Professor Chuck Hawkins, Daniel Garcia, Janus Herrera, Jeannette Moore from UNM and Jonathan Begay from Sacred Power Corporation are part of a group of UNM students in Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and the School of Architecture & Planning who spent a day on the Navajo reservation installing solar-powered electrical systems. This was the first project for the new UNM Chapter of Engineers Without Borders.
Electrical engineering senior Jeannette Moore spent a couple of years planning this chapter, and last year she and a handful of students and advisors made it happen.
Ten members of the fledgling chapter undertook installation of solar-powered electricity generators for two homes at the Navajo Nation's Ramah Chapter. These were homes that, up to then, had been without electricity.
The equipment was assembled and provided by Sacred Power Corp., a Native-American-owned business in Albuquerque. The firm had earlier helped the Ramah Chapter submit an application to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to gain funding for the systems, which include solar panels with batteries and a backup propane-powered generator that kicks in if needed. Also included with each system is a new, energy efficient, direct-current refrigerator, which is provided because older refrigerators are major power hogs.
Late on a freezing cold Friday, Feb. 2, eight UNM students traveled from campus northwest to Ramah, N.M., so they could start work on their project by dawn the next day. They were accompanied by two friends who are professional civil engineers along with four employees of Sacred Power and both of the EWB-UNM chapter's faculty advisors -- Electrical & Computer Engineering Prof. Chuck Hawkins and Civil Engineering Prof. Walter Gerstle.
Not Your Typical Research Lab
The ominous weather forecast for that Saturday proved at least partly accurate. The soil was so packed with ice and snow that the trench-digging portion of the work was an even more arduous task than it might otherwise have been for a group of students more accustomed to pushing mechanical pencils.
What do trench digging and inclement weather have to do with engineering?
A lot, it turns out. The students wanted to learn how projects like this work, as they have a goal of doing this kind of work for needy families in other countries. They learned a lot on this day.
Besides the logistics involved in providing a functioning solution for a real-world problem, they learned a great deal from Sacred Power's installation team. Sacred Power has undertaken this kind of work for years on many of the reservations and pueblos in the Southwest, and approximately half of Sacred Power's projects involve getting electricity into rural homes.
Work began at dawn and ended after sunset. There was one experienced technician for each of three crews -- one crew for each house. Throughout the day, the technicians let the students do most of the work while they served primarily as backup and counsel. They also supervised the work so that it complied with all of Sacred Power's specifications and quality and safety standards.
As the tired, muddy crews put finishing touches on their work after sunset, there was a moment of anticipation, and then celebration, as the first light went on inside each house.
Engineering Is For Problem Solvers
The new chapter's members believe that there are significant opportunities for UNM engineering students to provide needed help through Engineers Without Borders. As Moore said, "there is a lot more to engineering than just making money."
Moore also believes that the chapter can give UNM engineering students opportunities to complete their senior project. These projects require that students find a relevant problem to solve, then design and build an innovative solution for it. Moore sees EWB as an avenue for directing that considerable problem-solving energy toward pressing community needs.
Media Contact: Frances Strong, (505) 277-3156; e-mail: fstrong@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico’s International Women’s Day Luncheon will honor reproductive rights advocate Cecelia Fire Thunder Thursday, March 8, at 12:30 p.m., in the New Mexico Student Union (SUB).
Tickets are $8 for students, $18 general, and will be sold through Friday, March 2. Tickets will not be sold at the door.
Fire Thunder was the first woman elected president of the Oglala Sioux tribe in South Dakota in December 2004. Fire Thunder gained national attention when she reported that she would establish a women’s health clinic on her land should the state legislature limit women’s reproductive rights. She was impeached in May 2006.
Most recently, she helped to defeat her state’s effort to prohibit virtually all abortions.
The luncheon is sponsored by the UNM Women’s Resource Center, Women Studies Program and Feminist Research Institute. It is held in conjunction with a day-long conference “Women Braving Violence: Global and Local Perspectives.”
For more information, call 277-3716, or visit http://www.unm.edu/~women/.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
William H. Taft IV, Esq. will present a lecture on "The War on Terror and U.S. Foreign Policy" at the University of New Mexico School of Law, rm. 2402 on Monday, April 23, 5:30-7 p.m.
Taft is of counsel in the Fried Frank law firm's Washington, D.C. office. In 2001, he was appointed by President George W. Bush as legal adviser to the U.S. Department of State, where he served four years. He has also served as U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO, Deputy Secretary of Defense, Acting Secretary of Defense and General Counsel for the Department of Defense.
The lecture will explore important legal issues raised by the war on terror, both domestically and internationally. Taft will address the question: How has the law affected the way the U.S. has engaged in the conflict and how has the law, in turn, been affected by the conflict? He will discuss the substance of new practices, as well as the means by which they have been put in place, and consider how other countries have used or amended their laws in response to terrorism.
The lecture is free and open to the public. It will be followed by a reception. Members of the State Bar of New Mexico may earn 1.5 general continuing legal education credits for attending the lecture. The CLE registration form is available online at CLE Registration.
Funding for the lecture is provided by the Guadalupe Institute. This event is co-sponsored by the UNM School of Law chapter of ACLU-NM, the Federalist Society and the International Law Students Association (ILSA).
For more information, call Claire Conrad at 277-0080.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico School of Law will hold its third annual Minority Pre-law Mixer on Saturday, March 3, 2-5 p.m. The event is free and open to all students and prospective applicants.
Participants will attend workshops, take a tour of the law school, and dine with attorneys. Presentations include information on the application process, question and answer sessions with law students and attorneys, and a mock trial.
The event is sponsored by the UNM School of Law admissions office, Mexican American Law Student Association, Black Law Students Association and Native American Law Students Association.
For a complete schedule and registration, email minoritymixer@law.unm.edu or visit Minority Pre-Law Mixer.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Are you wanting to learn more about public service? Would you like to find out how to apply for public service positions with the federal government?
The University of New Mexico Career Services office, in collaboration with the Partnership for Public Service, El Centro de la Raza and College Enrichment Outreach Programs, invites you to public service workshops on Feb. 28 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the UNM Student Union Building, ballroom B. Lunch and snacks will be provided.
The event is open to all UNM students and community members. For more information, contact Jenna Crabb, 277-2531 or Andrew Gonzalez, 277-5020.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
When age-related macular degeneration began to destroy his wife’s vision, Physics and Astronomy Professor Emeritus McAllister H. Hull began looking for a solution. The result is a new technology that adds refractive properties to eyeglass lenses and redirects light to improve the central vision for people affected by the disease.
Select University Technologies, Inc. (SUTI) has now licensed the technology from STC.UNM, the technology transfer arm of UNM. SUTI will develop the technology through MacVision Corporation. “MacVision is an innovative technology, that will positively impact the quality of life for those suffering with macular degeneration,” Fred Rogers, SUTI president, said.
Hull will continue to work with SUTI to refine, science and develop a final product for commercialization. The lenses will be sold through optometrists. STC President & CEO Lisa Kuuttila said, “We are excited about the prospect of this product becoming available to people with macular degeneration. It is a technology with direct and immediate benefit to the public.”
Age-related macular degeneration is a disease affecting more than 2 million Americans. The disease damages the light sensitive retina and causes a blind spot in the central field of vision. The disease profoundly affects the lives of those who have it, claiming their ability to drive or to recognize the faces of friends and family.
The usual current means to compensate for the effects is hyper magnification. McVision reflects light into the portion of the retina unaffected by the disease to compensate for the loss in the central vision field.
SUTI is a technology commercialization firm launching new technology companies around products based on university research. STC.UNM is a non-profit organization wholly owned by UNM. STC assists in connecting the business community and UNM – to protect and transfer intellectual property and faculty inventions to the commercial marketplace and help companies wanting access to UNM facilities, expertise and research.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Finalists for the position of dean of University Libraries at UNM have been named and their campus visits scheduled, announced search committee chair Viola Florez, dean, UNM College of Education. A forum for Bedard is scheduled, while the forums for Wilder, Wastawy and Walters have yet to be set.
Martha Bedard, associate dean, Information and Collection Services, Texas A&M University Libraries, will be on campus Thursday and Friday, March 1-2. A forum with her is set for Thursday, March 1 from 9-10:15 a.m. in the Willard Reading Room in Zimmerman Library’s west wing.
Bedard has been at Texas A&M since 2000. She has been in her current position since January. Prior, she served as associate dean and director of the University’s Medical Sciences Library. In 2002-03, she served as associate dean for Digital Initiatives and from 2003-06, she was associate dean for Advanced Studies. She earned her M.S. in 1980 from the Simmons Graduate School of Library Science in Boston.
Stanley Wilder, associate dean, River Campus Libraries at the University of Rochester, N.Y, will be on campus Monday and Tuesday, March 19-20. At the University of Rochester, Wilder also served as assistant dean, Information Management Services from 1999-02. He holds an MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago where his emphasis was on MIS and human resources. He earned his master’s in library information sciences from Columbia University.
Sohair Wastawy, has served as chief librarian at the Library of Alexandria, Egypt, since 2004. She will be on campus Thursday and Friday, March 22-23. Wastawy earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Cairo University before earning a master’s in library and information science from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.; and a doctor of arts in library and information management from Simmons College, N.Y.
Tyler Walters, associate director for Technology and Resource Services at Georgia Institute of Technology Library and Information Center, will be on campus Monday and Tuesday, March 26-27. Walters has been in his current position since 2002. He earned his master’s in library and information science from the School of Information Resources and Library Science at the University of Arizona; and a master’s in archival management from the department of history, North Carolina State University.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Proceeds to help fund Italy trip
The UNM Concert Choir present parts I & II of Handel’s “Messiah,” Saturday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m. at St. John’s United Methodist Church, 2626 Arizona NE. Music Professor Bradley Ellingboe will conduct a small orchestra. Soloists are drawn from chorus members.
Tickets are $10 and are available only at the door. All proceeds benefit the choir’s fundraising efforts to be the chorus-in-residence at the International Lyric Academy in Viterbo, Italy. The choir will be in Italy from July 10 - Aug. 1 and will perform several masterworks, including music by Mozart, Pergolesi and various unaccompanied music from the Americas.
The festival will conclude with a performance of Orff’s “Carmina Burana” accompanied by a professional orchestra and presented in a 2,000 year old Roman amphitheater in the Roman suburb of Ostia Antica.
The concert invites the audience to sing along on the choruses, if they wish. Bring your own score of “Messiah” or rent one at the door for $2.
Byzantine Agreement is foundation of his work
Jared Saia, assistant professor of computer science at the University of New Mexico School of Engineering is using mathematics to construct a defense against the spammers, hackers, worm builders, virus constructors and all the other villains of the virtual world. His work is based on a familiar puzzle in the computer science world called the Byzantine Agreement.
Photo: Assistant Professor Jared Saia
A group of Byzantine generals in a range of camps surrounding Constantinople are preparing to attack the city. No general can hope to succeed alone. Almost all must co-operate to be successful. The generals begin to exchange messages, trying to agree on a plan for coordinated attack of the city.
Unfortunately, there is a secret and traitorous faction of the generals that is trying to sabotage the attack. These traitorous generals change the content of messages they are asked to pass along to other generals, send messages proposing different attack plans to different generals, and generally try to prevent a convergence on a single plan. How can the rest of the generals agree on a single plan and win the battle, when this secret traitorous faction is trying to hard to prevent this?
Computer scientists have spent decades working out answers to variations of this problem first posed in a couple of seminal papers by Lamport, Pease and Shostak. It’s a critical question because the virtual world is packed with people bent on disruption of the World Wide Web for fun or profit. So how can people collaborate on projects using the web even if many of the participants are destructive?
A Solution to Defeat the Traitorous Generals
Saia believes web-based projects can survive and function reliably even if up to one third of the people involved in collaboration are working to disrupt it. He’s spent years working on algorithms that use powerful mathematical tools such as expander and extractor graphs, and the probabilistic method. Those tools can be used to create large-scale distributed systems that work reliably even when they are under malicious assault.
Saia says the algorithms are complete and tested; now the mathematics must be translated into a workable, commercially viable program. He has just received a National Science Foundation Career award for $400,000 over the next five years. This and past grants he has received from the NSF and Sandia National Labs will allow him to continue his research.
Saia is excited about progress so far. He says the algorithms are robust and are scalable to support systems even if hundreds of millions – a group as large as the entire population of Japan –are participating. But to Saia, the most exciting part is the systems great resistance to attack.
He works with several collaborators including Valerie King at the University of Victoria and Microsoft Research, Vishal Sanalani, a former student at UNM and now at Microsoft Research, and Erik Vee at Yahoo Research.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Senator John Pinto, a member of the Navajo Nation, recently introduced a state bill aimed at increasing the number of Native American teachers in New Mexico. If passed, SB 887 will continue the Institute for American Indian Education (IAIE) Scholarship Program, which began in 2004. It will provide $4 million to the University of New Mexico to help continue scholarships for Native American students pursuing teaching degrees, administrative licenses or a graduate degree with a concentration in Indian education.
Photo: Faculty and students from the Institute for American Indian Education at UNM's College of Education spent a day at the N.M. State Legislature recently in support of SB 887.
IAIE is housed in the Language, Literacy and Socio-cultural Studies Department at the UNM College of Education. IAIE is funded by grants from the state of New Mexico. After three years of concentrated undergraduate and graduate education, approximately 50 Native Americans teachers, who received IAIE Scholarships, are now classroom teachers or administrators or soon will be.
Although the New Mexico Native American population is approximately 11 percent, only two percent of teachers are Native Americans. The IAIE Scholarship Program fills a needed gap in assisting New Mexico Native American college students financially. Most of the Native American students pursuing careers in teaching and education are older, non-traditional students. They range in age from 25 to 58 years of age.
Many of them have been in the classroom for years working as Teachers or Educational Assistants. They are now under a severe deadline to meet No Child Left Behind requirements. As older students, they do not qualify for the New Mexico Lottery Scholarship Program. Due to limited outreach to native communities on Scholarship opportunities and the lack of Internet connectivity in tribal communities, many native students do not have access to scholarship applications.
In addition to providing scholarships, IAIE provides mentorship opportunities for Native American students. IAIE is comprised of six Native American faculty and two emeriti Native American faculty. Mentoring services are key factors in retention and academic success. Numerous studies indicate that awareness of opportunities and mentoring leads to successful outcomes at all levels of education.
One of the most innovative and effective mentoring activities is the IAIE Saturday Scholar Classes, which is a combined undergraduate/graduate class. The Saturday classes cover current trends and issues in Indian Education, such as the Indian Education Act, Native American Language Act and Native American Charter Schools, and the Self Determination Act. The Saturday Scholar classes provide a forum for discussion and dialogue between faculty and students.
A UNM graduate, Sen. Pinto received his Bachelor of Science Degree in 1963 and a Masters Degree in 1970 in Elementary Education. He was elected to the New Mexico Senate District 3 for San Juan and McKinley counties in 1976. He has served on the Senate Indian and Cultural Affairs, Conservation, Economic and Rural Development, Telecommunications and the Welfare Reform Oversight Committees.
Currently he is the Chairman of the Indian and Cultural Affairs Committee. Senator Pinto has been responsible for legislature initiatives from highway construction, education, health, water development, treatment centers and a ban on uranium mining on the Navajo reservation. He also supports environmental issues, family and children issues, government reform, labor, business, consumers, and animal protection and wildlife issues.
This year Sen. Pinto is also being honored for his 30 years as a New Mexico Senator and his service to the people of New Mexico. Gov. Bill Richardson, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, Veronica Tiller and Michelle Brown-Yazzie will honor him at a dinner this month in Santa Fe. Several IAIE students and faculty will attend the event thanking him for his leadership.
High school juniors with an eye toward higher education are eligible to apply for the University of New Mexico’s College Readiness Program.
A one-week residential component is offered June 17-23 on the main campus. The program includes classes, room and board, activities, and transportation. In addition, one-day workshops will be held beginning in July and through March 2008.
Applications for the program must be postmarked no later than April 14. For more information on income requirements and a full application, call the UNM College Prep Programs, 277-0401.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
Tiffany Mercado, who is completing her final year at the School of Law, was recently awarded a fellowship through Equal Justice Works. EJW fellowships fund young attorneys throughout the country as they begin their careers in public interest law. Fellows work to improve access to the justice system for underrepresented populations. Mercado will partner with the N.M. Center on Law and Poverty, a nonprofit public interest law firm and advocacy group.
Her objective under the fellowship is to reform New Mexico’s Workers’ Compensation Act so that it no longer discriminates against migrant farm and ranch workers. Currently, the law excludes these groups from its basic safety net protections.
Mercado began working with the center last summer, when she was selected for the center’s Seth Montgomery Fellowship in Public Interest Law. While there, she facilitated implementation of a law protecting day laborers in New Mexico. The law had been passed in 2005, but had since been overlooked by the Department of Labor.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Reed Way Dasenbrock has announced the resignation of Charles Crespy as dean of the Anderson Schools of Management, effective immediately. Crespy will return to the Anderson Schools faculty and will begin teaching in the fall.
Photo: Charles Crespy
Dasenbrock has appointed Amy Wohlert, vice provost for Graduate Education and dean of Graduate Studies, as the interim dean of Anderson Schools.
Dasenbrock said Crespy’s resignation was accepted with regret. “Chuck’s tenure as dean of Anderson Schools has been marked by significant accomplishments that include re-accreditation, the successful student-managed investment portfolio and the soon-to-be opened financial services center. We look to build on all of these successes as we do a national search for the new dean.”
Dasenbrock and Acting UNM President David Harris credit Crespy with forging closer ties to the business community and said those relationships will continue to be nurtured. “UNM’s Regents have made relevance to New Mexico business and to economic development a priority,” said Harris. “The Anderson Schools will continue to be an important partner in that ongoing relationship.”
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1989; cell - 362-5530; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
David J. Schmidly, named last Saturday as UNM's 20th president, is reaching out to campus with a series of conversations with UNM constituents. Watch his live webcast from 12 noon to 1 p.m. today as he listens to UNM students.
Schmidly Listens to Students.
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1989; cell - 362-5530; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
Diane Thiel, associate professor, Department of English, has received one of three National Endowment for the Arts International Literature Awards. Thiel won in conjunction with Etruscan Press. The award, which has just been announced, is offered to provide American readers with greater access to quality foreign literary work in translation and supports translation and publication of a book.
Photo: Diane Thiel
Thiel has been translating the novel “American Fugue,” by Greek poet and novelist Alexis Stamatis.
The award is co-funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, by the Greek Embassy, and by the Center for the Book in Athens and was chosen by panels from these organizations. Diane Thiel will be completing the translation with her husband, Constantine Hadjilambrinos, also a professor at UNM. “American Fugue” will be published in 2008.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Office of African American Student Services will host the 2007 Marsha K. Hardeman Black Cultural Conference March 1-3 at the Student Union building.
Registration will begin Thursday, March 1, from 5 to 10 p.m. Cost is $35 for students, and $65 general.
The event will focus on the contributions of African Americans in New Mexico and on bridging the gap between students, community leaders, government officials and others interested in the state’s cultural heritage. UNM’s goal for the conference is to build a tradition of academic excellence, community empowerment, awareness and vision.
Dr. Cortez Williams will kick off the conference with a historic re-cap of the Black presence from the trailblazing years of the western frontier to present day.
Educational sessions will address the ABC’s of Success in Business, with keynote speaker, Victor B. MacFarlane, UNM alumna and senior managing principal for MacFarlane Partners, an internationally accomplished group of investment brokers and urban developers.
Michael Cooper, Albuquerque Thunderbirds Coach and former Los Angeles Lakers star, and Van Tate, television sportscaster, will join other Lobo athlete alumni to address issues facing Black student athletes.
Other conference workshops and activities include a Career Fair and Friday noon performance by the Langston University Marching Band, in the great tradition of Historical Black Colleges and Universities “Battle of the Bands.” Friday evening includes a Gospel Extravaganza.
A Saturday forum features panelists from mid and high school educators to university level administrators who will address educational successes, failures and the challenges to meet the needs of Black children.
Saturday keynote speaker Brandon Neal, deputy political director for Civic Engagement for the Democratic Governors’ Association and former national director for the Youth and College Division, N.A.A.C.P., will speak on the topic, “The Challenge of Servant Leadership: Contemporary Needs for Social and Political Activism”.
The final highlight, the ‘Duke City Marchdown,’ on Saturday evening, will showcase the legacy of Black Greek step shows and promises exciting, friendly and skill competition among the historic collegiate fraternities and sororities.
When asked about the desire to help create a conference celebrating New Mexico’s Black community, Marsha K. Hardeman reflected on the wish to promote and draw attention to the numerous achievements and successes of Black people throughout our many communities, who have contributed to the survival, development and successes of the state’s past, present and future.
“How can we hope to challenge our young people to be the best they can be, to stand on principles of integrity and quality of character if we don’t present models of those characteristics?” said Hardeman. “The collaboration with UNM’s Office of African American Student Services, with Director Wm. Scott Carreathers, afforded a wonderful opportunity,” noted Hardeman, “to encourage and challenge our own young people and community members to pursue their professional/business goals and aspirations, and to strive to achieve the academic excellence that can provide the stepping stones to those goals.”
For more information, contact the UNM Office of African-American Student Services, (505) 277-5645, AASS@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
Professor Ann Cunliffe of the Anderson School of Management has been awarded Visiting Professorships at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland and Leeds University in England. The position of Visiting Professor is an honorary award conferred upon academics who have a record of teaching and publishing, and who have an international reputation in a particular field of study - in Cunliffe’s case, organization theory.
Photo: Ann Cunliffe
Cunliffe has presented a seminar for Scottish Business School faculty at Strathclyde and will do so again later this year. At Leeds she has given a number of seminars for Ph.D. and Master’s students. In addition, she has presented seminars in Denmark as well as other universities in the United Kingdom.
Cunliffe’s current research interests draw on organizational studies, philosophy, and communications to explore how organizational members shape culture, identities, and action within everyday conversations.
She is also interested in examining the relationship between linguistic practices and collaborative, responsive and ethical ways of managing organizations.
Media Contacts: Sophie Martin, (505) 277-7117; e-mail: martin@mgt.unm.edu or Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The Utton Transboundary Resources Center at the UNM School of Law has announced six candidates for the director position announced Professor Carol Parker, search committee chair. Each candidate will make a presentation to interested faculty, staff, students and community members during an open discussion period. The public is invited to attend the presentations in the Gov. Bruce King Reading Room in the UNM Law Library, and to provide feedback to the search committee. The new director will replace Marilyn C. O’Leary, who will retire this spring.
The six candidates and their presentation times are as follows:
Monday, Feb. 26, 12-2 p.m.
Paul Kruse, private practice of law specializing in natural resources issues
Tuesday, Feb. 27, 12-2 p.m.
Nate Gentry, Minority Counsel, U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2-4 p.m.
Susan Kelly, associate director of the Utton Center
Thursday, March 1, 12-2 p.m.
Eric Dannenmaier, associate professor of law, Tulane University
Monday, March 5, 12-2 p.m.
Sanford Gaines, professor of law, University of Houston Law Center
Thursday, March 8, 12-2 p.m.
Laura Bassein, private consultant specializing in conflict resolution, mediation, facilitation, training and program development.
The Utton Center, named in memory of late Professor Al Utton, promotes equitable and sustainable management and utilization of transboundary resources through impartial expertise, multi-disciplinary scholarship and preventive diplomacy. With its small staff the Utton Center works with UNM faculty and outside experts.
Recent achievements include the publication of a model interstate water compact for use by states as they consider entering into a compact, and the development of an ombudsman program to assist pro se litigants in adjudication procedures in New Mexico
Those planning to attend should call Ruth Singer at 277-5655. The candidates’ resumes of are on file at the Utton Center.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
The second in a series of four roundtables focusing on the issues concerning graduate and professional students of color at UNM, will take place Tuesday, Feb. 20, from 5 to 7 p.m. Titled “RACE on Campus”, the panel and the discussion will take place in the UNM Student Union Building Santa Ana Room.
Conceived by Peer Mentoring for Graduates of Color’s Steering Committee, the spring 2007 roundtables will bring together faculty, staff and students to discuss first generation graduate students of color, race on campus, the need for faculty of color and non-traditional graduate students of color. The public is welcome to this interactive event that includes a panel discussion, food and networking.
The official panel participants are: Dr. Kristen Buick, art and design professor, Sonia Archuleta of the College Enrichment Program; Andrew Gonzalez of El Centro de la Raza; Brian Curley, Native American Studies graduate student; and Bernadette Foster of African American Student Services.
The Peer Mentoring for Graduates of Color (PMGC) program is a student-run initiative founded in 2002 by a group of UNM graduate students. With the goal to facilitate the mentorship process through student connections, this program acknowledges the importance of providing peer mentorship at the graduate level.
PMGC works to build community among historically underrepresented groups in graduate school. It aims to increase the retention of students of color by providing academic, social, cultural and emotional support – ultimately building a more diverse population within UNM graduate and professional programs.
For more information, see PMGC’s Web site at www.unm.edu/~gradpeer.
Robert Duncan has been appointed as the director of the newly-founded New Mexico Consortium’s Institute for Advanced Studies. Duncan is a professor of physics and astronomy, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at UNM and a member of the physics faculty at Caltech. He served as the Gordon and Betty Moore Distinguished Scholar at Caltech, and as the associate dean for research at the UNM College of Arts and Sciences, before becoming the founding director of the IAS.
Photo: Robert Duncan
The New Mexico Consortium is a collaboration involving UNM, New Mexico State University, New Mexico Tech and Los Alamos National Security, LLC, the managing entity of Los Alamos National Laboratory. The purpose is to use the joint research capabilities of these institutions for mutually beneficial research and educational projects. The Leadership Council of the IAS consists of outstanding scientists with substantial administrative experience from each of these four institutions.
Duncan says the Institute for Advanced Studies has recently submitted a grant proposal to manage and operate one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s new Bioenergy Research Centers in collaboration with LANL.
In addition the IAS has joined with the Santa Fe Institute and the Center for Nonlinear Studies at LANL to co-sponsor the Grand Challenges in Neural Computing Conference in Santa Fe this week.
Duncan earned his doctorate in low temperature condensed-matter physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1988. Before jointing UNM in 1996, Duncan was a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories in the development of quantum standards of voltage and resistance, and in the development of cryogenic remote sensing systems.
He is a Fellow of the American Physics Society. Duncan served as a flight principal investigator in NASA’s Microgravity Fundamental Physics Program prior to the recent restructuring of NASA to develop a human flight program to Mars.
“We’re delighted by the close support of Los Alamos National Lab in this, our first year of existence,” says Duncan. “Los Alamos has created centers of scientific and technical expertise that are some of the very best in the world, and being able to team with them will be very advantageous to all the institutions in the New Mexico Consortium.”
More information about the New Mexico Consortium’s Institute for Advanced Study can be found at http://www.nmcias.org.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The second monthly UNM Sustainability “Greenbag” Lunch series kicks off on Wednesday, Feb. 21, with a report from University Utilities Engineer Larry Schuster. The presentation is scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. at the University Honors Program Lounge located on the ground floor of the UNM Student Health Center building. Faculty, staff, students and community members are welcome.
Schuster will provide an overview of utilities at UNM and will talk about energy, greenhouse gasses and water usage reduction accomplishments at UNM over the past 5 to 10 years. There will be time for participants to share each other’s sustainability interests and activities.
Drinks, coffee and cookies will be provided, but please bring your own cup.
I am grateful to the New Mexico Board of Regents for choosing me as President of the University of New Mexico, and humbled by the quality of my fellow finalists; each is uniquely qualified to serve. I wanted to take this opportunity to say hello – and to extend to each of you an invitation.
During my tenure here, I need your input and invite you to join with me in working together to make an historic commitment to excellence: let us become the premiere academic institution that we all know our University can be.
During my many visits to UNM over the years, I have always been impressed by the faculty, the staff, the students, the facilities and the location. Let’s now have the commitment, the energy and the drive to make UNM America’s flagship university for minorities and women, a place of signature research and scholarship, whose degrees are respected in every part of the world, whose graduates stand tall in every walk of life.
We can do it by making diversity, equity and inclusion central priorities of this institution, as important as any other mission. We can do it by rewarding outstanding faculty with tenure and career enrichment – and by improving retention and graduation rates. After all, the goal of any great University must be to help students complete their studies, not merely begin them.
I propose that we can achieve great things, but only if we work together, in a structure and atmosphere of shared governance, imbued with mutual respect.
I especially look forward to working with the diverse, vibrant ethnic communities of New Mexico. For years now, I have studied and admired the rich natural and social history of this magnificent region, and its rich cultural heritage. I have come to know you, and to respect and value your culture, your values and points of view. I look forward to learning more and getting to know you better, so that we can develop a shared vision of what this University is, and what it can become.
I did much of my scientific research in the Southwest, studying the environment, species and habitat of this region. My wife, Janet, and I made a decision to live in Albuquerque long before this opportunity presented itself, and I see this appointment as a chance of a lifetime: the prospect of working with you to preserve the rich culture of this state and to embark, together, on a mission to study and celebrate its culture, history and resources, at what without question is the premiere institution for its study.
Much as I’ve come to know and love New Mexico, however, I realize I have more to learn.
That’s why I will be conducting a “listening tour,” holding Town Hall Meetings on the UNM Campuses, and at locations throughout the state, so I can learn how best to serve you in this complex and challenging job. I intend to maintain a blog to take your questions and comments on a continuing basis, and I will regularly reach out to the news media across the state.
On a personal note, this has been the most transparent, most open search process in my memory, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
We will continue that openness, creating a culture of transparency and shared governance in this Administration. Toward that end, I want you to know that we are already taking steps toward formation of a Transition Team, whose composition I hope to be able to announce in the coming week.
Once discussions about the dates of my departure from Oklahoma State and the official commencement of my Presidency are concluded, I also expect to be able to tell you when I'll be coming to New Mexico permanently, but I assure you it will be no later than June 1.
In the meantime, be assured that during this period of transition, I intend to be in regular contact with the University community, through several personal visits in the coming months, dates to be determined, as well as periodic e-mail updates like this one. I also want to take advantage of advances in telecommunications technology by reaching out to the UNM community in new ways, including webcasts. I intend that our very first webcast should be with the student body, so I can see what’s on their minds, and I expect we’ll be able to announce a date and time in the coming week, so watch the UNM Web site, www.unm.edu.
In addition, I invite your comments, thoughts and concerns during the transition period, as I will throughout my time at UNM. I assure you, they will be reviewed carefully. A special e-mail is currently being set up just for that purpose. Again, watch the UNM Web site for my contact information.
I pledge to each of you that my doors, my eyes, my ears and my mind will always be open – to faculty, to staff, to students and taxpayers and their representatives alike. I commit my best efforts for our University and for the people of New Mexico.
I look forward to the challenge.
Very truly yours,
David Schmidly
The UNM International Studies Institute and Center for Science, Technology, and Policy present “Regime Change: U.S. Strategy through the Prism of 9/11,” with Robert S. Litwak of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Tuesday, Feb. 27 from 4 to 5:15 p.m. in Dane Smith Hall, rm. 126.
The 9/11 terrorist attacks starkly recast the U.S. debate on “rogue states.” In this new era of vulnerability, should the United States counter the dangers of weapons proliferation and state-sponsored terrorism by toppling regimes or by promoting changes in the threatening behavior of their leaders?
In his new book, Regime Change: U.S. Strategy through the Prism of 9/11 (Woodrow Wilson Center Press and Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007), Litwak examines the contrasting precedents set with Iraq and Libya and provides incisive analysis of the pressing crises with North Korea and Iran.
Litwak is director of the Division of International Security Studies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. He formerly served as director for nonproliferation on the National Security Council Staff.
Litwak is also the author of Rogue States and U.S. Foreign Policy: Containment After the Cold War (Woodrow Wilson Center Press and Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000); and a co-editor of Nuclear Proliferation after the Cold War (Woodrow Wilson Center Press, 1994, co-editor).
For more information contact Andrew L. Ross, professor of Political Science and director, Center for Science, Technology, and Policy (the program formerly known as “OPST”), at aross@unm.edu or 277-7391, or Stephanie Grant, CSTP program administrator, at slgrant@unm.edu or 277-1391.
This event has been rescheduled from Feb. 14...
Russian Studies’ Forum on Russia and Eurasia presents a brown bag luncheon, “Reagan’s ‘Star Wars’ Conspiracy: How America Stole Russia’s Attempt to Control Space,” featuring Nigel Hey, former senior administrator at Sandia National Laboratories and author of “The Star Wars Enigma: Behind the Scenes of the Cold War Race for Missile Defense,” on Wednesday, Feb. 28 from noon to 1 p.m. in Ortega Hall 335. This event is free and open to the public.
The UNM International Studies Institute and the College of Arts and Sciences are also event sponsors.
For more information, contact Byron Lindsey at bliny@unm.edu or 277-4771.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Dorothy Baca, associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance in the College of Fine Arts, presented awards at the CineMás Albuquerque Latino Film Festival. CineMás is New Mexico’s premiere festival showcasing films focusing on diverse social and cultural themes of the Latino voice.
Many featured pieces have received awards at film festivals around the world and range from short films and animations to documentaries and full-length dramas.
Projects from Panama, Spain, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay, as well as works by New Mexican filmmakers were screened locally.
Organized by UNM’s Arts of the Americas Institute in the College of Fine Arts, the festival includes an emphasis on filmmakers, scholarly work and generating an atmosphere for discussion.
Listed below are the award winners...
New Mexico Women in Film and Television Award
Morristown (USA)
Directed by Ann Lewis
Working-class people in Mexico and eastern Tennessee are caught in the throes of massive economic change, which challenges their assumptions about work, family, nation, and community. The film chronicles nearly a decade of change in Morristown, Tennessee through interviews with displaced or low-wage Southern workers, Mexican immigrants, and workers and families impacted by globalization.
Albuquerque Mayor’s Award
Una Luchar por Mi Pueblo (USA)
Directed by Federico Reade
Land grant disputes are constant in New Mexico; this particular story began in 1988, with a community who refused to yield land held in common to an Arizona development company. They claimed they owned 700 acres. An ethno history of a peoples’ continual fight for self-determination.
City of Rio Rancho Award for Technology in Film
DVD (Spain)
Directed by Ciro Altabas
This short film includes: Scene selection/trailer/selected cut scenes/alternative endings/eliminated scene/videoclip featurette”What’s a Freak?”/audio commentary/character selection, and a boy-meets-girl story.
UNM Student Film Award
Watch (USA)
Directed by Brenda Avila
Alphonse Allais once said, "We talk about killing time as if it wasn't time who is killing us." Watch tells the story of a man who, like many others, is a slave of the watch. The character takes us with him into his daily journey with his perfect timing and his synchronized schedule. However, an unexpected event changes his routine and his life as our character realizes that time is not always on his side
Award for Best Documentary
Tocar y Luchar (Venezuela)
Directed by Alberto Arvelo
A captivating story of the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra System, an incredible network of hundreds of orchestras formed within most of Venezuela’s towns and villages. Once a modest program, it has evolved into one of the most important and beautiful music phenomena in modern history.
With a unanimous vote, the University of New Mexico Board of Regents today named David J. Schmidly as the 20th president of the university. The announcement was made at a special meeting of the regents on the main UNM campus in Albuquerque.
Letter From David J. Schmidly on Becoming UNM's President
Photo: David J. Schmidly
Schmidly is CEO and President of the Oklahoma State University System and former president of Texas Tech University.
In nominating Dr. Schmidly, Regent Jack Fortner remarked that regents were looking for the candidate with experience in higher education, health sciences, research, athletics and capital campaigns. “This is our opportunity to select a sitting president from a major university,” said Fortner. “There will be no need for on the job training. Dr. Schmidly will step right in.”
Regent Don Chalmers said, “We had five wonderful candidates. But one stands head and shoulders above the rest. Dr. Schmidly came to us with a vision about how to take this university to the next level.”
Schmidly was one of five finalists selected by the regents in late January after a seven-month long search process. Each of the finalists took part in two days of campus interviews that included public forums with staff, faculty, students and the community.
After tabulating votes and comments from all of the forums, Regents President Jamie Koch said 91 percent of the UNM constituents who participated in the forums favored Schmidly. “We look forward to a dynamic presidency,” said Koch.
About David J. Schmidly
Schmidly is an internationally respected zoologist who has published eight books on natural history and conservation, as well as more than 100 scholarly articles. As CEO and President of the 32,000-student Oklahoma State University System, he directs operations at campuses in Stillwater, Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Okmulgee, as well as the OSU Center for Health Sciences and the OSU Medical Center in Tulsa.
Since assuming his position in 2002, he has spearheaded efforts that have raised nearly $850 million in private donations and public funds for new scholarships and infrastructure. He also implemented a strategic plan and campus master plan that are guiding a five-year, $826 million construction program that includes a $70 million interdisciplinary science and technology building on the Stillwater campus, a $47 million Helmerich Advanced Technology Research Center in Tulsa with five fully-endowed Chairs, and world-class athletic facilities in Stillwater.
Among other initiatives, he helped launch a national sensor testing center in Ponca City to develop new technologies for detection of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats; and land facilities in Ardmore that will explore cutting-edge technologies vital to bio-fuels, bio-processing and bio-production. Along with his wife he created a nationally-recognized Parents Association that has re-integrated the entire family into higher education.
FOR RELATED UNM PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH STORIES VISIT...
UNM selects presidential finalists
UNM presidential finalists biographies
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1989; cell - 362-5530; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
UNM warm weather concerts organized by a member of the Staff Council’s Work+Life Committee have become a mainstay on the UNM campus. In January, the full council voted to honor the concerts’ founder, titling the events the “Greg Johnston Summer Concerts.”
Photo: Greg Johnston
Johnston was a senior communication representative in the Communication and Marketing Department. A long time media relations expert and professional photographer, Johnston, who passed away Feb. 14, was a regular story and photo contributor to UNM Today, Quantum and Mirage Magazines. A memorial service for Johnston will be held at the UNM Alumni Chapel, Thurs., Feb. 22 at 10 a.m.
A celebratory “Warm Up” concert featuring the rock & roll gumbo band Jasper, one of Johnston's favorites, will also be held Thursday, Feb. 22, from noon to 1 p.m. in the SUB Atrium.
Johnston joined the committee in 2003, early in its inception, with the intent of bringing concerts to main campus. Formerly of the Health Sciences Public Affairs Office, he was a supporter of the north campus concerts and learned first hand the benefits of a noontime respite for staff. Johnston organizes up to three concerts each summer, typically held near the SUB, including as part of Celebrating Staff Week. He was also a member of UNM's Public Service and Community Engagement Committee.
UNM’s Work+Life Committee and Office of Institutional Advancement are sponsors.
For more information, call the Staff Council Office, 277-1532.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
Family-oriented event scheduled for President's Day
On Monday, Feb. 19, the LodeStar Astronomy Center will have a special celebration coinciding with the three year anniversary since the Mars' rovers Spirit and Opportunity landed on the Red Planet and began sending back amazing images and data. The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission has exceeded all expectations, and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, LodeStar Astronomy Center, and Proyecto Futuro are hosting a day of family fun to celebrate.
The event, which runs from 12 to 4 p.m., will feature a number of the Rover's latest discoveries, discussed by Mars Science Team member, Dr. Larry Crumpler, hands-on activities in English and Spanish and more.
Co-sponsored by the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, Lodestar Astronomy Center and Proyecto Futuro.
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science is located near Old Town in Albuquerque at 1801 Mountain Rd. N.W. For more information about this event and other Museum happenings call, (505) 841-2800.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Mary Edmonia Lewis, a 19th century sculptor of African and Native American descent will be the focus of a talk by Assistant Professor of Art History Kirsten Pai Buick on Feb. 28, in Zimmerman Library on the UNM campus. The talk, “Writing the Woman Artist: Mary Edmonia Lewis,” begins at 4 p.m. in the Willard Reading Room. The event is free and open to the public.
Buick will also receive the Faculty Acknowledgement Award from University Libraries as part of the event. Buick’s talk titled “Writing the Woman Artist: Mary Edmonia Lewis” will explore the theme of her new book, which examines Lewis’ work from an art history perspective and challenges the racialism of contemporary art history that demands that the black or Native American subject replicate their race in the art work. Buick’s book will be published by Duke University Press.
University Libraries sponsors the Faculty Acknowledgement Award as a way to recognize and honor members of the UNM faculty for scholarly work in their fields of specialization.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
With Cultural Mapping, native people create their own maps of their land using their own language and history. The University Libraries’ Indigenous Nations Library Program will explore this issue as it hosts two events at Zimmerman Library Feb. 21 on cultural mapping. This is sometimes used as a teaching device for community members so they better understand the history and significance of culturally important places.
Jim Enote from Zuni Pueblo and Taft Blackhorse, from the Navajo Nation will discuss the idea of cultural mapping at a brown bag lunch in the Herzstein Reading Room on the second floor of Zimmerman Library from noon to 1 p.m.
They will also conduct a panel discussion from 3 – 5 p.m. in the Willard Reading Room of Zimmerman. Enote and Blackhorse will examine the importance of cultural mapping for indigenous communities, looking at the Navajo Nation and Pueblo of Zuni as examples. They will also discuss ways the tribes decide what to include, what roles traditional people, elders and professionals play, who leads these efforts and what the impact of cultural mapping is to a community.
The event is free and the public is welcome. Refreshments will be served at the panel discussion.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The New Mexico State Senate has confirmed three appointments to the UNM Board of Regents. Gov. Richardson reappointed Don Chalmers, who had been serving the remainder of Doug Brown’s term, for a new term, while the senate confirmed the appointments of two new members of the Board of Regents, including student regent Dahlia Dorman and Carolyn Abeita.
Dorman, left, is the new student regent, replacing Roslyn Nguyen, whose term expired in December 2006. Dorman is currently a student at the UNM School of Law, and has a strong interest in the community - working as a volunteer with learning disabled students and in an Albuquerque Public Schools math and science camp. She is interested in the Community Lawyering Clinic and in alternative dispute resolution.
Abeita, right, replaces Sandra Begay-Campbell whose term expired in December 2006. She is a partner in the Van Amberg, Rogers, Yepa & Abeita law firm in Albuquerque. The firm specializes in Indian law matters and tribal representation and Abeita is a New Mexico Board Certified Specialist in Federal Indian Law.
She received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology in 1984 and is a 1988 graduate of the UNM School of Law. She has served on the Board of Directors of Equal Access to Justice and is a former Court of Appeals Judge for the Pasqua Yaqui Tribe. Abeita is an Isleta Pueblo tribal member.
Members of the public visiting the Roundhouse in Santa Fe Friday can get a first-hand look at the way the internationally known Tamarind Institute hopes to renovate its planned new quarters. Or they can have free medical screenings performed by pharmacy students. Those are just two of the 21 University of New Mexico departments that will have exhibits on display from 9 a.m. through 2 p.m. in the halls of history outside the rotunda of the state capitol building for UNM Day at the Capitol.
Tamarind will also have a small lithographic press on hand and will be printing copies for people who are interested. The institute is seeking money to remodel the architecture buildings on the south side of Central Ave., which will be vacated when the School of Architecture and Planning moves into its new building on the north side of Central Ave. later this year.
UNM Day at the Capitol this year is focused on programs the university wants to expand and improve. Exhibits from Digital Media in the College of Fine Arts, the Harwood Art Center, the branch campuses, the School of Engineering, the College of Education, International Programs, Recruitment Services, the Staff Council, Associated Students of UNM, University College, the College Enrichment Outreach programs, the Health Sciences Center, the College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, the BA/MD program and the UNM Cancer Center.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Reed Dasenbrock has announced five finalists for the position of dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. A committee of 14, chaired by Joseph Cecchi, dean, School of Engineering, identified the finalists.
“The position of dean of the College of Arts and Sciences is one of the most important in the university. I invite all to participate in the on-campus interview process,” Dasenbrock said.
All five will be on campus for two days of meetings, and there will be open forums scheduled for faculty, staff and students.
The candidates are:
Patrick Maney: Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 19-20
** Faculty open forum Feb. 19, 2-3:15 p.m., SUB Lobo A/B
** Staff open forum Feb. 20, 11-11:45 a.m., Ortega 335
** Student open forum Feb. 20, 1:45-2:45 p.m., SUB Lobo A/B
Maney is professor and chair of the Department of History at the University of South Carolina, positions he has held since 1998 when he joined the university. The department includes 38 faculty, 5 staff, 125 graduate students and 450 undergraduate majors. He received an Affirmative Action Administrative Award from the Black Faculty and Staff Association for enhancing diversity in his department.
Prior to the University of South Carolina, Maney was at Tulane University, where he chaired the Department of History (1997-98), and was assistant professor of history (1980-82) and associate professor of history (1982-94).
From 1977-80, Maney was an administrative assistant managing the office of the Wisconsin State Senate Minority Leader. Maney received his B.S. at University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point and his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. Maney authored two books, The Roosevelt Presence: A Biography of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and "Young Bob" La Follette: A Biography of Robert M. La Follette, Jr., 1895- 1953.
David Madigan: Thursday and Friday, Feb. 22-23
** Faculty open forum Feb. 22, 2-3:15 p.m., Education 104
** Staff open forum Feb. 23, 11-11:45 a.m., Ortega 335
** Student open forum Feb. 23, 1:45-2:45 p.m., SUB Lobo A/B
Madigan, at Rutgers University since 2001, has been dean of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at Rutgers since 2005. He is also professor in the Department of Statistics there. From 2003 to 2004 Madigan was director of the Institute for Biostatistics.
Before coming to Rutgers, Madigan held a variety of positions in the private sector, including AT&T Research Labs, Soliloquy, Inc., KPMG, Skillsoft and Hibernian Life Assurance. From 1990 to 1996, Madigan was assistant professor in the Department of Statistics and the University of Washington, and associate professor there from 1996 to 1999. Madigan received a B.A. in Mathematical Sciences and a Ph.D. in Statistics, both from Trinity College Dublin.
Madigan has a distinguished record of research, with papers on topics in mathematical statistics and interdisciplinary applications of statistics. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and the American Statistical Association and was the 36th most cited mathematician in the world during the period 1995-2005.
Michael Mares: Thursday and Friday, March 1-2
** Faculty open forum March 1, 2-3:15 p.m., SUB Ballroom A
** Staff open forum March 2, 11-11:45 a.m., Ortega 335
** Student open forum March 2, 1:45-2:45 p.m., Mitchell Hall 122
Mares is professor of zoology and curator of mammals, Oklahoma Museum of Natural History at the University of Oklahoma, positions he has held since 1985. His is former director and research curator, and Sam K. Viersen Jr. Presidential Professor, at Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. Mares was responsible for drafting the legislation that established Oklahoma’s state museum of natural history as the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History.
As museum director he supervised a permanent staff of 100, disbursed an annual budget of approximately $11 million, and was actively engaged in private and state fundraising.
Mares earned his B.S. in Biology at the University of New Mexico and a Ph. D. in Zoology at the University of Texas at Austin. His work includes desert ecology, desert mammals and conservation. Among his many honors is the Heritage Preservation award by the National Institute for Conservation for his work in the Sam Noble Museum.
Brenda J. Claiborne: Monday and Tuesday, March 5-6
** Faculty open forum March 5, 2-3:15 p.m., SUB Lobo A/B
** Staff open forum March 6, 11-11:45 a.m., SUB Santa Ana A/B
** Student open forum March 6, 1:45-2:45 p.m., SUB Acoma A/B
Claiborne is director of the University of Texas – San Antonio (UTSA) Institute for Aging Research, a position she has held since 2004. On faculty at UTSA since 1986, she is a professor of biology. From 1993 to 1997, Claiborne served as dean of Graduate Studies and associate vice president for research at UTSA.
She was responsible for all graduate programs, research centers, institutes and research development on campus. She played an important role in establishing six new graduate degree programs and succeeded in increasing graduate enrollments and research funding.
Claiborne received her B.A. in zoology from the University of California, Berkeley, her M.S. in biology from the University of Oregon, and her Ph.D. in biology from the University of California, San Diego. Before joining the faculty at UTSA, she worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Developmental Neurobiology at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.
Claiborne has had a distinguished research career in neuroscience. She focuses on mechanisms of learning and memory in the neurons of the hippocampus. This research has many important implications, especially concerning the effects of aging on neurons in the mammalian brain.
Vera Norwood: Wednesday and Thursday, March 7-8
** Faculty open forum March 7, 2-3:15 p.m., SUB Lobo A/B
** Staff open forum March 8, 11-11:45 a.m., SUB Lobo A/B
** Student open forum March 8, 1:45-2:45 p.m., Dane Smith Hall 325
Norwood has served as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of New Mexico since 2005. Prior, she was senior associate dean and associate dean for faculty in the college since 1999 and chair of American Studies from 1993-99. Norwood joined the UNM faculty in 1982 as assistant professor of American Studies. From 1988-1993, she was associate professor of American Studies and became professor of American Studies in 1993.
During her time at UNM, Norwood has served as assistant to the provost and acting assistant provost. Norwood received her B.A. in English in 1967, her M.A. in English in 1969, and her Ph.D. in American Studies in 1974, all from the University of New Mexico.
Much of Norwood’s research in American Studies examines the relationships between gender and the environment, specifically on women’s writing on the environment. She authored Made From This Earth: American Women and Nature, and co-edited a volume The Desert Is No Lady: Southwestern Landscapes in Women's Writing and Art.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Gov. Bill Richardson has appointed Ted A. Garcia, general manager and chief executive officer of public television station KNME to the New Mexico Tourism Commission. Deidre A. Lujan of Albuquerque and Pueblo of Santa Ana, and Garcia, replace Skip Drinkard of Corrales and Julian Garza of Rio Rancho, respectively, on the seven-member commission.
Photo: Ted Garcia
Richardson has also named Al Lucero, owner/operator of Maria’s New Mexican Kitchen with his wife, Laurie, since 1985, chairman of the New Mexico Tourism Commission.
“Ted, Deidre and Al bring worlds of expertise and hard work to the business of New Mexico tourism,” Tourism Department Secretary Michael Cerletti said. “Deidre and Ted are welcome additions to the board, and I look forward to working with them, Al and all board members as we chart the future of our industry.”
Garcia sits on the board of directors for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in Arlington, Va.; the station services committee, which encompasses content policy, technology and distribution (interconnection) and education and chairs the interconnection committee. Garcia also sits on the nominating and corporate governance committee. He was elected to the National Datacasting, Inc. board of directors, and also serves on the board of the Mid-Rio Grande chapter of the American Red Cross and the Albuquerque Museum Foundation board.
Lucero, first appointed to the board in January 2006, is also founder, past president and current board member of the Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta, and serves on the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce board.
Other commission members include Chris Stagg, Taos Ski Valley; Randy Randall, Santa Fe; Selena Chino, Mescalero; and Bill Hirschfeld, Ruidoso.
The first quarterly meeting of the new commission - created by state statute as an advisory board to the New Mexico Tourism Department on policy matters – was held to coincide with Tourism Day at the State Legislature.
For more information, contact Evy Todd, KNME (505) 277-1218, or etodd@knme.org; or Mike Stauffer, New Mexico Tourism Department (505) 827-7379, mike.stauffer@state.nm.us.
Art Guenther, UNM research professor emeritus in Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been appointed Senior Science Advisor Emeritus at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). That is the basic research arm of the U.S. Air Force. Guenther will report directly to Brendan Godfrey, director, AFOSR.
Photo: Art Guenther
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The UNM Staff Council’s Work+Life committee will hold a town hall meeting to give staff an opportunity to share their views on proposals for a campus-wide smoking ban. The meeting will be held at noon on Friday, Feb. 16 in Student Union building ballroom A.
Plans are underway to make north campus smoke free later this year. The town hall meeting will provide a forum for staff to discuss the possibility of extending the policy to main campus.
Some resources and referrals are currently available to help staff, faculty and students quit smoking through the Employee Health Promotion Program and the Student Health Center.
The case of Kennewick Man – or the Ancient One – as Native Americans refer to him, dragged through the courts for years before Judge John Jelderks found that he could not be defined Native American under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
Photo: Edward Jolie and Heather Edgar.
A recent case regarding repatriation of even older remains and artifacts from Spirit Cave, Nev., suggests that the Kennewick Man case should be used as a legal precedent and that the remains of Spirit Cave Man are not Native American.
Four University of New Mexico anthropologists have written an article where they suggest that a precedent in Paleoindian human remains is “inappropriate and unnecessary.” They claim that each case is unique and that repatriation determination should be handled case-by-case.
Heather Edgar, Maxwell Museum curator and assistant research professor in anthropology, is lead author on the article titled, “Contextual issues in Paleoindian repatriation: Spirit Cave Man as a case study,” featured in the Feb. 2007 issue Journal of Social Archaeology. Other authors from the Department of Anthropology are Edward Jolie, Joseph Powell and Joe Watkins.
Spirit Cave Man was found approximately 70 years ago on Bureau of Land Management land that is part of an area government documents refer to as “traditional tribal lands,” nevertheless the BLM says the remains are “unaffiliatable.” The Fallon-Paiute-Shoshone filed a lawsuit against the BLM because they consider him their ancestor. Carbon dating determined him to be older than Kennewick Man. DNA testing on both skeletons was inconclusive.
Edgar said that DNA testing is one determiner for affiliation. “Another way is by what artifacts are found with the remains,” Edgar said. Skeletal remains and one point in the hip is all that was found of Kennewick Man.
“Many artifacts or ‘perishables’ were found with Spirit Cave Man because of the arid condition in and around the cave, she said. “There were blankets, a burial shroud, bags, moccasins and a breechcloth,” Edgar said. The items are now in the Nevada State Museum.
Edgar is quick to point out that repatriation is moving away from being a polarizing issue. “This presents an unfair view of anthropology. All four of us who worked on this article think the amicus brief that ruled on Spirit Cave Man based on the Kennewick Man precedent is wrong,” she said. She noted that among them two are biological anthropologists, two are archaeologists, two are natives, two non-natives.
Jolie, who is a member of the Ogalala Lakota, said, “We must balance between respect to the profession and to the past.”
Edgar said that many tribes are beginning to recognize the value in DNA and other scientific testing in helping them piece together their own history.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Due to maintenance, Banner and Oracle services will be unavailable on Sunday, Feb. 18, from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. During this outage, the following applications will be affected: myUNM Portal, LoboWeb, Web CT, Demographic Self-Service, LoboMart, Internet Native Banner, eJOBS & eHIRE, Banner Authorization Request, Workflow, Hyperion, ODSP, Appwork, ePrint, Web Class Lists, Web Grades, Xtender and Opinio. Additionally, GroupWise will be unavailable, and Parking Services and Alumni servers will also be unavailable.
Please see the ITS Alerts page at ITS Alerts for additional information and a complete list of effected applications.
Celebrate the vast landscape of dance with eXpanZ, in Rodey Theatre, University of New Mexico Center for the Arts, for four shows only. Performances are Friday, March 2 and Saturday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 4 at 2 and 6 p.m. This exciting evening of dance is a showcase for UNM dance faculty choreography and highlights the student talent in the dance program. The performance includes works by five faculty choreographers, including Celia Dale, Marisol Encinias, Alex Ossadnik, Jennifer Predock-Linnell, Karen Price, and features the work of guest artist Stacy Matthew Spence.
Photo: Stacy Matthew Spence
Spence received his BA in Dance from Loretto Heights College in Denver, where he was also on faculty at Regis University. He received his MFA from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. He will be working with students in the dance program at UNM creating a piece titled “Adjusted Space” to the music of Four Tet.
“Falling through the Crack” by Jennifer Predock-Linnell is a work-in-progress. This is a preview of a full evening’s dancework to be performed in May as part of the Wild Dancing West Festival. It is a collaborative, exploratory project between Predock-Linnell, the composer Panaiotis, digital photographer Joy Neimanas, co-choreographer Meredith Black, lighting designer Bill Liotta and nine dancers.
All are equally invested in the development and presentation of this project. The piece explores the word crack; through implied psychological, environmental, cultural, social and emotional notions of what it means in different contexts both intimately and publicly.
Karen Price choreographed a hip-hop piece titled “Recycled from the Streets.” Presented in four sections – first, military/gangster, second, men dancing for a woman, third, a dance for women alone, and the last section is pure fun! Price employs music by Bassnectar, Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake and Wade Robson.
Karime Amaya choreographed “Tientos” for Festival Flamenco Internacional for the university flamenco performance ensemble, Alma Flamenca. Amaya lives in Madrid, but was raised in Mexico City. She is the daughter of Mercedes Amaya, and the niece of the great Carmen Amaya, who revolutionized flamenco dance during the middle of the 20th century.
Faculty member Marisol Encinias has done an arrangement and re-staging of the piece. Alma Flamenco consists of seven dancers from UNM and six dancers from the community. The piece features 13 women. Musicians for “Tientos” include Ricardo Anglada, Vicente Griego, Eva Encinias, Joaquin Encinias and Marisol Encinias.
“Between Lines” is an abstract ballet choreographed by Alex Ossadnik to music of Phillip Glass. With a cast of 10 women and four men, it explores classical ballet movements in expanded forms that are in conversation with the music: emotions, shapes and patterns emerge “between the lines.”
Celia Dale choreographed a piece to music by Hector Villa-Lobos. Her piece, “Uru Puru,” is based on a mythological Brazilian bird that transforms into human shape. It was inspired by Villa-Lobos’ score that evokes the Amazon jungle. Dale is working with young modern Dancers from the UNM Dance Program.
Ticket prices are $15 general admission, $10 faculty and seniors, $8 UNM staff and students. Tickets are available at the UNM Ticket Offices located at the UNM Bookstore, Central and Cornell, or the Arena (The Pit), University and Avenida Caesar Chavez. Tickets may be purchased online at www.unmtickets.com, at tickets.com outlets or by calling (505) 925-5858.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Health care coordinator Betty Jo Ciesielski and author Sharon Oard Warner took center court during half-time at University Arena this past Saturday to receive the University of New Mexico’s Sarah Belle Brown Community Service Award.
From left: Acting President David Harris, Betty Jo Ciesielski, Sarah Belle Brown, Sharon Oard Warner and Doug Brown, celebrate on the floor of The Pit.
Former Regent Doug Brown established the award in 2006 in honor of his wife, Sarah, a public servant for 30 years, and to honor both UNM staff and faculty who serve as examples of social responsiveness, and who, over time, donate considerable personal time and effort advancing UNM’s public service mission.
The Browns joined Acting President David Harris in congratulating the 2nd annual recipients. Harris presented Ciesielski and Warner each with a plaque featuring artwork by local children and $2,500.
Ciesielski is a coordinator in the UNM Maternity and Family Planning Department. She developed health policy at the national level, secured funding and created education and accreditation for lay health workers. She coordinated training for New Mexico community health workers reaching 20,000 patients in 2006, to provide education on diabetes, the flu epidemic, mental health, teen suicide prevention, heart disease and more.
Warner, book author, has been an English professor at UNM for 12 years. In 1999, she established the Taos Summer Writers Workshop, attracting writers from 34 states and four foreign countries. She was chief organizer of the Albuquerque Tricentennial Matanza in honor of Rudolofo Anaya, and is a volunteer teacher at New Futures High School. Author Joy Harjo in her nomination of Warner writes, “[Sharon] has opened many doors for New Mexicans, particularly in the writing community.”
The University Committee for Civic Engagement and Public Service is charged with the annual awards process. For more information, visit http://www.unm.edu/~hr/brownaward/nomination.htm.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
Main campus to be wireless by 2008
The University of New Mexico received a huge boost recently to help provide a uniform wireless network initiative on the main campus with a gift from New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union. The University’s credit union has been a large part of campus life since the early 1970’s serving the financial needs of students, faculty and staff. Because of the credit union’s commitment to improving the quality of education in all the communities it serves in the state, New Mexico Educators is eager to support the implementation of a campus-wide wireless network at UNM.
“New Mexico Educators is dedicated to education and our partnership with the University of New Mexico. We are pleased to provide this level of support for our state's flagship University and e know that this wireless network extension will fill a great need for the faculty, staff and students. This effort will be an excellent first step in the 21st Century, and I am proud that we are supporting it and look forward to seeing its benefits,“ said Ralph Wallace, New Mexico Educators’ Chairman of the Board of Directors.
“We all know that as new communication technologies come of age, we will need to interact with the world in new ways,” said UNM Provost Reed Dasenbrock. “On college campuses, new technologies enable the 'scene of learning' to change – we can study in new places and new ways and connect to the world in ways which enhance our learning.
“Thanks to a fabulous and extremely generous gift from New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union, the UNM main campus will now be completely wireless, extending this new scene of learning everywhere on campus. This contribution is just one of New Mexico Educators many efforts to give back to the community and invest in the future of New Mexico.”
Research has shown that available technology is part of a student's decision about which college to attend. For today's increasingly Net-savvy students, wireless network access is standard expectation at an institution of higher learning. Lacking a comprehensive wireless network on its Albuquerque campus, the University of New Mexico is at a competitive disadvantage in attracting the best students within the state to remain in New Mexico for their post-secondary education.
Expanding the current piecemeal wireless network on UNM's Albuquerque campus will improve "anywhere, anytime access" by students and faculty to both academic and administrative resources. Students will find more opportunities to spontaneously collaborate on class-related activities. Plans call for UNM to conduct a student survey in the next month to align implementation with student priorities for coverage.
Currently, approximately 30 percent of UNM’s main campus has wireless availability with almost no coverage to open space areas such as the duck pond and the plaza. With New Mexico Educators support, UNM will be able to increase its wireless abilities to 85 percent of main campus. The remaining 15 percent are areas that would get low utilization, such as Johnson field and the parking lots.
“Students today live in a mobile world, and expect to do their work from wherever they are and whenever they can. This will allow students to be more productive and successful,” said Moira Gerety, director of UNM's Information Technology Services. "By late 2008, UNM will be able to better attract the 18-25 year olds who we want to retain in New Mexico. We are thrilled that New Mexico Educators is committed to public service and the University; our students will be grateful.”
Wireless resources will include the Library, Internet, and the University's learning management system – WebCT. The new wireless network will enhance students’ ability to send and receive e-mail, chat with professors, advisors and classmates, share files, download and upload assignments, create Web-based study groups and extend wherever learning happens on main campus.
In addition, New Mexico Educators is providing UNM with a financial literacy connection on its Web site for students to obtain information to support them in making sound financial decisions. Information about the cost of credit, budgeting tips, savings, investing, credit reports, how to buy a car or house are just a few if the educational topics students will have access to. It is a win-win for everyone.
Media Contacts: New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union, Stephanie Kozemchak (505) 889-2598; e-mail: skozemchak@nmefcu.org or UNM, Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
UNM HSC and CDD seek funding to help the autism epidemic in New Mexico
On Sunday, Feb. 18 at 10:30 a.m., Dr. Cate McClain, director of the Center for Development and Disability (CDD) at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center (UNM HSC), will appear on KOB-Channel 4 news segment “Eye On New Mexico” right before “Meet the Press.” The 30 minute segment will discuss the CDD and autism awareness in New Mexico.
In addition to Dr. McClain, Laura White, a parent of a nine-year-old son with autism, will also appear on the show. White’s husband is Dr. Craig White, an associate professor in accounting with the UNM Anderson School of Management. Both are activists in the community, raising awareness about the lack of services for autism families living in New Mexico.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a nationwide epidemic that continues to be a major health concern for families and health care providers across the country. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced that the number of children diagnosed with autism has increased to one child in every 150. While no accurate counting system exists in New Mexico, the SouthWest Autism Network (SWAN) in conjunction with the CDD, has approximately 1,100 children and adults with ASD as clients. Prevalence rate in New Mexico is estimated to be at least 3.6 per 1,000.
On Monday, Feb. 19, New Mexico’s autism community will take part in Autism Day at the Capitol in Santa Fe, N.M. to not only spread awareness about ASD, but to also show support for senate bill 164 and house bill 375.
Both bills are seeking $7.75 million to be used in establishing and operating programs for neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism. Medicaid will match $6 million of these funds.
If either bill passes, the CDD will receive $750,000 to support its diagnostic clinic. Early diagnosis is critical, but with the ever increasing number of autism cases in the state, the waiting list for the diagnostic clinic at the CDD has extended to three years. Additional funding will cut down the wait list to six months.
ASD is a lifelong disability. Children diagnosed with ASD need services to guide them through this disability not only during their childhood, but also as adults wanting to contribute to everyday society. It is estimated that 66 percent of New Mexico children with ASD do not receive services.
The CDD is located off campus at 2300 Menaul. To learn more about the CDD and SWAN go to Center for Development and Disability.
Media Contact: Lauren Cruse, (505) 272-3690; e-mail: lcruse@salud.unm.edu
Ric Richardson, acting dean of the UNM School of Architecture and Planning, has announced the new officers of the school’s alumni board.
Patrick Gay, Sites Southwest, has been elected president. He earned a bachelor’s of architecture in 1989.
Greg Hartman, Design Group, has been elected vice president. He earned a master’s in architecture in 1982.
Christina Sandoval, City of Albuquerque, is secretary. She received her master’s in community and regional planning in 2002.
Will Gleason, Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, is treasurer. He earned his master’s in community and regional planning in 1998.
Laurie Moye, Public Service Company of New Mexico, earned her master’s in community and regional planning in 1982. She is past president of the board.
Michael Gallegos, Fanning Bard Tatum Architects, earned his bachelor’s in architecture in 1998 and master’s in 2002. He and Ray Trujillo, Hartman-Majewski Design Group, who earned his bachelor’s in architecture in 1968, are members at large on the board.
“The school’s alumni board of directors is an invaluable asset. They help us maintain a connection to our graduates and to the professional community in the city and the region. We appreciate and value Patrick Gay’s commitment – and that of the rest of the board – in assuming these leadership roles,” Richardson said.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Anderson Professor’s Article Is Selected Out of 15,000 Others
Emerald Management Reviews has recognized Anderson School of Management associate professor Michele Chwastiak for her research, naming one of her publications among the top 50 management articles published in 2006. Chwastiak’s article, “Rationality, performance measures and representations of reality: Planning, programming, and budgeting and the Vietnam War,” appeared in Critical Perspectives on Accounting, volume 17 issue 1.
Emerald Management Reviews is an abstracting and indexing database that covers every article in the top 400 business and management journals world-wide including titles such as: Harvard Business Review, Journal of Finance and Journal of Marketing.
Each article that appears in one of the titles that Emerald reviews is sent in by independent subject experts for evaluation. Chwastiak’s article was selected as one of the top fifty out of the 15,000 articles that were evaluated by Emerald.
Media Contacts: Sophie Martin, (505) 277-7117; e-mail: martin@mgt.unm.edu or Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Luna Lodge on Route 66 is the focus of an exhibit and reception on Tuesday, Feb. 20, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the foyer of the UNM School of Architecture and Planning, located at 2414 Central Ave. SE, at the corner of Central and Stanford.
The exhibit is the result of the UNM Summer Institute for Preservation course Recording Historical Resources: Route 66 Measured Drawings.
The course and event are a partnership between the UNM School of Architecture and Planning and the National Park Service.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Conference, information aims to help graduating seniors
The UNM Alumni Relations office is hosting a conference designed to help graduating seniors survive beyond the adobe walls of UNM. Titled "Succeeding Beyond Your UNM Degree," the unique professional development conference, is set for Wednesday, Feb. 28, from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Student Union Building. The conference will provide pending graduates tools to help survive the transition from UNM into the workforce, build networks and resources, feel connected as a member of the UNM alumni community and to help set goals that will ensure success for years to come.
“The purpose behind the Senior Conference is to provide resources we hope our new graduates will be able to utilize as they take steps on their new journey from UNM,” says Sue MacEachen, Sr. Alumni Relations Officer. “We hope to educate them on the valuable resources and benefits the Alumni Association has to offer them and to introduce them to the Young Alumni Association where they can remain an active part of the University community.”
An etiquette luncheon will kick off the day at 11:30 a.m. with a keynote address by UNM alum Brian Colón. The conference will also highlight workshops on career services, financial management, tax preparation, alumni resources, graduate programs, home buying and stress/time management. Breakout sessions will include presentations from a variety of organizations on and off campus.
UNM Career Services will present sessions including Mastering Interviewing Skills for the Recent Graduate, Job Search Strategies and Developing a Successful Resume for the Recent Graduate. The UNM Young Alumni will present Everything You Need to Know About Life After UNM, while the Student Health Center will host sessions on Stress/Time Management.
Outside partners presenting workshops include The New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union, which will present a talk about Graduating with a Financial Plan and Good Credit, and KAPLAN, which will present a session titled, Tackling Graduate Admissions Tests. Legacy Mortgage will discuss, Rent vs. Buy, Kiss the Landlord Good-bye, a session developed for potential homebuyers.
All 2007 graduates are invited to register for the Senior Conference at: 2007 Senior Conference and complete the Senior Conference RSVP form located at the bottom of the page and submit accordingly.
The deadline to register is Monday, Feb. 26. For more information contact Sue MacEachen at 277-5808 or via e-mail at, smac14@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Muralist Joe Stephenson presents “Making Murals/Making Community” on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 5:30 p.m. in the UNM Art Museum.
Stephenson will give a visual tour of community murals he has worked on that span a 25-year career starting in Berkeley, Calif., in the early 1970s. In the 1980s, his career took him to New York City to rebuild and repaint a pair of murals in St. Albans, Queens, and then to Albuquerque in the late 1980s where he has worked on numerous local murals with Working Classroom and other community partners.
The PLACE Program, the Community Service Program of the College of Fine Art, is exploring potential community mural projects this spring and has sought Joe Stephenson to engage in a discussion about the link between making murals and making community.
For more information, contact Michael Certo, 277-7312, or Art Museum.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Honorees include Bob Gerding, Pamela Sedmak, James Turner;
Young Alumni, Distinguished Faculty also selected
The Foundation Board of UNM’s Anderson School of Management Foundation has announced the 2007 inductees into the Anderson Hall of Fame. Selected for their professional success, contribution to the community, and ongoing commitment to education, Hall of Fame, Young Alumni, and Anderson faculty honorees join a distinguished roster of leaders in New Mexico and around the country.
Robert “Bob” Gerding, Owner, Bob Gerding’s Outdoor Adventures; Pamela Sedmak, CFO, CareSource in Dayton, Ohio; and James Turner, Ph.D., retired President Emeritus of Clovis Community College, have been selected as this year’s inductees into the School’s Hall of Fame. Luke Davis, Captain, Kirtland Air Force Base; Theresa Harnisch Hays, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy, First Book; and Glen Millican, Head Golf Coach, UNM’s Men’s Golf Team, will be recognized as recipients of the fourth annual Young Alumni Awards. Professor Raul De Gouvea, has been named recipient of the Anderson Faculty Community Leadership Award.
About the Honorees: Hall of Fame
Bob Gerding is the owner of Bob Gerding’s Outdoor Adventures which is a business for booking hunting and fishing trips. In 1999, he started New Mexico’s first hunting and fishing consumer show, which has grown to bring more than 100 guides, lodges, and outfitters from all over the world to New Mexico. Gerding graduated from Anderson with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in general business in 1961.
Pamela Sedmak currently serves as Chief Financial Officer for CareSource, a privately-held $1 billion high growth managed care insurance company serving the public health segments including Medicaid and Medicare recipients. During her tenure, she has helped position CareSource to grow over $2 billion in just 18 months. Sedmak graduated from Anderson with a BBA in 1984 and then attended Case Western Reserve University where she earned her Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 2006.
James Turner, Ph.D., served as President and President Emeritus of Clovis Community College. He is currently a long-term member of the Clovis Cultural Affairs Committee and has been a Rotarian for many years. When he retired after 30 years with the college, the Clovis Rotary Club established a scholarship of $30,000 in his name.
Turner graduated from Anderson in 1956 with a BA BBA in Finance. He also graduated from the UNM Naval Reserve Officers Training as a Commissioned Ensign in 1956 and served in the US Navy immediately after graduation. Turner earned a Doctorate of Philosophy in Educational Administration from Walden University in 1980.
About the Honorees: Young Alumni
Luke Davis graduated from Anderson in 2001 with a BBA in International Management. He was commissioned through the Air Force ROTC program immediately upon graduation. Davis was hand-picked to perform day-to-day management of a $29 billion portfolio while stationed in the Middle East. He graduated in 2006 from the Harvard Business School Management Mentor Program in addition to completing several Air Force Certifications.
While he was stationed in the Middle East, he spent his spare time advancing human rights, specifically those of women, and was invited by Model United Nations to address the assembly on indigenous business and entrepreneurship. Davis is currently stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base where he serves as the youngest member of the executive management team.
Theresa Harnisch Hays is the Senior Director of Corporate Strategy for First Book in Washington, D.C. She is a regular participant in public and community service endeavors including the Northern New Mexico Workforce Development Board, American Association of Museums, Museum Management Committee, Association of Art Museum Administrators, Society for Human Resource Management, and a volunteer at the National Book Festival in Washington.
Hays graduated in 2003 from Anderson with an MBA and attended Columbia University for her post graduate studies in fine arts after receiving a BA in art history from Fordham University.
Glen Millican is UNM’s Head Men’s Golf Coach. He has received several coaching awards and has led the team to more than 18 tournaments since becoming coach in 2001. He also hosts the Lobo Junior Golf Camp and is a regular participant in Camp Enchantment. Millican graduated from Anderson in 2001 with an MBA. He also received his BBA from Anderson in 1998.
About the Honoree: Faculty Community Leadership Award
Professor Raul De Gouvea is the Chair of the Finance, International and Technology Department at Anderson. He has hosted more than 2000 executive MBA students from Sao Paulo, Brazil to study US companies, received the “Professor of the Year” Award from Anderson in 1990 and 1991, was listed as one of the UNM faculty identified as exce