.
The foliodirect Web site can be accessed at: foliodirect
STC.UNM can be accessed at STC.UNM.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
In celebration of Albuquerque's Tricentennial, University of New Mexico Professor Troy Lovata of the University Honors Program will lead a tour of Albuquerque's renowned public art on Friday, Oct. 6, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In addition to touring artists' studios, participants will experience a close-up view of one of the oldest and largest public art programs in the nation, said Lovata, an anthropologist and archaeologist studying the role art and large public displays have in defining culture. The tour begins with the university's extensive collection of public art.
Cost is $65 per person/$120 per couple, and includes parking, tour transportation and lunch. Proceeds will benefit the University Honors alumni endowment and a portion of the fee is tax-deductible. The endowment will help establish an alumni lecture series and support student research, said University Honors Director Rosalie Otero.
Checks can be made payable to the University Honors Program and mailed to:
University Honors Program
MSC06 3890
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
Call 277-4211 or email honors@unm.edu to reserve a space.
Giving to the United Way is now a UNM tradition. The “Unlimited Possibilities” employee campaign gets underway in September. This year’s efforts are spearheaded by Breda Bova, senior advisor to the president and professor in the College of Education, and Josh Kavanagh, associate director, Parking and Transportation Services.
On Sept. 12, Acting President David Harris announced the campaign goal of $475,000. During the 2005 campaign, UNM set a goal of $400,000 and beat it by raising $432,000, a 35 percent increase.
The University’s Campaign is one of the largest in the state and demonstrates UNM’s support for friends, family, community and causes we support around the world.
One hundred percent of an employee’s gift to United Way goes to the agency or organization of his or her choice. Contributions may be directed to the United Way Community Fund to support dozens of organizations serving at-risk children, the elderly, victims of family violence and other neighbors in need.
Faculty and staff also have the option of designating a gift to a UNM program or scholarship or to any 501(c)3 nonprofit organization of their choice.
Look for your campaign pledge form coming soon in campus mail or call Patrick Vigil, 277-0468.
Working group to tackle academic planning and land use
A nine-person working group, with representatives from the University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University and Central New Mexico Community College, will soon begin planning and negotiating for higher education offerings in Rio Rancho, announced acting UNM President David Harris.
Harris will head up this working group that was formed in part during the joint meeting of the UNM and NMSU boards of regents in Las Cruces on September 9. CNM officials were invited to participate during a meeting with UNM regents and NMSU regent president Steven Anaya on September 12.
Collaboration among the three institutions will focus on UNM’s future full-service campus that will be located on 216 acres next to the City Centre in Rio Rancho. The UNM acreage is the product of a land exchange agreement between UNM and the State Land Office which will be finalized in early October.
“Now that the land is secured, the intention is to move forward quickly,” said Harris. “The main focus will be on extensive curriculum planning, but we will also be talking about land use.”
Harris envisions that this working group will develop a template for future collaborations among institutions and says New Mexico Secretary of Higher Education Beverlee McClure will be invited to play a major role in the planning.
Joining Harris on the working group from UNM will be Regent Don Chalmers and Reed Dasenbrock, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. NMSU representatives will be President Michael Martin, Executive Vice President and Provost William Flores and Regent Bob Gallagher. CNM representatives will be President Michael Glennon, Kathie Winograd, vice president for planning and budget, and Richard Barr, chair of the CNM Governing Board.
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1989; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
Popejoy Hall, the University of New Mexico’s premier venue and one of the state’s most popular entertainment sites, celebrates its 40th birthday on Sunday, Oct. 1. Festivities to mark the occasion include a noontime lunch on stage with select guests. At 1 p.m., a public celebration starts outside on Cornell Mall, featuring a short ceremony to honor the occasion commencing at 1:45 p.m.
At 2 p.m., a public celebration will take place inside the building. The event includes birthday cake and other desserts. From 2 to 6 p.m., music and dancing will take place in the main lobby, along with face painting, clowns and balloon animals. At the same time, visitors can also take in a slideshow chronicling Popejoy’s history.
Popejoy Hall serves as the home for The Ovation Series at Popejoy Hall and the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra. It was named after former UNM President Tom Popejoy, who served from 1948-68. Born on a ranch near Raton, N.M, Popejoy had a 47-year career at UNM as student, faculty member in economics, comptroller and president.
The hall is located north of the UNM Bookstore, which is on the corner of Cornell and Central.
Come to Popejoy Hall to enjoy one of the many performances by one of the fine local companies or by one of the many international touring acts that come to New Mexico for your enjoyment.
For more information, contact Popejoy Hall at 277-3824 or e-mail to inquiries@popejoyhall.com.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Professor Jean-Claude Diels was recently named as the recipient of the Optical Society of America’s (OSA) Engineering Excellence Award, given in recognition of technical achievements in optical engineering by an individual(s) or teams. Diels received the award for his contributions to high-precision measurements (inertial, nonlinear index, and subpicometer displacements) by new phase interferometry.
Photo: Professor Jean-Claude Diels, Physics and Astronomy, Electrical Engineering
“OSA’s awards recognize exceptional achievements in optics and photonics. Jean-Claude Diels has demonstrated a deep commitment and vision to his area of expertise,” said Elizabeth Rogan, OSA’s executive director. “The work he has done has had a profound impact on optics and will continue to do so in the future. OSA is honored to acknowledge the successes that have meant so much to the field.”
Diels, who is also an OSA Fellow, will be honored at the Society’s annual meeting, ‘Frontiers in Optics,’ in Rochester, N.Y. in October. Founded in 1916, the Optical Society of America (OSA) is celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2006.
OSA’s mission is to promote the generation, application and archiving of knowledge in optics and photonics and to disseminate this knowledge worldwide. For more information about the OSA visit: Optical Society of America.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
“Technology in the Classroom,” a program of presentations to inform instructors about using WebCT Vista and classroom communication systems to help students learn, is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 21, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the SUB Fiesta Rooms A and B. The concept of using classroom communication systems or “clickers” in various classroom environments and disciplines will be addressed.
A keynote luncheon, “To click or not to click is not the question. So what is?” will feature Ed Prather, Department of Astronomy and Conceptual Astronomy and Physics Education Research Team, University of Arizona. Due to space limitations, pre-registration is required for the luncheon, which is scheduled from noon to 1:30 p.m. E-mail CASTL at, castl@unm.edu to reserve your spot.
The event is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, New Media and Extended Learning and the Center for Advanced Scholarship in Teaching and Learning.
For more information, please consult the program at www.unm.edu/~castl.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico will host the next meeting of the state’s Information Technology Oversight Committee (ITOC), Tuesday, Sept. 20. The session runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the UNM Center for High Performance Computing, located at 1601 Central Ave. N.E. on the northwest corner of Central Ave. and University Blvd.
This session will address the development of cutting edge media and how it translates into an interdisciplinary program for research, education, economic development and the building of UNM’s resources. College of Fine Arts Dean Christopher Mead will present for UNM. Bill Adkins, UNM’s Chief Information Officer, and Barney Maccabe, Director, UNM High Performance Computing Center, will host the event.
Chaired by Sen. John Arthur Smith, the 21-member ITOC consists of state senators and representatives from across New Mexico. Commissioned by the New Mexico Legislative Council, ITOC is designed to facilitate and better support the legislative work during the next session.
For more information, contact the New Mexico Legislative Council at (505) 986-4600 or UNM’s Information Technology Services at (505) 277-0752.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The UNM International Studies Institute’s fall lecture series on globalization continues this afternoon and tomorrow. The lectures are in Woodward Hall, room 147.
The lectures are free and open to the public.
The lecture series takes an interdisciplinary look at aspects of globalization. Distinguished speakers from economics, international relations, medicine, political science, public health and sociology examine how globalization – the growing interdependence, integration, and interaction among people, companies, governments, and institutions across different locations impacts economic, social, cultural, technological and political conditions in the United States, Africa, Latin America and elsewhere.
Wednesday, Sept. 13
7 p.m. - “Can Africa Prosper in the Age of Globalization?” Martin
Brennan, Diplomat in Residence, UNM
Thursday, Sept. 14
4 p.m. - Panel Discussion: “Globalization and Global Health,” Nina Wallerstein, professor and director, masters in public health program; Lyndon Haviland, assistant professor of family and community medicine; Dale Alverson, professor of pediatrics and medical director, Center for Telehealth and Cybermedicine Research, Health Sciences Center, UNM
7 p.m. - “The Impact of Globalization on Latin America,” Werner Baer,
Lemann Professor of Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
For more information, contact Melissa Bokovoy, director, International Studies Institute, 277-7854, or e-mail to, mbokovoy@unm.edu. Visit the International Studies Institute at International Studies Institute.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Governance Committee has announced a meeting for all UNM faculty on Tuesday, Sept. 19, from 3 – 4:30 p.m. in Lobo rooms A&B in the SUB.
The agenda includes action items on faculty involvement in the presidential search and shared governance at UNM.
References for the meeting will be drawn from the UNM faculty handbook, regents policy manual and the AAUP handbook.
The Governance Committee, like the Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee, is a free standing committee elected by all members of the UNM faculty.
For more information, contact John Geissman, committee chair, at 277-3433, or e-mail at, jgeiss@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico and De Colores, Inc. will present the 2006 Hispanic Culture Festival, celebrating its 14th anniversary through art, music, dance, song, food, poetry and leadership recognition. Month-long activities will be held at locations on UNM main campus and throughout the Albuquerque community.
Events include:
· Thursday, Sept. 14 – Body art demonstration, SUB, 11 a.m to 2 p.m.
· Friday, Sept. 15 – Diez y seis de septiembre celebration, El Centro de la Raza, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
· Tuesday, Sept. 19 – New Mexico poetry featuring Levi Romero, UNM SUB Atrium, noon to 1 p.m.
· Friday, Sept. 22 – Student art exhibition, SUB and El Centro de la Raza, 4:30 p.m.; Book signing by Naasario Garcia, Ana Baca, Cheo Torres and Andrew Lovato, UNM SUB, 7 p.m.; Salsa Dance, UNM SUB Ballroom, 8 - 11 p.m.
· Saturday, Sept. 23 through Monday, Sept. 24 – U.S. National Body Art Competition, Embassy Suite Hotel (visit nmbodypaintingfestival.com)
· Tuesday, Sept. 26 – Chicano Jam performances by New Mexican musicians, SUB Atrium, noon to 1 p.m.
· Tuesday, Oct. 3 – Performance by Folklorico Lumbre de UNM and UNM Alma Flamenco, SUB Atrium, noon to 1 p.m.
· Saturday, Oct. 14 – “Unsung Heroes” banquet, SUB ballroom, 6 – 9 p.m., dinner; 9 – midnight, dance.
These events are co-sponsored by the UNM Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, UNM El Centro de la Raza, UNM Student Union, UNM College Enrichment/Special Programs, UNM Student Activities Center, UNM Bookstore, UNM Recruitment Services and De Colores, Inc.
For more information, call Jennifer Gomez-Chavez, 277-7763, or Lillian Valdez, 842-1406.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Global possibilities focus of presentations
The University of New Mexico Peace Corps recruitment office invites students, faculty, staff and community members to meet Sharon Sugarek, Peace Corps regional director, on Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 12 and 13, at the Latin American and Iberian Institute, 801 Yale NE.
Sugarek will give insight into global opportunities available to college graduates and professionals in education, health, business, environment, youth development, agriculture and community development.
The session on Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. will give an overview of Peace Corps volunteer positions as well as insight to Sugarek's experiences as a volunteer in Gambia. On Sept. 13 at noon she will draw on her knowledge from serving as a Peace Corps country director to help participants learn how to gain experience to become competitive applicants for Peace Corps positions.
To reserve a seat, send your name and event preference to: rspv@peacecorps.gov or call 214-253-5473.
The Peace Corps is celebrating a 45-year legacy of service at home and abroad, and a 30-year high for volunteers in the field. Since 1961, more than 182,000 volunteers have helped promote a better understanding between Americans and the people of the 138 countries where volunteers have served.
Apply for service today. Apply immediately to depart prior to Oct. 2007; apply by Oct. 6, 2006 to depart from Oct. to Dec. 2007; apply by Feb. 5, 2007 to depart from Jan. to Mar. 2008.
For more information or to schedule interviews, please contact Lisa Paton, UNM Peace Corps recruiter at lispaton@unm.edu or call 277-6848.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
UNM Staff Council President David Groth has been elected president of the New Mexico Higher Education Staff Association. Formed this past summer during the first higher education staff summit, held at UNM, the group held its first official meeting last week at Western New Mexico University in Silver City.
Photo: Staff Council President David Groth
Serving as vice president will be Tim Nesbitt, past chair of the New Mexico State University Advisory Council on Administrative Policy. Mary Camarena-Hittle, president of Western New Mexico University Staff Senate, was elected secretary, and UNM Staff Council Parliamentarian Adam Hathaway will serve as parliamentarian.
During the meeting minor constitutional changes were adopted and mutual legislative planks discussed. The association will meet next on Monday, Oct. 2, at NMSU.
NMHESA represents the working voice of higher education and facilitates discussion of mutual issues facing all higher education staff in the state.
Endorse joint pharmacy program and Rio Rancho collaborations
In an historic gathering in Las Cruces on Sept. 9, the Board of Regents of New Mexico State University hosted the Board of Regents of the University of New Mexico to talk business and pledge cooperation.
Emblematic of the collaborative spirit referred to often in the meeting, both boards unanimously approved the Cooperative Pharmacy program, which seeks to remove the shortage of pharmacists in southern New Mexico – currently at half the national average. The collaborative six-year program will feature joint recruitment of students from the largely rural south who would attend NMSU for two years, UNM for the next three years and then finish their last year of work at NMSU, doing pharmacy rotations in Las Cruces.
The proposed $516,250 budget for Cooperative Pharmacy would fund 10 students and includes $150,000 in scholarships. Both boards pledged to put the program on their lists of legislative priorities and work together to seek the funding from the 2007 legislature.
“This pharmacy program represents a new spirit of cooperation between the two largest universities in the state,” said NMSU Regents President Steven Anaya. “While we remain competitive on the athletic field, we are committed to building strong partnerships in the classroom. Our goal is to focus our combined resources to the best advantage of our students.”
UNM Regents President Jamie Koch predicted that NMSU programs, such as Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, would soon be taught on the UNM campus. He too stressed the importance of collaboration. “It is good for students to have both access to and availability of these programs,” said Koch.
The boards endorsed creation of a task force of representatives from UNM, NMSU and Central New Mexico Community College to develop the academic framework for UNM's proposed full-service campus in Rio Rancho.
UNM acting president David Harris told regents of plans for a design workshop this fall to begin work on a master plan for the Rio Rancho campus, which will be in the projected future center of Rio Rancho. “The UNM campus will be an anchor site, so the commitment is to plan a campus where everyone will be happy to work and visit,” said Harris.
The regents also approved joint support of several legislative initiatives as they discussed issues facing higher education in the state. Among them is a move to increase the number of, and funding for, an increase of graduate assistantships. They also agreed the funding formula through which money is allocated to the schools should reflect the different challenges faced by the research universities.
“It's important for the state to know that the large research universities in New Mexico play in a different arena and face different market forces than other colleges,” NMSU President Michael Martin told the regents. “We are competing with universities such as Georgia Tech and Michigan State. The policies must reflect that.”
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1989; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
The Indigenous Nations Library Program at University Libraries is sponsoring the first fall Medicine Wheel Lecture on “Border Issues and an Indigenous Community” on Wednesday, Sept. 20, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Willard Reading Room in the West Wing of Zimmerman Library on the UNM main campus. Speakers will discuss the struggles of indigenous nations who have borders placed on them.
Topics will include how borders and border patrol units, drug trafficking and illegal border crossing affect everyday life. A Brown Bag Lunch on the same topic will take place from 12 noon to 1 p.m. in the Herzstein Reading Room on the 2nd floor of Zimmerman Library.
Featured Speakers include Robert Cruz, O’odham tribal member, UNM Graduate Student and representative to the American Indian Movement (AIM) Governing Council; Ophelia Rivas, O’odham tribal member, founder of O’odham Voice Against the Wall, advocating for elders and ceremony leaders for safe border crossing, delegate to the United Nations Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues; and Dr. Eulynda Toledo Benalli, Diné tribal member, Language Literacy & Social Cultural Studies Program, steering committee member of the Boarding School Healing Project, and co-founder of First Nations North & South.
Both the brown bag lunch and lecture are free and open to the public.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
On behalf of the Honorary Degree Committee, the UNM Office of the Secretary is requesting nominations for honorary degrees for “those persons who have contributed significantly to the cultural or scientific development of the Southwest, or to the spiritual or material welfare of its people.”
Send nominations to the Office of the Secretary, Scholes Hall, rm. 103, no later than Friday, Sept. 29. The Honorary Degree Committee is a subcommittee of the Faculty Senate Graduate Committee. Degrees are awarded at spring commencement.
Due regard should be paid to eminent individuals and scholars whose contributions are of general significance and transcend geographic limitations. A successful nominee must have an exemplary record of academic or public accomplishment in keeping with the university’s standards of rigor, quality and significance.
Nominators are asked to submit a letter stating in sufficient detail reasons for the nomination. Also include biographical information, a record of accomplishment and supporting letters. Because the selection committee must choose among illustrious nomine