Steven A. Rugala, Ph.D. has been selected as the new Director of the Counseling, Assistance, and Referral Services (CARS), the employee assistance program for faculty and staff at the University of New Mexico. For the last eight months, he served as the Interim Director of CARS. He has directed clinical programs at CARS, Albuquerque Family and Child Guidance Center, and the New Mexico Department of Corrections.
In addition to working in employee assistance, Rugala has a wide range of clinical experience providing group and individual counseling in a variety of settings, which include: university counseling centers, community mental health, long-term care facilities, hospice organizations, and correctional facilities. Previously, he worked in the business world for 19 years as a computer programmer and systems analyst.
Rugala is a licensed psychologist in the state of New Mexico. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the APA accredited Counseling Psychology program at New Mexico State University and completed an APA accredited predoctoral internship at the Counseling and Psychological Services Center at Ball State University. He also received a Master of Education degree in Counseling and Development from George Mason University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from The George Washington University.
His goals as the director of CARS are to extend the recent progress in enhancing visibility within the University community; continue to explore new opportunities for partnering with other entities in service to the University; provide increased services in preventive care to facilitate healthy work-life balance; and contribute to the promotion of a culture of wellness within the University.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The 2007-08 Lobo Club Membership Drive concluded with record results for members, new money, gift-in-kind, cash and more than $3.5 million in total pledges at the annual Super Celebration held recently at the UNM Championship Golf Course Pavilion.
More than 120 volunteers, coaches and staff gathered to celebrate the most successful Membership Drive in Lobo Club history, helping kick off a new fiscal year with a record $3,585,876.31 in pledges. Other Drive records included 2,950 members, $1,454,874 in gift-in-kind pledges and $2,131,002.30 in cash pledges. In all, Drive volunteers signed up 326 new members and raised $294,135.28 in new money.
"We're very pleased with the superb results of this year's Drive," said Lobo Club Executive Director David Sabolcik. "The passion and enthusiasm for Lobo Athletics displayed by our volunteers is contagious and I am confident the Drive will springboard us to our most successful fundraising year to date. It's a very exciting time to be involved with Lobo Athletics and our volunteers have set the bar high for future Drives."
Individual honorees included Veteran MVP Gordon Noonan and Andy Lujan, Rookie MVP honoree J. C. Lopez, who raised a rookie record $26,437.50, as well as Lobo Spirit Award winner Linda Perkins. Nestor Romero took home top honors with $34,428 in new money raised while Yvonne Moise topped all fundraisers with $134,523.36 in pledges. Bob Cooper recruited 29 new members to join the Lobo Club.
The Drive Leadership Team included Chair Bill Duffey, Vice-Chair Noel Behne, Rookie Coordinator Yvonne Moise and team captains Chris Cates, John Clark, Rudy Diaz, Mike Fietz, Kevin Letz, Gordon Noonan, Linda Perkins, Roberta Ricci and Susie Singer.
The Lobo Club Membership Drive is a two-month volunteer-driven effort to raise funds for athletic scholarships at the University of New Mexico. If you are interested in learning more about supporting UNM Athletics through the Lobo Club, or volunteering with the Lobo Club, call 925-5014, visit www.unmloboclub.org or email loboclub@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Greg Remington, (505) 925-5525; e-mail: gregrem@unm.edu
The National Youth Sports Program, a free sports instruction program at UNM for low-income families of children ages 10-16, still has room available in this year’s program. The program will be held at June 4 - 29 with daily sessions from 8 a.m. to 1:20 p.m.
Physicals are required to attend the program. NYSP will be giving free physicals free June 1 and 5. Physicals take place in Johnson Center from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon. Parents can also enroll their children with a physical from their own doctor (physicals must have been within the last 3 months).
Additionally, seven buses will provide service for NYSP throughout the Albuquerque area. NYSP also provides a breakfast, snack and lunch daily. The NYSP office is Johnson Center room 148. For more information call 277-3260.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Deanna Sauceda, KRQE News 13 anchor, hosts “Stateline New Mexico” featuring Adjutant General Kenny Montoya, New Mexico National Guard, on KNME Channel 5 and KENW Channel 3 in Portales on Friday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m.
The New Mexico National Guard traces its roots back 400 years. Today the country relies on the Guard more than ever, from the ongoing “War on Terror,” to responding to natural disasters or helping guard our border with Mexico. The Guard does it all with less.
This month on ”Stateline New Mexico” KNME takes a closer look at why the Guard is getting the short end of the straw with it comes to resources. It is also a chance to speak with Adjutant General Kenny Montoya find out more about what our Guard members are up to here and abroad.
“Stateline New Mexico” is dedicated to giving New Mexicans access to state leaders and policy makers, primarily through live phone questions from citizens.
Stateline invites New Mexicans to call and ask questions toll free at: 1-866-337-5172.
"Stateline New Mexico" is produced by Kevin McDonald. Closed captioning has been made possible by a gift from Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs.
As an additional feature, KNME will host an online bulletin board/discussion during the program. Between 7:30 and 8 p.m., viewers can go to: KNME TV Forum to post responses and feedback to one another.
Each month, public television station KNME-TV, Channel 5 presents “Stateline New Mexico,” a live, 30-minute, call-in series designed to give the general public greater access to their state officials.
Show airs Friday, June 1 at 7 p.m. and repeats Sunday June 3 at 6:30 a.m.
KNME, Channel 5 continues its smart, provocative series, featuring some of the most outspoken media voices in the state on “The Line.” Guests this week include Patricia Madrid, former New Mexico Attorney General, and columnists Jeffry Gardner, Albuquerque Tribune and Jim Scarantino, The Weekly Alibi.
The issues include:
- U.S. Attorney General Gonzalez & the future former New Mexico U.S. Attorney
David Iglesias
- Candidates are lining up to run against Heather Wilson
- Debate is heating up over a proposed biomass plant in Torrance County
- The panelists pick theme songs for some of the most high profile presidential hopefuls
To keep the conversation fresh, the commentators are joined by new guests to explore national and New Mexico issues that are making headlines.
Regular Commentators
• Host - Gene Grant, Albuquerque Tribune
• Margaret Montoya, UNM Law School (away this week)
• Whitney Cheshire, Political Consultant, Blogger: www.wednesdaymorningqb.com
Kevin McDonald is the producer of “The Line.” Closed captioning has been made possible by a gift from Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs.
A decree, signed by Francisco Fernández de la Cueva Enríquez, Duke of Alburquerque, dated August 6, 1710, is the latest acquisition at the University Libraries’ Center for Southwest Research at the University of New Mexico. The printed document outlines privileges given in exchange for a loan. It was issued just four years after the founding of the City of Albuquerque.
CSWR has long hoped to acquire a document from the time surrounding the founding of the city and was able to purchase it with money donated to the Special Collections fund. Center officials say the royal order is signed by the tenth Duke of Alburquerque and Viceroy of New Spain and is an amazing addition to the collection.
CSWR is the special collections department for University Libraries, and the resource center for the comparative and interdisciplinary study of New Mexico and the Southwest at UNM. CSWR supports the teaching and research missions of the university as well as serving the citizens of New Mexico and scholars from throughout the world. CSWR is located in Zimmerman Library.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The National Science Foundation is funding two programs for UNM students as a joint effort between the School of Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences. Students who hope to receive a 2007-2008 scholarship from the NSF must have their applications in by June 15, 2007.
The S-STEM Program was funded by NSF for four years in the amount of $499,724. Through this program, UNM is able to offer about (22) renewable scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) of up to $5,000 per academic year.
Students are selected on the basis of financial need, academic merit, and potential for professional success. Financial need is determined by U.S. Department of Education guidelines for federal student financial aid. Students who need more information about how to qualify for federal financial aid can contact the UNM Financial Aid Office at (505) 277-2041 or online at: Financial Aid.
These scholarships are designed for students who are pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, computer science, engineering, geosciences including earth and planetary sciences or environmental sciences, mathematics, statistics, chemistry, physics or astrophysics. Students must be enrolled for 12 or more credit hours.
The S-STEM Program is an expansion of the current Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Scholarship (CSEMS) Program. CSEMS is also funded through a four-year NSF grant of $397,000 that started in the spring 2005. The CSEMS Program currently offers (30) scholarships of up to $3,000 per academic year and this program is also based on financial need and academic merit. One application may be used for both scholarships.
For more information on these NSF scholarship programs, please contact the Engineering Student Services’ NSF scholarship coordinator at (505) 277-5064 or elsac@unm.edu. The scholarship application is available at http://www.unm.edu/~nsfstem.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Acting President David Harris announced today that Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Reed Dasenbrock has been named secretary designate of the New Mexico Department of Higher Education by Governor Bill Richardson.
Photo: Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Reed Dasenbrock
Governor Richardson announced today that Dasenbrock’s appointment will be effective June 11. Dasenbrock will step down from his administrative position as provost at UNM.
“Governor Richardson has made an outstanding choice,” said Acting President David Harris. “Reed Dasenbrock is an academic visionary who has served and will continue to serve higher education in New Mexico well. We at UNM will continue to reap the benefits of his insight and energies,” he added.
Dasenbrock has spent his entire career in higher education in New Mexico. Before coming to UNM, Reed taught at New Mexico State University from 1981 to 2001. In 2001, Dasenbrock began serving as dean of the UNM College of Arts and Sciences, UNM’s largest college, and remained in that position until 2005. In 2005, he was named provost.
“Reed has been an integral part of the management team that has guided this university the past two years, working tirelessly to develop the programs that will favorably impact student success and graduation rates,” said Harris.
Incoming President David Schmidly also commended the governor on his choice, and Dasenbrock on his service to UNM. “I have been very impressed with what David Harris and the UNM regents have told me about Reed,” said Schmidly. “He is undoubtedly a proven asset to whatever institution he serves. I anticipate working with him closely in his new role as secretary of Higher Education.”
“I am looking forward to this new position with enthusiasm,” said Dasenbrock. “So much of what higher education does these days is dependent on public policy, and I am excited to work with Governor Richardson and my former colleagues in higher education to help shape New Mexico higher education policy, to make sure we have a trained workforce to meet the challenges of the 21 st century global economy.”
An interim provost is expected to be named June 1.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Group recognized with 2007 L'Oréal USA Fellowships for Women in Science
Today, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, Laurent Attal, President and CEO, L'Oréal USA, and Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone, President, National Academy of Sciences, honored the 2007 recipients of the esteemed L'Oréal USA Fellowships For Women in Science, which included University of New Mexico’s Dr. Jaime D. Barnes from the Earth and Planetary Sciences department in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Photo: Jaime Barnes
Barnes is part of an elite group of five Fellows which also includes: Dr. Sarah Clinton – neuroscientist, Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Research Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.; Dr. Julie Huber – oceanographer, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass.; Dr. Maria Krisch – physical chemist, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, Calif.; and Dr. Kim Woodrow – biomedical engineer, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
Now in its fourth year, the highly selective L’Oréal USA Fellowships annually recognize and reward five up-and-coming female scientists who are conducting innovative and groundbreaking research across scientific disciplines.
“The discoveries of tomorrow may be uncovered by this year’s impressive class of Fellows, who are tackling key scientific issues,” said Laurent Attal, President and CEO, L'Oréal USA. “It is critical to encourage women, who represent almost half the workforce but hold less than a quarter of all scientific jobs, to pursue scientific career paths. Now more than ever, the world needs science and science needs women.”
Dr. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, was also honored with the L’Or éal USA For Women in Science Role Model Award for her role in helping to shape the image of women in science.
Barnes, an earth scientist and geochemist, is analyzing chlorine isotope ratios of rocks, minerals and volcanic gas to determine the source of chlorine emitted from active volcanoes. Barnes is identifying sources of chlorine in two very different subduction zones, and has recognized important isotopic fractionation processes between hydrochloric acid solutions and vapor, which have implications for the fundamental dissociation of hydrochlorine in aqueous solutions. Her work may hold the key to how volcanic eruptions occur and thus help scientists to predict future eruptions.
Launched in 2003 as the U.S. component of the UNESCO-L’ORÉAL International Fellowships program, the U.S. program aims to raise awareness of the contribution of women to the sciences, and to identify exceptional female researchers to serve as role models for young women and girls. The L’Oréal USA Fellowships offer three distinct levels of support to young women scientists.
The program supports its awardees financially, by granting them $40,000 each to put toward their independent scientific research. It also helps them strengthen their networks in the scientific community. Additionally, it provides coaching and professional development workshops with accomplished women leaders in corporate, academic and government fields to help these Fellows be better prepared as they publish research, apply for grant funding and advance their careers.
Since the L’ORÉAL-UNESCO For Women in Science international program’s inception in 1998, 47 Laureates and 105 Fellows have been recognized from around the world.
A distinguished jury of seven eminent scientists -- presided over by Dr. Cicerone– selected the five fellowship beneficiaries from a competitive pool of highly qualified individuals. Each of this year’s Fellows has achieved notable recognition in her respective field and is widely published in leading science journals such as Nature, The American Journal of Psychiatry, and Pharmaceutical Research. Combined, the women have first-authored 24 papers at this early stage of their careers.
“It is vital that we encourage emerging scientists who hold the key to future discoveries,” said Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone, President, National Academy of Sciences. “L’Oréal USA’s visionary Fellowships program cultivates women scientists and provides essential support as they embark on their careers.”
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
A team of MBA students from the Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico competed in the 2007 Cadillac National Case Study Competition recently. Judged by a panel of Cadillac executives and members of Cadillac’s marketing agency, Modernista, the UNM team placed second behind Virginia Commonwealth University. It was the third consecutive year a UNM team has participated in the competition held each year in Detroit, Mich. UNM won the competition the past two years.
The Anderson School MBA team includes students Heba Almasri, Kristina Knight, Dimitri Pavlakos, and Grant Price, and is mentored by Anderson Lecturer John Benavidez. Other students from Benavidez’s class also attended the event. The project was conducted as part of Benavidez’s Marketing Communications Management class.
This year, the task was to create a consumer –focused marketing plan for the 2008 Cadillac CTS that supports the launch of the new vehicle, showcases its new features and attributes, focusing on how they are relevant to the target audience, and all the while, reinforces the new “Life. Liberty. And the Pursuit” campaign positioning in a way that appeals to the target customer. The UNM team chose to conduct its case study around the target audience of ‘Move-Ups,” younger men and women looking into the luxury car segment for the first time.
The 2007 Cadillac National Case Study Competition is hosted by EdVenture Partners (EVP) and challenges students to answer analytical questions and forces them to tackle difficult situations of interest regarding Cadillac’s brand positioning, communication strategy, and current strategic situation.
EdVenture Partners (EVP) develops industry-education partnerships utilizing unique curriculum-based, peer-to-peer models. Those programs provide students with full-time personnel support and resources to implement student designed marketing techniques. Founded in 1990, Orinda, California based EVP has already exposed 40,000 students to their unique programs.
EVP is the only marketing consultancy in the United States that brings together educators, students, clients and their channel partners for mutual collaboration, partnership and benefit. All EVP designed programs provide the opportunity for students to apply academic theory to real-world situations, thereby leveraging student minds in addressing client goals and objectives. For more information of EdVenture Partners, please visit www.edventurepartners.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu or Erin Gardner, (505) 505-306-9575; e-mail: news@mgt.unm.edu
Lecture to address immigration, citizenship, asylum and torture
Helmut Kuhne, German representative to the European Union Parliament, will present “EU International and Immigration Developments” at the University of New Mexico School of Law, room 2404 on Thursday, May 31, 5:30-7 p.m.
In this seminar, Kuhne will examine current developments in immigration, EU citizenship, asylum harmonization norms, International Criminal Court, and the EU Parliament’s perspective on torture. A Q&A session will follow, moderated by Ana Andzic Tomlinson, associate university counsel, UNM Office of University Counsel, and Honorable Chris Berkheimer, New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Administration.
Kuhne is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany and has represented Germany in the EU Parliament since 1994 in three consecutive terms. During this time, he has served on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Subcommittee on Security and Defense, the Parliamentary Group of the Party of European Socialists, the temporary committee on the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for the transportation and illegal detention of prisoners, and as a member of the Substitute Delegation for relations with the United States.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Also, 1.3 General Continuing Legal Education Credits are available for $60, or $55 for International & Immigration Section members.
This event is sponsored by the N.M. State Bar Immigration and International Section, N.M. State Bar CLE, UNM Office of University Counsel and UNM School of Law.
The director of UNM’s new graduate degree program for nanoscience and microsystems Abhaya Datye has worked with the staff at the Center for High Performance Computing (CHPC) to assemble a supercomputer capable of teraflop calculations. Grants from the National Science Foundation’s Integrative Graduate Educations and Research Traineeship (IGERT) and the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) along with money from the Chemistry and Biocomputing Departments at UNM made it possible to acquire this computer.
“This new computer will make it possible for students to play with nanoscale structures even before they synthesize them in the lab," Datye says. "It has already made a big difference to graduate students taking 'Density Functional Theory,' a physics course being taught by Professor Susan Atlas on the computational modeling of nanomaterials. Students used the supercomputer to perform the calculations for individual research projects this spring."
The supercomputer, code named “NANO” is initially being used by students and faculty in the Nanoscience and Microsystems program, but Datye says the machine, located at the CHPC will be managed as a university wide resource.
The supercomputer computer is also available to researchers at other universities in the state who participate in the NSF/EPSCOR program, since one of the goals of the purchase is to enhance statewide capabilities in nanoscience.
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District IV recently bestowed two awards on the University of New Mexico Communication and Marketing Department.
UNM Today, the campus staff and faculty newspaper, received a gold award in the category of newsletters larger than 8 ½ x 11. The entry was submitted by Jana Fothergill, senior graphic designer, Sari Krosinsky, professional intern, Laurie Mellas and Carolyn Gonzales, senior communication representatives. UNM Today came in ahead of entries from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, UT Health Science Center at Houston and Baylor University.
Fothergill also received a bronze award for the Eighth Annual Taos Summer Writers’ Conference poster.
CASE District IV includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Mexico, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. The awards are ranked in Olympic style: gold, silver, bronze and pewter.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
The Institute for Advanced Studies is looking for UNM faculty and staff members interested in collaborations. IAS Director Rob Duncan, UNM IAS Institutional Leader Scott Bruchiel and Los Alamos National Laboratory Institutional Leader Steve Buelow will give presentations about the institute on Thursday, May 24, from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Student Union Building, Lobo Rooms A and B.
The group will also give a presentation in the Nursing/Pharmacy Auditorium Room 135 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. at the Health Sciences Center.
The presenters will discuss the mission and goals of the New Mexico Consortium Institute for Advanced Studies, and they will provide a progress report on funded activities and the outcomes from the IAS 07 Teaming Workshop held last month.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Professor and Chairman of the Department of Civil Engineering at UNM’s School of Engineering Arup Maji has been appointed to chair the Aerospace Division of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Aerospace Division of ASCE represents more than a thousand members who work in the aerospace sector.
Photo: Professor and Chairman of the Department of Civil Engineering Arup Maji.
In his new position Maji will oversee the ASCE technical committees on Advanced Materials and Structures, Aerodynamics, Dynamics and Controls, Space Engineering and Construction and Field Sensing and Robotics. Maji says “The ability to address technical needs of the aerospace sector demonstrates the versatility of the civil engineering profession.”
He points out that many of the engineers in the aerospace sector; especially the experts in structures and mechanics are civil engineers by basic training. This sector also includes experts working on construction, architecture and habitat for space exploration along with multidisciplinary technologies on life-support systems, space commerce and remote sensing.
This year those committees will be involved in publishing technical reports on “Wind Engineering in Urban Aerodynamics” and “Response of Structures and Materials to Shock and Blast.” The society will also organize its biannual international conference, Earth and Space 2008 in Long Beach, California.
Maji has been a UNM faculty member for 18 years. His research interests include precision composite structures for spacecraft components and space based imaging, experimental study of debris transport phenomena in nuclear power plants, smart systems for structural monitoring and application of fiber reinforced plastics for reinforcement and blast mitigation.
Maji holds a B. Tech with honors in civil engineering from IIT Kharagpur, India. He received his M.S. in civil engineering from the University of Miami and his Ph.D. in structural engineering from Northwestern University.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Cotillion Sneddy picked up her bachelor of science from University of New Mexico-Gallup last week. Sneddy, like many of her classmates, is Navajo. One of seven to earn degrees in early childhood/multicultural education there this semester, she is already making a difference in how Native Americans are educated.
Photo: Cotillion Sneddy
Sneddy was a teen parent, giving birth to her daughter Yael, at 17, but still graduated valedictorian of her class. Realizing she needed to know more about early childhood to be a good parent, she volunteered at Head Start.
“What I learned helped me to be a better parent and teacher,” she said. Thirsting for knowledge, Sneddy went to UNM-Gallup where she could take classes on site and online.
“Native women don’t always see good parenting. Alcohol, physical abuse and poverty are commonplace,” she said.
She and Jael’s father went their separate ways and Sneddy is now married to Dugan Morgan and has two other children, Yael, now nine, is sister to Treasure, five, and brother Hunter, 7 months.
Sneddy and her husband work together to make a better life for their children.
“We want to raise our children to be proud of where they came from,” Sneddy said. They live on a ranch in Pinehaven, on the Navajo reservation about 15 miles south of Gallup, NM. She concedes that Morgan’s Navajo language skills are better than her own and that the children speak the language.
“They also know they come from the Water Flows Together People, The Red Running Into the Water People, The Sagebrush People and the Sleeping Rock People,” she said.
“We have horses, cattle and sheep. When we met each other we had nothing. We had each other. We have made sacrifices for our children and it was worth it,” she said.
Her degree gives her licensure to teach birth to grade 3, but she isn’t finished with her education. “I am already enrolled in summer courses to work on a master’s in elementary education. It will give me the broader span – K-8,” she said.
Sneddy said there is a strong need for native leaders. “People don’t understand the culture, the needs of both the community and the parents,” she said. For that reason she eventually plans to pursue an advanced degree in educational leadership.
In the classroom, Sneddy said, teachers need to think about the realities of their students. “They may not have eaten since they left school. They may go home to no one there. Often they may not have slept because their parents were fighting,” she said, noting that her own upbringing reflected these problems. But, she tells them, “There’s always hope.”
Sneddy currently works in the Family and Child Education Program out of the BIA’s Chichiltah School, located 25 miles southwest of Gallup. She is a parent educator who brings materials into the home to show parents how to work with their children.
“I come to them as one of our people. I can relate to the parents. I tell them, ‘I am here for you and your child.’ I show them they don’t have to buy stuff to work with their children. I also give them resource information for Medicaid and such,” Sneddy said.
Sneddy also shares her life story with the parents, “So they can see that the circle of drugs, violence and poverty can be broken,” she said. Sneddy only recently reunited with her father. “My mother has been there through thick and thin. She watches my kids so I can work and go to school,” she said.
Earning her degree is not only an accomplishment for herself she said, but also setting a standard for her children, and for her husband who is just five classes away from earning an associates degree.
Sneddy said that UNM’s Distance Education Program made it possible for her to get an education without leaving home. “I can use what I learn everyday.”
Click here for photo of Sneddy and family.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The Institute for American Indian Education, (IAIE), a mentoring and support organization for American Indian students pursuing teaching degrees and administrative licensure, received an award of $140,000 from the New Mexico Higher Education Department.
Photo: Randy Brokeshoulder, Navajo, was the first student selected by the IAIE Native American faculty on UNM main campus for a New Mexico Higher Education Teacher Quality scholarship.
The American Indian Teacher Quality grant addresses the dearth of American Indian teachers in New Mexico. Although New Mexico’s population is 10 percent American Indian representing 22 tribal nations, less than one percent of all teachers in New Mexico are American Indian.
IAIE, located in the Department of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural (LLSS), UNM College of Education, began addressing the need to increase the number of American Indian teachers in 2003. Through a scholarship grant from the New Mexico Public Education Department, more than 60 American Indian students graduated with teaching degrees or administrative licenses in an unprecedented three year period.
The IAIE America Indian Teacher Quality grant, which originates from No Child Left Behind funding at the federal level, provides scholarships for at least 20 American Indian students, 10 from UNM-Gallup and 10 from UNM main campus.
The IAIE grant continues the program UNM-Gallup began two years ago under the direction of Helen Zongolowitz and begins the program for the first time on the UNM main campus. The UNM project is directed by Glenabah Martinez, a tribal member from the Pueblo of Taos and LLSS faculty member, and managed by Colleen Keane, IAIE program manager.
Each candidate must be an enrolled tribal member with preference given to New Mexico tribal enrollment, with demonstrated academic excellence and a commitment to teaching American Indian students. Candidates must also be entered or on track to enter the College of Education and have taken the New Mexico Basic Skills Teacher Assessment test.
Scholarship applications for fall are available at Institute for American Indian Education. The deadline is July 1. For more information, call (505) 277-7781 or (505) 277-0577.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
U.S. News and World Report’s 2008 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools” ranks several University of New Mexico programs among the best.
UNM School of Medicine is ranked 41 while once more ranking among the top 10 –rural medicine, 2, and family medicine, 10. Additionally, in health disciplines, UNM’s nursing/midwifery program is ranked 3.
UNM School of Law is ranked 75, while ranking 3 for law school diversity and 6 in clinical training. The rankings included 184 accredited law schools and were based on a weighted average.
UNM College of Fine Arts is ranked 51, with its photography program ranked 2 in the nation.
Additionally, several engineering programs are ranked including: Electrical Engineering (57); Computer Engineering (63); Computer Science (67); and Mechanical Engineering (82). Overall, UNM's School of Engineering is ranked 74th among the best graduate engineering schools and 79th among the best undergraduate engineering schools.
Each year, U.S. News ranks professional-school programs in business, education, engineering, law and medicine. Rankings are based on two types of data: expert opinion about program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students. The data comes from surveys of more than 1,200 programs and some 12,500 academics and professionals that were conducted in fall 2006.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Foundation elected nine new members and re-elected four members to its Board of Directors recently. New members include: Sandra Begay-Campbell, Lou Ann Lujan Byrd, Michelle Coons, Gus Foster, Peter Johnstone, Mark Lesher, Jack Olive, Steven Petranovich and Elizabeth Wiggins. Re-elected members include: George Friberg and Yolanda Jones King, 3rd term, and John Lopez and Robert Taichert, Esq., 2nd term. All board terms are through April 30, 2011.
New Board officers include: Thelma Domenici, chair; Gary Gordon, vice chair/chair-elect; Judith Lavender, national vice-chair; and Anne Yegge, secretary. They join Michael Kingan, president of the UNM Foundation and vice president of Institutional Advancement, and David Harris, treasurer and acting UNM president, as officers on the Board of Directors.
New Board Member Bios…
Sandra Begay-Campbell
A former member of the UNM Board of Regents, Begay-Campbell received a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from UNM in 1987 and a master’s in Structural Engineering from Stanford Engineering. She is currently employed at Sandia National Laboratories as a principal member of the technical staff working with tribal renewable energy throughout the nation. In 2000, she was a recipient of the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Women from the New Mexico Commission on the Status of Women, and also received the Stanford University Multicultural Alumni of the Year Award.
Lou Ann Lujan Byrd
Lujan Byrd received an Associate of Science in Radiological Technology from UNM in 1977. She is the daughter of Edward Lujan, former CEO of the Manuel Lujan Agencies. The Manual Lujan Agencies was bought by Lujan Byrd’s grandfather in 1926 and continues to be a family-run business. She volunteers on several boards and community groups.
Michelle Coons
Coons received her bachelor’s degree from the Anderson School of Management in 1983 and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2003. She is currently the head of commercial banking for Bank of the West in Albuquerque where she is responsible for expanding the bank’s commercial relationships in New Mexico, Arizona and Oklahoma. Coons’ banking career has spanned 23 years. She is the 2005 recipient of the Alumni Association’s Zia Award, past president of the Association and past chair of The Anderson Schools Foundation Board.
Gus Foster
Foster is a major donor to the UNM's Harwood Museum of Art in Taos. He was instrumental in securing a $1.2 million state appropriation for the Harwood's expansion and renovation, and he chairs the committee for that capital campaign in addition to serving on the Harwood's governing board. He has been associated with the Harwood for nearly 20 years, was president of the Harwood Advisory Board for 12 years, and chaired the capital campaign committee of its last major expansion between 1995 and 1997.
Peter Johnstone
Johnstone earned his undergraduate degree (1970) and Juris Doctorate (1974), both from UNM. He’s a former member of the Albuquerque Bar Association Board of Directors (1980-83) and was past president of the Albuquerque Bar Association (1981-82). In 1991, Johnstone received the Albuquerque Bar Association’s Outstanding Lawyer Award. He has been an AV rated lawyer in Martindale-Hubbell for more than 25 years. Johnstone served six years in the New Mexico Air National Guard. He has two children, both graduates of UNM.
Mark Lesher
Dr. Lesher is employed at Eye Associates of New Mexico, which is the largest ophthalmic and optometric group in the Southwest. He’s a member of the Board of Directors of Eye Associates of New Mexico. He earned both a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology (1983) and M.D. (1988) from UNM. Lesher is a member of the New Horizon Society and is on the Board of Directors for the UNM Lobo Club.
Jack Olive
Olive earned a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from UNM in 1968. He’s the current president of AlASCON Inc., a building and real estate development company located in Anchorage (Alaska). He’s the president of JAAX Inc., an Alaska corporation involved in Property Management and Operations, and president and director of Windsong Inc., a real estate company also incorporated in Alaska.
Steven Petranovich
Petranovich earned both his Bachelor’s in Business Administration (1976) and Master’s in Business Administration from the Anderson School of Management (1977). A Gallup (N.M.) native, Petranovich is s certified public accountant working and sole proprietor since 1985. He has served on a number of volunteer and community organizations.
Elizabeth Wiggins
Wiggins received her bachelor’s of science in accounting from the Anderson School of Management in 1969. She is one of 11 partners in the accounting firm of BKD, LLP in Houston, Texas. Prior to her partnership at BDK, she was president of White Petrov McHone where she was employed for 25 years. Wiggins served on its three-member board of directors for 15 years. She is a member of the Houston Chapter of the Texas Society of CPAs, the American Institute of CPAs, and the American Society of Appraisers. Wiggins is also involved with several volunteer and community organizations.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Show airs on KNME Channel 5 Friday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m. and repeats Sunday, May 20 at 7 a.m.
It's the start of a new era at the University of New Mexico. In a couple of weeks, David J. Schmidly begins his tenure as the University's 20th president. "In Focus" host Kate Nelson sits down with UNM's new leader for a one-on-one conversation about his plans for the state's flagship university in his first in-depth interview here in New Mexico.
The show airs on KNME Channel 5 Friday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m. and repeats Sunday, May 20 at 7 a.m.
“In Focus” is an in-depth, television news magazine focusing on the events,
topics, and issues which shape people’s lives in the Southwest, covering issues that New Mexicans want to know more about. It is a fusion of KNME’s award-winning journalistic, documentary and cultural local-production.
The producer is Kevin McDonald and journalist Kate Nelson, managing editor of the Albuquerque Tribune, is the host.
Support for the 39-week season of “In Focus” has been provided by the McCune Charitable Foundation. Closed captioning of IN FOCUS has been made possible by a gift from Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs.
Media Contact: Evy Todd, (505) 277-1218; e-mail: etodd@unm.edu
As part of a $2.22 million Upward Bound grant award to higher education institutions across New Mexico, the University of New Mexico’s Upward Bound program received $443,998 to serve 125 program participants, announced Vice President for Student Affairs Eliseo “Cheo” Torres.
The grant allows UNM’s Upward Bound, in existence since 1981, to continue another four years.
Upward Bound is a college-based program that provides academic instruction for first-generation, low-income high school students who are at risk of not going to college.
Participants in Upward Bound receive supplemental instruction in math, science, language arts, and computer sciences during the academic year and attend a summer session that includes intensive services to support academic achievement and college preparation. Students also receive tutoring, mentoring and participate in cultural events and campus visits. They also receive a stipend.
“Our Upward Bound program is part of the university’s commitment to help prepare students for college,” Torres said. “It means that in 2007, 125 students who might not otherwise be able to attend institutions of higher education can do so.”
“When you are a first-generation, low income high school student, you face all kinds of obstacles to the possibility, let alone the reality, of preparing for, affording, and attending a college or university,” Torres said.
Funding is provided through the U.S. Department of Education. Statewide, the funding will allow nearly 500 students to take part in the program. Upward Bound at Clovis Community College, Eastern New Mexico University, New Mexico Junior College and New Mexico State University were also funded. UNM received the largest dollar amount to serve the largest number of students.
For more information, contact Vice President for Student Affairs Eliseo “Cheo” Torres at 505-277-0952, or at cheo@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
The UNM Alumni Association has created a new program designed to engage faculty and staff alumni on campus each month. The program, titled ‘4th Friday,’ will vary from month to month and will be held accordingly on the fourth Friday of each month. This month’s ‘4th Friday’ event will be held Friday, May 25, in conjunction with the Memorial Day weekend.
The event begins at noon at the Alumni Memorial Chapel, which was built to honor UNM alumni war veterans who gave their lives serving our country.
The program will feature individuals who can provide some perspective on Memorial Day and the chapel itself. Among those participating include Karen Abraham, alumni relations; Joe McKinney, campus planner; and military representatives Capt. Nori Reed, Naval ROTC; Lt. Col. Gregory Tuite and Maj. Kenneth Thalman, Air Force ROTC; Lt. Col. Eric Sevigni, Army ROTC; and a flag ceremony performed by UNM ROTC representatives.
In addition, the names of the faculty and staff alumni who have passed away in the last year will be read at the events’ closing. That list includes: Dr. Ferrel Heady, Dara Kaufman, Carroll Lee, Professor Marvin May, Dr. Merle Mitchell, Maria Palacios, George Robert, Richard Scales, Dr. Daniel Smith and Sharon Smoker.
This month’s event is open to all within the campus community. Light refreshments will be served following the ceremonies.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico’s Maxwell Museum of Anthropology presents a one-day symposium, “Race Reconciled? How Biological Anthropologists view human variation,” Thursday, May 24, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hibben Center. The symposium is free and open to the public. Leading voices in biological anthropology will present divergent views of human variation.
Throughout the history of anthropology, scholars have debated how to understand and describe patterns of variation they saw in humankind. They sought to explain these patterns as races, biologically distinct groups clearly different from each other.
However, over the last 60 years, genetic and other studies have increasingly indicated that racial categorization does not fully or accurately describe human variation. To date, scholars have been unable to come to consensus on another classification scheme to better represent our understanding of human diversity.
Biological anthropologists will convene to explore the nature, causes and implications of human biological variation. The primary goal of the symposium is to reconcile various and sometimes opposing views of biological variation and to develop a way to communicate the new synthesis within anthropology and to the broader public.
The full day symposium will host nationally recognized experts from diverse sub-fields within biological anthropology who will present their research in human biological variation. Each presentation will be followed by discussion.
Through scholarly research exchange, symposium organizers bridge the communication divide influencing anthropological problems ranging from uncovering the genetic basis of disease to improving understanding of human evolutionary history. Through reconciliation of views a new dissemination of knowledge will be initiated.
The papers, discussions and synthesis of knowledge gained at “Race Reconciled?” will be published by the University of New Mexico Press.
For more information, call Mary Beth Hermans at 277-1400.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Project aims to develop more indigenous, Spanish speakers
The University of New Mexico has received a two-year $79,000 matching grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant is from the Title VI A Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language (UISFL) program and funds Languages and Internationalization Across the Curriculum: Health and Cultural Integrity, a program offered through UNM’s Latin American and Iberian Institute.
UNM departments and colleges provide one half of the total project costs in matching funds. The grant is renewable after the second year. The first year funding cycle is July 1, 2007 - June 30, 2008.
The UNM project builds an international studies program with language, social sciences and cultural content, and pre-professional prep for careers in public health, medical care, museum studies and heritage preservation. A project goal is to develop a Center for Indigenous Languages with special relevance for the U.S. Southwest and UNM’s longstanding linkages to Latin America.
The project brings together faculty from UNM, with a connection to Diné College, to expand international content and language instruction in the undergraduate curriculum, including experience abroad. Expert faculty in Latin American studies and indigenous and professional foreign languages partner with faculty specializing in other disciplines needed for post-graduate success in the international environments of the 21st century, focusing on areas relevant to New Mexicans: health, cultural integrity, and political enfranchisement.
“The project meets the central purpose of the USDE Title VI.A UISFL Program to create innovative international studies programs for undergraduate students that emphasize language proficiency and significant thematic content. It is especially appropriate for UNM, where the majority of the undergraduate students are Hispanic and Native American, and UNM is dedicated to minority student recruitment and graduation,” said Rebecca Bannister, senior program manager, LAII.
Goals at UNM are to increase the number of undergraduate courses developed and integrated into regular departmental offerings with international content; expand the number of academic units participating in internationalization of curriculum; raise the number of undergraduate majors and minors in Latin American Studies and other area studies programs; and increase undergraduate enrollments in indigenous language courses and in Medical Spanish.
The first phase of the project targets the Native American languages of K’iche’ Maya (Guatemala and Honduras) and Quichua (Ecuadorian highlands), which together are spoken by more than 3 million people, and Medical Spanish, a professional skill that is in high demand in the U.S. and Latin America and is directly related to the UNM undergraduate BA/MD degree program in Health, Medicine, and Human Values, as well as the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy. The project joins emphases on health sciences and cultural preservation with pre-professional education and viable career options for UNM undergraduate students.
For Spanish version of press release visit: Lenguas e internacionalización a través del currículo: Integridad de la Cultura y la Salud
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Gloria Dyc, professor of Arts and Letters at the University of New Mexico-Gallup, has been named a UNM Regents Professor in English, a first for a branch faculty member. The three-year appointment includes a stipend used to further their research or professional projects. The title, one of the highest honors UNM bestows on faculty, can be used for life.
Photo: Professor Gloria Dyc
“This is the first time that a branch faculty member has received a Regents’ professorship. I think this reflects the increasing recognition by UNM of the critical contributions made by the branches and of the quality of faculty that serve at the branch colleges,” said Chris Marlow, dean of instruction.
Dyc, who joined the UNM-Gallup faculty in 1988 as an instructor in English, completed her dissertation for the Ph.D. in English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan in 1989, and was subsequently promoted to assistant professor. Her dissertation was based on six years of fieldwork and teaching at Sinte Gleska College on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota.
Dyc’s theoretical work on development of literacy in native communities has been published in the American Indian Culture and Research Journal and the Bilingual Research Journal. She has made scholarly presentations at the College Composition and Communications Conference, the Rocky Mountain MLA, the American Anthropology Association Conference, Teaching English as a Second Language conference and others.
She served as chair of English/Communications at UNM-Gallup for two years, and then chair of Arts and Letters for six years after a re-organization of college departments.
Dyc has been active on the UNM-Gallup Cultural Arts Council since its inception. Among CAC accomplishments: successfully nominating the late Carl Gorman for an honorary doctorate from UNM, as well as bringing numerous artists, musicians and writers to campus.
“I’ve taught Native American literature for 25 years, so these readings have supported my teaching and have provided students with valuable contact,” Dyc said.
In addition, much of the student work in The Red Mesa Review, UNM-Gallup’s award-winning literary magazine, originates in Dyc’s creative writing or Native American Literature class.
Her first collection of poetry, East West and Beyond, published by Plainview Press of Austin, Texas, (www.plainviewpress.net) is due for release soon. Her fiction has been published in numerous journals and anthologies.
"Dr. Dyc is truly deserving of this award,” said Marlow. “She has excelled in her teaching and has provided valuable service to the college and the community, and has engaged in professional development including publishing articles and creative works.’
Media Contact: Linda Thornton, (505) 863-7565; e-mail: lthornton@gallup.unm.edu
The Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico has announced that Associate Professor Rich Brody has been named to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiner’s (ACFE) Editorial Advisory Committee. Brody will serve one year on the committee, and his insights will be used in publishing Fraud Magazine.
The mission of the ACFE is to reduce the incidence of fraud and white-collar crime and to assist members in its detection and deterrence.
Brody teaches graduate-level classes in internal auditing and investigation at Anderson.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The UNM Chapter of Sigma Xi recognized its 2007 Sigma Xi & Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Excellence Awards at its annual banquet recently. The Honor Society of Sigma Xi is a national organization devoted to the encouragement of scientific research.
The following individuals were recognized:
Superior Undergraduate Student
Tom Pohl, Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, UNM
Excellence in Graduate Research
Jian Wang, Department of Chemistry, UNM
Outstanding High School Math Teacher
Julio Vargas, Mathematics, Los Lunas High School
Outstanding High School Science Teacher
Christina Trueba, Biology, Los Lunas High School
Sigma Xi Chapter 2007 Young Investigator Award
Mahmoud Reda Taha, Department of Civil Engineering, UNM
Noteworthy Technical Support Person
John DeMoss, Department of Physics & Astronomy, UNM
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Three Russian Studies students have received awards and scholarships. The American Council of Teachers of Russian has chosen Eulogio Crespin as a Post-Secondary Russian Scholar Laureate. Crespin, a senior, has been a “mainstay” in the Russian Studies program since enrolling in Russian 101, according to Russian Studies Professor Byron Lindsey.
Lindsey, Crespin’s nominator, wrote, “Eulogio is the pace setter—assiduous, analytical, keen of memory, also unassuming, understated—but as if inspired by his studies of Russia.”
Crespin traveled to the Ukraine four times, working with a small volunteer group. He and his friends did impressive social work in orphanages and schools in small towns near Dnepropetrovsk. His descriptions of the conditions and challenges he faced are graphic and moving, Lindsey wrote.
Lucas Townsend received the National Security Education Program David L. Boren Scholarship, given to U.S. undergraduates to study abroad. Scholarship recipients study in regions of the world critical to U.S. interests, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East.
Lindsey, Townsend’s nominator, wrote, “He has demonstrated great self discipline, precise skills of analysis and unflagging energy to excel in the variety of disciplines in our Russian Studies major.”
Townsend spent five weeks in Russia last summer, participating in a program Lindsey directed that took them to Moscow and Tver. “It was his first time abroad and I found him admirably quick to understand and adjust to his surroundings and generally showed fine sensitivity to the social and cultural environment. He made rapid advances in his command of Russian,” Lindsey wrote.
Townsend’s goal is to apply his Russian Studies training to further his professional position at the federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Agency.
Hannah Morrow was one of 30 U.S. students out of 550 applicants to receive a scholarship for a month of study at the InterContact Intensive Russian Institute in Tver. The award comes from the Central Association of Russian Teachers of America.
The Critical Language Scholarships are part of the National Security Language Initiative, a federal effort designed to increase the number of Americans learning and teaching critical need foreign languages.
Morrow is a dual major, studying both Russian Studies and history. She plans to apply to an international studies master’s program with a Russian emphasis.
Lindsey said, “Hannah is a remarkable scholar, but also a generous volunteer for all our program’s efforts, which have made a difference at UNM.”
Russian Studies is in the UNM Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
In one of medicine’s puzzling wonders in terms of diagnosis and treatment, autism has landed front and center on many radar screens across the nation, regionally and also here at the University of New Mexico’s Center for Development and Disability.
Photo: Dr. Cate McClain (left) and Pat Osbourn among the many library resources at the center. A large collection of Autism Spectrum Disorder related material is available for loan to parents, students, providers and state agencies.
Autism Spectrum Disorder, which is defined as an impairment in communication, social interaction and behavior, is a spectrum disorder because it affects people to different degrees.
“We really spearheaded the local and state initiative with great success through the state legislature, by working closely with parents and advocates” said Dr. Cate McClain, director of the CDD. “UNM did research on what is known about the disorder and services, and provided that information to an advisory group. All the work we’ve done has been in response to the national trends which reflect statewide trends and issues – they go hand-in-hand.”
However, ASD has been at the forefront of the Center’s mission since the early 90s, when it developed the SouthWest Autism Network (SWAN) to provide technical assistance, training and parent support to the state’s ASD population. Since that time, the diagnosis of the disorder increased many times over. In the 90s, approximately 1-2 in 10,000 people nationwide were diagnosed with the disorder. Today, the disorder affects as many as 1 in 150, estimates McClain. Awareness about the disorder is one explanation about the increase in cases.
“Every 20 minutes someone is diagnosed with autism,” said McClain. “The diagnostic criteria has changed and broadened over the years so that many more children fit under this rubric than before. The million-dollar question is ‘what causes autism?’ You can have autism with a low IQ, a normal IQ or a high IQ. You can imagine the differences in various individuals diagnosed with autism.”
In 2004, the Center received a one-year grant from the Center for Health Care Strategies to create a plan for how managed care systems, parents, the Department of Health, the Human Services Department and the Public Education Department could address the increasing demand for autism services. Federal guidance for best practices and national recommendations were followed by the Center. This plan was used as the basis for the most recent legislative initiative.
McClain and Pat Osbourn, who is the director of Neurodevelopmental Services Division at the Center, have been instrumental over the past decade in getting many services to the level they are now. Still, more needs to be done.
“Issues that need to be continually addressed include training for all levels of providers and enhancing family support networks, ” said Osbourn. “We want to be a resource to families of children with ASD and to our state partners. There’s a great opportunity for UNM to take a leadership role in providing excellence in training, service and research in this area.”
The CDD is working towards those means. Money from the State Legislature during the most recent session helped immensely with services. “It will make a pretty good dent for services this year,” said McClain.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Jason Zuffranieri of the University of New Mexico College Bowl Team was honored Monday with the Pat Moonen Sportsmanship Award at the College Bowl National Championship Tournament, hosted by the University of Southern California.
College Bowl Company, in cooperation with the Association of College Unions International (ACUI), produces the championship.
The award is presented annually to the player who most embodies the characteristics of fair play, courtesy and competitive spirit. College Bowl is a question and answer game of general knowledge and quick recall. Game questions cover every conceivable topic from history to literature to sports and popular culture.
Zuffranieri, team captain, was also named to the All-Star Team. His 73 points per game was the third highest average at the tournament. He is a UNM graduate student in statistics from Phoenix, Ariz.
“I'd like to think that my generally positive attitude towards whatever came our team's way at the tournament provided even just a tiny example of how a player can have a good time regardless of the end result,” Zuffranieri said. “Many players were quicker on the buzz and had deeper knowledge on subjects, but I don't know any players that enjoyed themselves more.”
The Lobos compiled a 7-8 record in the tournament to finish tenth of 16 teams. The University of Minnesota defeated the University of Southern California to win the championship.
Zuffranieri was joined on the UNM team by Krista Foutz, a junior from Gallup majoring in history, John McCulloch, a junior from Farmington majoring in chemical engineering; John Ogren, a senior from Marion, Massachusetts, majoring in physics, and Matthew Touchin, a senior from Gallup majoring in creative writing.
“This is a humbling award that I believe could have gone to any number of players, certainly including my teammates,” Zuffranieri said. “My attitude towards the game is that nothing should come between trying your best, both at answering the questions and at making sure the teams are treated fairly and with an appropriate amount of respect.”
New Mexico qualified for the College Bowl National Championship by winning a regional qualifying tournament held at the University of Utah. This marks the third consecutive year the Lobos qualified for the national championship tournament. New Mexico finished 16th in the nation in 2005, and 15th in 2006.
Full tournament results are available on-line at
College Bowl Results. Photos are available upon request from tfm@collegebowl.com.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
Employment opportunities are plentiful for UNM spring graduates, said Sheri Wharton, coordinator for Employer Relations at UNM Career Services. Students who pursued degrees in business or civil engineering are in particular demand.
“We always have a number of engineering jobs, but this year we have a lot of accounting firms and businesses hiring UNM students. Sales types of positions are also plentiful,” Wharton said.
In addition to numerous accounting firms, employers such as Lockheed Martin, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Los Alamos National Lab, the Department of Treasury-Office of the Comptroller, Naval Audit Service, Goldman Sachs and Raytheon conducted interviews at UNM.
“A lot of opportunities exist for students who fully utilize our services,” Wharton said.
In addition to on-campus recruiting, UNM Career Services coordinates career fairs throughout the year.
UNM Career Services is a “paperless office,” fully conducting its business online. Employers can post open positions in e-Recruiting and review resumes free of charge.
Students of the university also receive free services. They should begin employment preparations early, Wharton said. Often a business will want to see the resumes of students who match the criteria in their job description.
“We really encourage students to put their resumes in the e-Recruiting system, and we’ve seen a rise in the number of students contacting our office,” Wharton said.
From May 1, 2006, to May 1, 2007, there was an increase of 1,108 to 1,651 documents (resumes and cover letters) uploaded into e-Recruiting – a 49 percent increase.
For more information, call Career Services, 277-2531 or visit Career Services.
Richard Rodriguez, one of America’s most important essayists and master of the personal essay, will deliver the keynote address at the 2007 Taos Summer Writers’ Conference on Sunday, July 8 at 8 p.m. Rodriguez has authored three books, is a contributing editor for Harper’s Magazine, pens a Sunday Opinion section for the Los Angeles Times and appears as an essayist on PBS’s “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.”
Photo: Richard Rodriguez
His televised essays on “American Life” were honored in 1997 with a George Peabody Award. The keynote is one of several events the conference offers to the public free of charge.
Founded by Sharon Oard Warner, University of New Mexico creative writing program director, the conference presents intensive weekend and weeklong workshops on writing and publishing July 7-13. Tuition rates vary. Many workshops are already closed, and those remaining are filling up fast.
Registered participants can also access a newly introduced conference blog, which gives participants and faculty a chance to meet virtually before the conference, post work and live-journal the conference experience.
For more information visit 2007 Taos Summer Writers’ Conference or email taosconf@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
A campus-wide open house is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 6, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in conjunction with incoming President David Schmidly’s week of inaugural festivities. The president will be installed Sunday, Oct. 7, in the afternoon at Popejoy Hall.
Special invitations will be extended to UNM students, high school students and families.
Schools, colleges, programs and disciplines will be showcased at the open house. An emphasis will be placed on hands-on activities, demonstrations, student research, performance, exhibitions and lectures
To get your area of campus involved, contact Laurie Mellas, Parent Relations, parent@unm.edu.
UNM’s Employee Health Promotion Program celebrates winners of the second UNM Biggest Loser Challenge as it launches UNM on the Move, a free, pedometer-based walking program on Monday, May 14, at noon in SUB Lobo rooms A&B.
Photo: Della Daniel, clinical education, University Hospital, is named UNM's Biggest Loser by Employee Health Promotion Program Manager Nicholas Spezza. Daniel lost 20 pounds during EHPP's 12-week weight loss challenge.
Refreshments and a limited amount of free pedometers for UNM employees will be supplied. The EHPP team will lead a 15-minute group walk at 12:40 leaving from the SUB. The event falls on the first day of Employee Health and Fitness Week and kicks off the EHPP summer fitness schedule.
Biggest Loser Challenge 2007, a 12-week weight loss challenge, began in January and offered nutrition, health education and fitness classes as well as e-mail support for those who participated.
UNM on the Move is a walking program open to all UNM employees designed to get people to move more, make good eating choices and log steps on the EHPP Web site. UNM employees who complete the 10-week program will be eligible to win a Fitness Assessment from the Exercise Physiology Lab and two sessions with an EHPP Personal Trainer.
For more information visit EHPP.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
The Agora Crisis Center is looking for volunteers to answer phones for its 24-hour help-line. Founded in 1970, Agora is one of the oldest crisis centers in the nation, staffed by trained peer counselors.
Volunteer positions are open to all community members who are at least 18 years old. A one-week summer training will be held June 4-8. Fall training will be held on four consecutive Saturdays beginning Sept. 15.
The deadline to apply is June 1 for summer training or Sept. 8 for fall training. To apply, call 277-3013 or visit Agora Cares.
Golf tourney proceeds to benefit UNM’s Presidential Scholarship Program
The Bank of America/Larry Ahrens Golf Tournament will celebrate its silver anniversary benefiting the University of New Mexico Presidential Scholarship Program on Friday, June 15, at the University of New Mexico Championship Golf Course. The tournament features a pair of shotgun starts beginning at 7:45 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Last year the tournament surpassed the $1 million mark ($1,050,705) in terms of funds raised and currently provides more than 35 Presidential Scholarships each year. The tournament is annually the single, biggest one-day fundraiser at UNM.
Since its inception, the PSP has offered tuition-free education to more than 2,550 scholars, made possible by more than $9.5 million in gifts from donors.
The tournament format consists of a 4-person Red-White-Blue scramble, limited to one “A” player (handicap of nine or less), and a combined handicap of each team of at least 43. Interested participants may form their own team, or play as an individual or pair and be assigned to a team.
Team prizes will be awarded for first through fourth place teams, a.m. and p.m. flights, and first through third place prizes for women’s teams. There will also be a number of skill and random drawing prizes. The per player entry fee of $125 includes green fees, cart, range balls, drinks, snacks, breakfast, lunch and a post-tournament awards dinner.
Sponsorship opportunities are also available at various levels including: prize or product sponsorships; Hole Sponsor ($300); Birdie Level sponsor ($1,500); Eagle Level sponsor ($2,500); and Leaderboard Level sponsor ($4,000).
For more information on sponsorships and benefits or to register, call (505) 277-5688. Interested participants may also register online at Bank of America/Larry Ahrens Golf Tournament.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
SolarFusion, a special multimedia exhibition, recently opened at the National Atomic Museum in Albuquerque. The exhibition was developed by the museum in partnership with the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot and UNM's Department of Physics and Astronomy Department.
The first astronomy-related exhibition launched by the museum, SolarFusion explores the complex structure and processes of the Sun, the interaction between Sun and Earth, star birth and death, and how the natural process of nuclear fusion supports life.
Accompanying the exhibition is a special daily screening of the PBS Nova program, "Origins-Back to the Beginning," at 1:30 p.m. in the museum theater.
Contributors to the exhibition were Dr. Stephen Keil, Director, and Dave Dooling, Education & Public Outreach Officer, National Solar Observatory; Dr. Richard J. Rand, Associate Professor, University of New Mexico; and Karen Keese, writer and amateur astronomer.
SolarFusion will run through Labor Day weekend. Admission to the special exhibition and the museum theater are included with regular museum admission. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week.
For information, call (505) 245-2137 or visit National Atomic Museum.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Program airs Friday, May 11, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 13, at 7 a.m. on Channel 5
New Mexico ranks second from the bottom nationally in health insurance coverage with 21 percent of New Mexicans still without it. This week on “In Focus,” find out what’s being done on a grassroots level to change that. Go behind the scenes of “Cover the Uninsured Week,” April 23-27.
Look at Gov. Richardson’s surprise decision not to sign off on a bill requiring that young girls get the HPV vaccine. Learn why so many doctors supported his veto and what happens next for the drug in New Mexico.
“Health Insurance Coverage In New Mexico, The Uninsured & The Governor’s Veto" airs Friday, May 11, at 7:30 p.m. and again Sunday, May 13, at 7 a.m. on KNME Channel 5.
Guests
Robin Hunn, NM Coordinator, Cover the Uninsured Week
Bill Johnson, Former CEO, UNMH
Kay Lane, Nurse Practitioner
Dr. Cosette Wheeler, Professor OB GYN Oncology, UNM
Dr. Gary Overturf, New Mexico Pediatric Society
“In Focus” is an in-depth, television news magazine focusing on the events,
topics, and issues which shape people’s lives in the Southwest, covering issues that New Mexicans want to know more about, It is a fusion of KNME’s award-winning journalistic, documentary and cultural local-production. The producer of “In Focus” is Kevin McDonald. The host, journalist Kate Nelson, is managing editor of the Albuquerque Tribune.
Support for the 39-week season of “In Focus” has been provided by the McCune Charitable Foundation. Closed captioning of IN FOCUS has been made possible by a gift from Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs.
Media Contact: Evy Todd, (505) 277-1218; e-mail: etodd@unm.edu
Distance Education Programs at the University of New Mexico reaches across the state to embrace students who want to earn a UNM degree while remaining in their own communities to work and live. This semester, UNM’s San Juan Center in Farmington will hand diplomas to 11 students who earned a BS in elementary education. An additional seven will receive an MA in elementary/secondary education. One student completed the state licensure program for teachers and another earned a Bachelor of University Studies.
“UNM is very fortunate to be able to invest in upper division and graduate programs at our branches and other community colleges in New Mexico. This start to finish, close to home model is critical for students who want to graduate from UNM but for many reasons cannot relocate to attend main campus,” said Jerónimo Domínguez, vice provost, UNM Distance Education Programs.
Viola Florez, dean, UNM College of Education, said, “Access is really critical. Some simply can’t come to main campus. Our challenge has been to provide access to students and excellent programs.”
Florez said that through UNM Distance Education Programs they can deliver Web-based programs, instructional television, two-way videoconferencing, or hybrid courses where students are sometimes physically present, sometimes attending online.
She said that the College of Education has core faculty at San Juan, Gallup and Valencia, and is looking to hire some for Taos. Some faculty from main campus travel back and forth, she said.
This semester, at UNM Gallup Bachelor and Graduate Programs, seven students will earn a BS in early childhood multicultural education; 10 will receive a BS in elementary education; six will complete post-BA education; three will earn a BBA; 21 will receive their BUS; and 28 a master’s in education.
“The education programs at Gallup include many Native American students. We are focused on excellence, giving them what they need, so that in turn they can build successful K-12 programs,” Florez said.
Distance ed at UNM-Taos will graduate 17 undergraduates and four graduates this spring. Mario Suazo, academic advisor for the program at UNM-Taos, received an email from Rona Ortega, who is completing her BUS degree this spring.
She wrote, “I just wanted to say that I really appreciate UNM Taos, You have made it possible for me to attend college while working a full time job. By having you in Taos, I did not have to relocate to finish my degree. I was able to take classes here in Taos via ITV, and Web CT. This degree will help me to keep my job while also earning more money.”
One student, Erik Litzenberg, is graduating this spring from UNM Santa Fe, with a master’s in public administration. Three others will graduate this summer. An additional three BUS graduates will complete their degrees in Santa Fe this spring.
“They are our students, whether they are in Gallup, San Juan or Santa Fe. They earn UNM degrees. They are connected to us and we are proud of those programs,” Florez said.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Some University of New Mexico history is very old and even requires digging. UNM owns, or partially owns, archeological sites scattered across the New Mexico landscape. Paa-Ko in the Sandia Mountains; Abo and Quarai in Torrance County, Coronado Monument or Kuaua; and Cañada de Cochiti are some of partially owned UNM properties.
Hewett
Edgar L. Hewett, together with then-UNM President James F. Zimmerman, established UNM’s anthropology department almost secondarily to a cooperative agreement between UNM, the School of American Research and the Museum of New Mexico, both of which he founded in Santa Fe.
“They [Zimmerman and Hewett] agreed that cooperation between UNM and SAR/MNM would be mutually beneficial. And indeed it was. Zimmerman gained a connection with Hewett and his powerful and influential New Mexico allies. He also got an instant anthropology department, or at least the foundation on which to build one.” (JAR vol. 59. no. 3, pg. 313) Hewett would be the first department chair – for both archeology and anthropology.
“Hewett was the ‘Grandfather of the Antiquities Act of 1906,’ the first national preservation act,” Chapman said. All cultural preservation legislation followed that, including legislation that created national monuments such as Bandelier and Chaco, he said.
Hewett also worked to create national parks, such as Mesa Verde. “And he worked to get landowners to donate land to preserve as state or non-profit owned land,” Chapman explained. Among donated sites is Paa-Ko, Coronado, Abo and Quarai and Gran Quivira.
It was Hewett’s knowledge and understanding of the politics behind governmental entities that likely motivated him to develop undivided interest agreements regarding site holdings across the state. “With three parties involved, no one entity can sell it off,” Chapman said.
Young Ranch
“UNM owned the 9,600-acre James Webb Young Ranch, donated 35 years ago. The ranch was used for field research in geology, anthropology, archeology and other areas. Young, via [President] Tom Popejoy donated the land with a codicil which allowed the Dixons to continue to use the orchard,” Chapman said.
UNM traded the ranch to the State Land Office in exchange for 3,000 acres of state owned land in the Mesa del Sol development. Part of the Young Ranch includes land regarded by Cochiti Pueblo as sacred. Two hundred fifteen acres important to the Pueblo were returned to Cochiti in December 2004.
Chapman said that the deed didn’t specify Young’s intention for the donation to be used for scientific and educational purposes in perpetuity, but it was referenced in a letter from Popejoy.
UNM retains ownership of buildings behind the Dixon house, but “the archeological value is in sites on the landscape, not in the buildings,” Chapman said.
Chapman also said that a reason that UNM still owns the D.H. Lawrence Ranch is because language in the deed does state that UNM will provide an endowment to care for the land in perpetuity.
Paa-Ko and Coronado
Paa-Ko became a UNM property in 1938 in a resolution signed by the UNM Board of Regents to divide interest between UNM, the School of American Research and the Museum of New Mexico.
“Hewett made the same arrangements with Coronado. Congress deeded the land to UNM for archeological purposes with the caveat that if the University stops using it for that, then it reverts to the U.S. Government,” he said.
Problems at Coronado brewed when it was discovered that the Coronado visitors’ center was built on tribal land. “UNM settled by giving land to Santa Ana. UNM still owns 26 acres to the river gotten as part of the settlement. There is still room for legal interpretation, however,” Chapman said.
He added, “The University isn’t a good caretaker of extraterritorial lands, but should devote resources for upkeep in proper fashion, if, for example, it takes back Coronado.”
Salinas Sites
The Salinas sites of Abo, Quarai and Gran Quivira were originally obtained through undivided interest between UNM, SAR and MNM. “The federal government got them and turned them into national monuments,” Chapman said. Stewardship of the properties has been a problem because when government reorganizes, museums may or may not be funded.
Pottery Mound
Isleta Pueblo claims ancestral ties on Rio Puerco, south of I-40, even with Los Lunas. At the edge of the Rio Puerco box is the site of an ancestral pueblo from 1200 AD to 1400 AD.
“Frank Hibben ran a field school there in the 1950s and found a hill with lots of pottery. He found kivas with paintings and wrote a publication on the kiva murals from Pottery Mound,” Chapman said.
Pottery Mound was located on the Huning Ranch, owned by Franz Huning who came to New Mexico in the late 1800s, bought land grants and established a mercantile and cattle company, Chapman said.
“Hibben got permission from Huning to excavate the site and got Huning to donate the land for archeological and scientific purposes,” Chapman said of the 26 acres UNM owns.
Chapman said that even though Hewett died in 1946, mention of his name in Santa Fe into the 1960s still evoked hate or love; no one was neutral about him. He was known as “El Toro,” according to Don Fowler, the JAR article’s author, who wrote, “However he was perceived, he left an amazing institutional legacy.”
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Peer Mentoring for Graduates of Color recently presented 11 professors with the first Faculty of Color Awards. PMGC created the award to recognize the outstanding work of UNM faculty of color in mentoring, research, service and teaching.
Photo: Mariachi Lobo performs at the Faculty of Color Awards reception.
“Faculty of color, we’re often isolated in our departments, and people wonder why we get so close to our students. This is a perfect example of why,” said Maggie Werner-Washburne, one of the award recipients. “I cannot tell you how this has touched us.”
Outstanding Faculty of Color Awards were given to Teresa Córdova, architecture and planning; Claudia Benoit Isaac, Latin American studies director; Nancy Lopez, sociology; Glenabah Martinez, language, literacy and sociocultural studies; Margaret Montoya, law and family and community medicine; Beverly Singer, Native American studies and anthropology; and Nelson Valdes, sociology.
Honorable mentions were given to Mario Rivera, public administration, for mentoring; Maggie Werner-Washburne, biology, for research; David Hilliard, African American studies, for service; and Kirsten Pai Buick, art and art history, for teaching.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
A team of MBA students from the Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico has advanced to the final round in the Cadillac Case Study Competition, held annually in Detroit, Mich. The teams will present their case studies to a panel of Cadillac executives and members of Cadillac’s marketing firm, Modernista, on May 23.
The top five graduate submissions in the competition included Fairfield University, Hawaii Pacific University, Indiana University, University of New Mexico and Virginia Commonwealth University, with UNM and Virginia Commonwealth advancing to the final round.
In 2005 and 2006 Anderson School MBA teams won the competition. In 2006 the MBA students defeated a team of MBA students from Indiana University and in 2005 defeated a team of MBA students from the University of Iowa.
The 2007 Cadillac National Case Study Competition, hosted by EdVenture Partners, challenges students to answer analytical questions and analyze situations of interest regarding Cadillac’s brand positioning, communication strategy and current strategic situation.
The Anderson School MBA team includes students Heba Almasri, Kristina Knight, Dimitri Pavlakos and Grant Price, and is mentored by Anderson Lecturer John Benavidez. The project was conducted as part of Benavidez’s Marketing Communications Management class.
This year, the task was to create a consumer-focused marketing plan for the 2008 Cadillac CTS that supports the launch of the new vehicle and showcases its new features and attributes, focusing on how they are relevant to the target audience. It also must reinforce the new “Life. Liberty. And the Pursuit” campaign positioning in a way that appeals to the target customer.
The UNM team chose to conduct their case study around the target audience of “Move-Ups,” younger men and women looking to move into the luxury car segment for the first time.
“There are only a handful of schools around the country recognized for ad programs. This puts UNM in a great position,” said to Steve McKee, of McKee Wallwork Cleveland, a major advertising firm in Albuquerque. McKee was a major supporter of the MBA students working on their case studies for the competition.
According to New Mexico Advertising Federation Vice President Sophie Martin, Virginia Commonwealth University is considered to have the best advertising program in the country. “The fact that Anderson is competing against VCU means that UNM is starting to get the recognition it deserves for its marketing programs.”
Added Benavidez, “Advancing to the final round for the third consecutive year is a great honor for both UNM and Anderson. Our students continue to demonstrate that they are among the brightest and most creative future marketing professionals in the country.”
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
UNM earned five awards from the 2007 New Mexico Press Women contest. UNM Today received first place in the four-color newsletter category. The award was presented to University Communication and Marketing staff Sari Krosinsky, Laurie Mellas, Jana Fothergill and Carolyn Gonzales.
In the category of feature stories, UNM student Chris Elliott received first place for “A Living Language: Navajo,” published in UNM Today. Elliott graduates May 12 with a bachelor’s degree in communication and journalism. In the same category, Laurie Mellas, senior communication representative, received an honorable mention for “Children First,” a profile of Angela Vachio published in Mirage.
Sherri Burr, professor of law, won first place in the speech category for “The Immortal Hattie McDaniel.” The speech was delivered for the U.S. Post Office unveiling of the 2006 Black Heritage postage stamp honoring McDaniel, the first African American to win an Academy award for acting.
Pamela Christie received the Zia Award recognizing a work of fiction by a New Mexico woman for “The King’s Lizard,” a historical mystery novel published by UNM Press.
New Mexico Press Women, an affiliate of the National Federation of Press Women, is an organization of professional journalists and communicators that promotes ethical standards, professional development and protection of First Amendment rights. All first place winners will be entered in the National Federation of Press Women contest.
Through the foresight of UNM administrators and the hard work of the Physical Plant Department, UNM has significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions over the last six years. The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which went into effect in 2005, targets greenhouse gases because most of the world’s scientists believe the gases are contributors to global warming and climate change.
“The year used to determine the reductions was 2000 because that is the base year in Governor Richardson’s Executive Order 05-33,” said Jeffrey Zumwalt, associate director of PPD utility operations.
Between 2000 and 2006, UNM reduced nitrous oxide emissions from 108 tons to 15 tons, or 86 percent, and reduced carbon dioxide emissions from 120,801 tons to 102,550 tons, or 15 percent. The emission numbers are from the UNM District Energy System, facilities that provide steam, chilled water, electricity and domestic water to 95 percent of main and north campuses, not including University Hospitals.
Many of the reductions were accomplished by replacing the old and inefficient boilers and chillers at the Ford Utility Center. University Utilities Engineer Larry Schuster noted in a recent report that in addition to the above savings, the campus has grown 3.6 percent and the annual energy usage has decreased by 8.2 percent.
UNM has also reduced water use by 28 percent between 1995 and 2006. “This is a remarkable accomplishment that should be celebrated,” said Mary Vosevich, PPD director.
Three to receive honorary degrees
Senator Jeff Bingaman will deliver the keynote address at the University of New Mexico spring commencement Saturday, May 12, at 9 a.m. in the University Arena. Pueblo author Joe S. Sando, community organizer and political advocate Frank I. Sanchez and environmental health visionary Larry J. Gordon will receive honorary degrees at the ceremony.
UNM Acting President David Harris will confer a projected total of 2,486 degrees upon UNM main campus graduates – 1,680 bachelor's degrees, 502 master's degrees, 65 doctorates, 101 juris doctorates, 62 medical doctorates, 62 pharmacy doctorates, five graduate certificates and nine education specialists.
UNM regent Jack Fortner will greet graduates on behalf of the UNM Board of Regents. Fortner and fellow regents, Secretary of Education Veronica Garcia, UNM administrators, deans, faculty and staff are among the platform group. Richard W. Holder, deputy provost, is master of ceremonies, and Vivian Valencia, University Secretary, chief marshal.
Deanna V. Armijo, receiving a bachelor of business administration degree, has been selected to deliver the student address. A 2003 graduate of St. Pius X High School, at UNM she was chosen by the National Fraternity Council to lobby in Washington D.C. on behalf of the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act and College Fire Prevention Act. A UNM presidential scholar, she was the recipient of several campus awards, honors and scholarships.
The University Band, conducted by Chad Simons, will play a selection of music for the ceremony's prelude and processional. Katherine Price, who is receiving a bachelor’s in music, will sing the national anthem and alma mater.
Provost Reed Dasenbrock will recognize honors graduates and award the Tom L. Popejoy Dissertation Prize to Elizabeth Bagwell for her dissertation "Domestic Architectural Production in Northwest Mexico."
Following the ceremony, President Harris and the UNM Alumni Association invite graduates, their families and friends to a reception under the big tent at the Pit. The association will also hold an open house for graduating seniors Monday – Friday, May 7-11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Hodgin Hall.
Individual convocation ceremonies are scheduled at various departments and colleges May 11-12.
Honorary Degree Recipients
Joe S. Sando, Doctor of Letters
Sando is honored for contributions to Native American studies, Pueblo history and the Spanish-Colonial history of the Southwest.
A noted author, consultant and lecturer, Sando, of Jemez Pueblo, has written a number of published books. He is a regular columnist for the Albuquerque Tribune. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southwestern Association of Indian Art.
Sando served as director for the Institute for Pueblo Indian Studies/Pueblo Archives at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque for more than two decades, retiring in 2005, the year he was officially recognized for his work by the 47th New Mexico Legislature. He taught at UNM and the Institute for American Indian Arts in Santa Fe.
Frank I. Sanchez, Doctor of Humane Letters
Frank I. Sanchez is recognized for contributions to community organizing, political advocacy, philanthropy and public service in New Mexico and the Southwest.
Sanchez worked to ensure voting rights, increasing legislative representation for Mexican American and American Indian voters.
For the past 20 years, he worked in the philanthropy field, bringing funding to the region’s most impoverished neighborhoods and communities. Sanchez’s personal papers are archived at the Center for Southwest Research, UNM Libraries. The archive was among the first to document grassroots community activity and is one of the library’s most heavily used manuscript collections.
Larry J. Gordon, Doctor of Humane Letters
Larry J. Gordon is hailed for his long-term commitment and leadership in the areas of environmental and public health. He earned bachelors and masters degrees in science from UNM, and a master of public health degree from Michigan.
Gordon founded and directed the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Environmental Health Department, the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Agency and the New Mexico Scientific Laboratory System, and subsequently served as New Mexico cabinet secretary for health and environment. He was also active as an officer of the U.S. Public Health Service.
Gordon was a senior fellow for the Institute for Public Policy and adjunct professor in the School of Public Administration and Political Science Department. Throughout his career, he mentored scores of environmental health practitioners who subsequently achieved eminence.
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu
About 50 of UNM’s spring graduates made it to the finish line thanks to the university’s Graduation Project, based in Academic Affairs. Some 1,458 students have graduated since the program was founded a decade ago.
“Students who left the university after earning at least 98 credit hours receive incentives to return,” said project coordinator Vanessa Shields. Regents provide a tuition award of up to $500 per semester. Students also receive priority enrollment in classes they need to graduate. The goal is for students to earn a degree in two years attending part-time.
About 70 percent of those who participate go on to graduate. Of those, 41 percent are from underrepresented groups.
“We provide timely support and act as a home base for students,” Shields said.
Two of UNM’s most popular faculty launched the project. In 1996, David Stuart and F. Chris Garcia conducted a survey to determine why students were dropping out. Recruitment efforts began in earnest in early 1997.
Now a national model, the project was recently featured in the Arizona Republic and other news venues. For more information call 277-0896.
The University of New Mexico has named 2002 Los Alamos High School graduate, Matthew Maez, as a recipient of the 2007 Clauve Outstanding Senior Award. The Clauve Award is the highest honor a student can receive from UNM. Maez graduated from UNM’s Anderson School of Management with a bachelor in business administration concentrating in human resources.
Photo: Matthew Maez
Maez learned and developed leadership skills that have helped him determine future academic goals. While at Los Alamos High School, he was involved in community service organizations such as Key Club and Natural Helpers where he attained leadership positions.
Through continuous involvement in the New Mexico community, Maez learned of problems and challenges the community faced, and so decided to remain in the state of New Mexico for his college education to help work on and solve many community issues. Maez was a member of DECA, an international association that explores business careers in marketing, management and entrepreneurship. DECA helped him decide to apply to UNM’s Anderson School of Management.
Because of Maez’s exceptional academic performance and campus community involvement and leadership over the past few years, he has been awarded a 2007 Clauve Outstanding Senior Award, granted to UNM seniors who show exceptional performance in both areas. Throughout his academic career, Maez has been constantly involved in academic and leadership programs across the UNM campus.
“Campus involvement was the most valuable element of my college education,” he said. “My experience was truly life changing.”
His academic awards include being a member of both UNM Mortar Board and Golden Key International Honor Societies. Maez
