"Colony Collapse Disorder” is a mysterious phenomenon where worker bees from bee colonies die or disappear. “Colony Collapse Disorder” has been impacting a rising number of honey bee colonies since late 2006. This week, “New Mexico in Focus” takes a look at how bees are faring throughout New Mexico and examines why the Land of Enchantment has not been hit as hard as other states. “New Mexico in Focus” airs on KNME-TV, channel 5, on Friday, August 1 at 7 p.m. and repeats on Sunday, August 3 at 6:30 a.m.
Albert Einstein once said, “if the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”
Co-host David Alire Garcia is joined by Ed Costanza, a beekeeper with the A-Bee Honey Company, Master Beekeeper Les Crowder, Richard “Bugman” Fagerlund, an entomologist and syndicated columnist, and New Mexico State University Agricultural Specialist Charles Martin to discuss the current state of beekeeping and the impact that the mysterious “Colony Collapse Disorder” might have in New Mexico.
Then, guest panelist Peter St. Cyr, a reporter with KKOB-AM radio, will join co-host Gene Grant and regular panelists Jim Scarantino, columnist with the Weekly Alibi, Scott Darnell, communications director for the Republican Party of New Mexico, and Margaret Montoya with the UNM School of Law and School of Medicine to continue the discussion of the controversial Oñate statue in El Paso and debate Sen. Barack Obama’s recent overseas trip, the New Mexico Racing Commission, and the Supreme Court’s possible re-thinking on the “Exclusionary Rule.”
Co-hosted by Alire Garcia, managing editor of the New Mexico Independent, and Grant, an Albuquerque Journal columnist, “New Mexico in Focus” takes a multi-layered look at social, political, economic, health, education and arts issues and explores them in-depth, with a critical eye to give them context beyond the "news of the moment.”
The producers of “New Mexico in Focus” are Kevin McDonald and Kathy Wimmer. Closed Captioning of “New Mexico in Focus” has been made possible by a gift from Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobb
The University of New Mexico is partnering with McKee Wallwork Cleveland, awarding the local agency a contract to assist the university in identifying and strengthening the UNM brand, announced Cinnamon Blair, marketing director, University Communication and Marketing (UCAM).
“The university’s reputation is directly connected with student success,” UNM President David Schmidly said. “Telling our story will attract the best and brightest students, faculty and staff. It will invoke pride in the minds of those who shape and are shaped by this institution. It will strengthen relationships with UNM’s 160,000 living alumni world-wide. We want people to hear our story.”
UNM awarded the contract after an extensive request for proposals process. The process was launched by the UNM Strategic Marketing Task Force – constituents representative of campus-wide students, faculty and staff. Fourteen agencies bid for the approximately quarter-million dollar contract that could be renewed for up to four years.
The goals of the partnership, according to Blair, are to:
· Build a stronger regional and national identity for UNM;
· Enhance UNM’s reputation in the competitive market of higher education;
· Amplify marketing efforts – namely in the areas of recruitment, retention, alumni participation and donor support;
· Create a university-wide message, brand portfolio and visual identity;
· And, introduce the benefits of image building to the UNM community.
“Brands are ideas,” said Steve McKee, president, McKee Wallwork Cleveland. “Higher education is all about the transmission of ideas, and we passionately believe in the idea that is UNM. We are honored to embark on this journey of discovery to further shape and mold that idea – and to celebrate it not only throughout the UNM community, but throughout the nation as well.”
Current updates and further information about this branding process can be found at: UNM Brand.
Media Contact: Cinnamon Blair, (505) 277-1806; e-mail: cblair@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Alumni Lettermen's Association has announced the 2008 inductees into the UNM Athletic Hall of Honor. The Class of 2008 includes Jack Abendschan (football 1962-64), Jim Hulsman, Maria Gurreri (volleyball 1987-90) and Leanne Palmisano (tennis 1982-85). This is the 22nd class since the inaugural inductions in 1986.
The posthumous inductees are Joe Behl (rhymes with meal) (baseball, football, track 1939-42) and George Heard (football, 1960-62).
Additional awards:
Distinguished Service: Jerry Apodaca (football) and Jeff Apodaca (football)
2007-08 Coach of the Year: Ray Birmingham (baseball)
2007-08 Female Athlete of the Year: Katie Coronado (track and field)
2007-08 Male Athlete of the Year: John Sullivan (football)
The annual banquet and dinner will be held Friday, Sept. 12, at the UNM Student Union Ballroom. Tickets are $45 each or $450 for a table of 10. Call the UNM Alumni Office at 277-2593 for more information.
Media Contact: Greg Remington, (505) 925-5520; e-mail: gregrem@unm.edu
Suzanne Michele Schadl is the new curator for one of the treasures at University Libraries, the Latin American and Iberian Collection. She returns to UNM after serving as an assistant professor of history at Roanoke College, and as a visiting instructor of Latin American History at the University of Texas in Austin. She has recently been the director of the Gerald and Betty Ford Library at the Bosque School in Albuquerque.
Photo: Suzanne Michele Schadl
Schadl received her Ph.D. in Latin American Studies at UNM. Her doctoral research included study at several Brazilian institutions, including the Arquivo Nacional, the Academia Nacional de Medicina, the Fundacão Biblioteca Nacional de Brasil, the Arquivo Geral da Cidade in Rio de Janeiro and the historical archives of the Museo Imperial in Petrópolis.
At Roanoke College, she taught courses in Latin American, Caribbean and United States history and at the University of Texas she taught courses on colonial and modern Latin America and on Latin American gender studies. At UNM she will preserve and promote the use of the collection for scholarly research.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Alumni Association elected eight new members to its Board of Directors for 2008-09 recently. New members include Monica Armenta, Penny Beaumont, Brian Burnett, Henrietta Mann, Gail Rosenblum, Kathi Schroeder, Lynn Slade and Angie Wilcox.
The new board members bring diverse and varied backgrounds to the Alumni Association. Armenta, a 1985 UNM grad, is the executive director of communications for Albuquerque Public Schools. A 1963 graduate, Beaumont is an associate director emerita for the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University. Burnett, who earned a bachelor’s (’78) and master’s (’80) from UNM, is an attorney for Bohannon Huston, Inc.
Mann earned her Ph.D. from UNM in 1982 and is president at Cheyenne and Arapahoe Tribal College. Both Rosenblum (’80) and Schroeder (’70) have ties to the newspaper business. Rosenblum is a reporter for Star Tribune Company, while Schroeder is the editor for the New Mexico Business Weekly. Slade earned a law degree from UNM in 1976 and is an attorney for the Modrall, Sperling, Roehl, Harris and Sisk Law Firm, while Wilcox, a 2003 UNM graduate, is the assistant director for student activities in the Student Life Office at the Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
They join 2008-09 Alumni Association officers including: Judy Zanotti, president; Ruth Schifani, president-elect; Lillian Montyoa-Rael, past president; and Gene Baca, treasurer. The executive committee at large consists of Jennifer Riordan, Randy Royster, Waneta Tuttle and Kathie Winograd.
Other board members include: Marion Fleck (distinguished member), Charles Barth, Karen Bayless, Penny Beaumont, Lila Boyden, Brian S. Colón, Steve Chreist, Tom Daulton, Rich Diller, Kathy Gordon, James Jimenez, Alice Loy, Arthur E. Lindberg, Lenton Malry, Jr., Matthew Martinez, Laurie Moye, Pat Mulhall, Hilary Noskin, Gail Rosenblum, Erma Sedillo, Jane Shuler Gray, John E. Thorson, Jimmy Trujillo, Karen Abraham (ex officio), Thelma Domenici, Patricia Dominguez, Misty Salaz and Student Representative Ashley Fate.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The "Future of New Mexico Healthcare," a UNM Health Sciences Center Public Forum Featuring Edward Salsberg will be held Thursday, Aug. 7 at 1 p.m. in the Domenici Center Auditorium. All Health Sciences Center and UNM faculty and staff are invited and encouraged to attend a public forum on the future of New Mexico healthcare.
The forum will be led by Edward Salsberg, director of the Center for Workforce Studies and senior associate vice president at the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Salsberg will direct the discussion on how UNMH as a teaching hospital can address the need to train the numbers of physicians, particularly primary care physicians, necessary to care for the rapidly increasing number of New Mexico patients.
Called strong academic community despite criticisms of faculty accessibility
The University of New Mexico is one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review. The New York-based education services company known for its test-prep courses features UNM in the just-published 2009 edition of its annual book, "The Best 368 Colleges.” Only about 15 percent of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges are in the book, which contains a two-page profile on each school. (See UNM profile).
Also included are student survey-based ranking lists of top 20 colleges in more than 60 categories. The Princeton Review also posts the book's ranking lists on its website at: PrincetonReview.com.
While praising UNM’s academic programs (“UNM offers a strong academic community with all of its many research opportunities [for] a bargain price,” says the Review), campus life (“There is always something going on”) and student body (“there are so many different ethnicities here that racial discrimination really isn’t an issue”), students gave the UNM faculty low grades, particularly for accessibility. Student surveys placed UNM among fourteen schools with poor faculty rankings and also graded the faculty “least accessible.”
“As the Princeton Review notes in ranking us among the top 368 Colleges in America, we have an excellent learning environment and a superb faculty, but one of our priorities must be to make sure our students know about and are making full use of their professors' office hours, after-class question-and-answer periods and other opportunities for student-faculty interaction," said Susan McKinsey, Director of University Communication.
McKinsey noted that UNM takes seriously the students’ assessments of their education experience and conducts an ongoing series of student satisfaction surveys that are used to identify issues such as faculty accessibility and other concerns. A major retention survey is planned for the fall semester. The Princeton Review, she explained, says it surveys an average of 325 students on each campus. UNM talks to more of its students and works to get statistically valid and reliable samples.
Robert Franek, Princeton Review's vice president for Publishing, explained that "we chose schools for this book primarily for their outstanding academics. We evaluated them based on institutional data we collect about the schools, feedback from students attending them, and our visits to schools over the years. We also consider the opinions of independent college counselors, students, and parents. Finally, we work to have a wide representation of colleges in the book by region, size, selectivity and character."
In its profile on UNM, The Princeton Review quotes extensively from students The Princeton Review surveyed for the book. Among their candid comments:
* “We have one of the top 10 law schools and medical schools in the nation right now, and the undergraduate programs that lead into those schools want to make sure that at least some of their students get accepted and decide to attend one of these graduate programs."
* “Even if you don’t know what you want, you are bound to find something that you love.”
* “Campus life can be as full of activities as one wants it to be.”
* “There is always something going on, whether it’s a dance show, a movie on the field, a cultural event, a sporting event, or any other casual activity. There are also a lot of opportunities for community service projects and political activism.”
* “UNM has students from all walks of life”…”With many Hispanic, Native American, Anglo and other students,” UNM is “extremely diverse.”
The ranking lists in "The Best 368 Colleges" are based on The Princeton Review's survey of 120,000 students (about 325 per campus on average) attending the 368 colleges in the book. A college's appearance on these lists is attributable to a high consensus among its surveyed students about the subject.
The 80-question survey asked students to rate their schools on several topics and report on their campus experiences at them. Ranking lists report the top 20 schools in categories that range from best professors, administration and campus food to lists based on student body political leanings, race/class relations, sports interests, and other aspects of campus life. The Princeton Review does not rank the colleges in the book 1 to 368 in any category, nor do the rankings reflect The Princeton Review's opinion of the schools.
The Princeton Review.com is a New York-based company known for its test preparation, education, and college admission services. It is not affiliated with Princeton University and it is not a magazine.
Princeton Review Books Media Contact: Jeanne Krier, (212) 539-1350; e-mail: jeanne@jeannekrier.com; UNM Media Contacts: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1807; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu or Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
Dr. Karen Cowden Dahl has received a grant for close to $1 million to support her work as a basic cancer researcher in the College of Pharmacy at the UNM Health Sciences Center. The K99/R00 grant, also called the Howard Temin Pathway to Independence Award in Cancer Research, is one of most coveted grants in Cowden Dahl’s field.
Photo: Dr. Karen Cowden Dahl
Funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the grant will be used over a period of five years and is there to help postdoctoral researchers transition to independent investigators.
Cowden Dahl is currently mentoring under Dr. Laurie Hudson, professor at the UNM College of Pharmacy. Hudson’s lab focuses on cancer research and Cowden Dahl is exploring the progression of ovarian cancer.
A 1996 Sandia High School graduate, Cowden Dahl knew at an early age she wanted to pursue a career in the health sciences. Her father, Robert Cowden, is a 1974 graduate of the UNM College of Pharmacy and her mother, Sandra Cowden, graduated from the UNM College of Nursing in 1972.
Cowden Dahl’s mother died of cancer when Cowden Dahl was seven years old. After seeing her mother’s battle, Cowden Dahl took an interest in cancer research and wanted to apply her personal experience to her ultimate career goal as a cancer researcher.
Ovarian cancer is the fifth deadliest cancer in women because it spreads to other internal organs making it difficult to treat.
With no exact symptoms, ovarian cancer is hard to detect in its early stages, but if detected early, ovarian cancer is very treatable. The longer it stays undetected, the more advanced the cancer becomes and the harder it is to treat.
Cowden Dahl wants to research that progression from the early stages of ovarian cancer to the advanced stages. She wants to explore what changes occur in the disease that make it so difficult to cure once it reaches advanced stages.
Cowden Dahl received her bachelor’s in Cell and Molecular Biology from Texas Tech University in 1999. She then went on to earn her PhD in 2004 at the University of Pennsylvania.
Cowden Dahl plans to stay at UNM as a researcher and become a tenure faculty member at the College of Pharmacy.
Casual receptions for students and families to celebrate freshman acceptance to UNM for fall semester
The University of New Mexico Alumni Association and Parent Association are partnering to kick off a new tradition titled “Summer Sendoffs.” The Summer Sendoffs are part of casual receptions for students and families to celebrate freshman acceptance to UNM for the 2008 fall semester. The "Summer Sendoffs" will be held Aug. 9, from 2 - 4 p.m. at various community parks all over New Mexico including Clovis, Farmington, Gallup, Hobbs, Las Cruces and Santa Fe.
Incoming students and their families will have the opportunity to meet other families in their area and connect with UNM representatives, alumni, current students and parents who can serve as a support network. It is a great chance to meet fellow Lobos and to make the transition to UNM a little easier.
The event will last approximately two hours and includes food, family and fun. This event is free to all incoming freshmen and family. For more information and to RSVP visit the UNM Alumni Web site at Summer Sendoffs or contact Laura Kelley at (505) 277-5808 or lkelley1@unm.edu.
University of New Mexico Hospitals CEO Steve McKernan has announced UNMH Administrator Sheena Ferguson will take the position of Chief Nursing Officer. Ferguson replaces Judy Spinella who recently retired.
Ferguson has been serving as an interim administrator at UNMH since November 2007. Her duties have included overseeing the professional and support services and establishing a high level of service by partnering with other divisions at the hospital, particularly nursing, to ensure the best in clinical care.
Ferguson has been with UNMH since 1979 when she first worked as a newborn intensive care respiratory therapist. From there, she held several positions including executive director for clinical education and research, and director of clinical education for the Community Training Center and Human Simulation Lab, also known as BATCAVE.
Ferguson received her master’s from the UNM College of Nursing and was recently named as one of the College’s outstanding graduate alumni. She has also been awarded the Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society’s Chapter Award for Clinical Practice, the Fleck Award for Mentorship and the Marjorie Jaretta Faust Award for Excellence in Nursing Leadership.
University of New Mexico master of architecture student Antonio Vigil designed an Albuquerque-area recycling center within a local market as part of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and Portland Cement Association’s third annual sustainable concrete student design competition. Vigil’s first place award-winning design was selected from entries from more than 800 students from 33 architecture schools around the world.
Photo: Antonio Vigil
Students either created an environmentally responsible recycling center focused on reusing today’s materials – primarily concrete – to preserve tomorrow’s resources, or designed a building element that provides a sustainable solution to real-world environmental challenges.
Vigil’s first place recycling center featured “[an] interesting blend of programmatic elements built around the prominent sustainable theme of reduce, recycle, reuse,” ACSA judges reported.
Vigil noted that Albuquerque’s current recycling center is on the West side, pushed out of the city and not visible to residents. He wanted to draw people into the recycling center to be aware of how much people waste.
His designed the recycling center in an area that features both industrial and retail space, at I-25 and Montano, where Beach Waterpark used to be. Included in his design is a “mercado,” or market where people can sell – effectively “recycling” used goods.
Vigil said that the market would draw people into the recycling center while also providing a venue for local artisans and food vendors to offer goods and services in ways that indigenous people have traditionally conducted commerce. “And since it is outdoors, it uses no energy to run,” he said.
“I chose the site because of nearby ‘big box’ stores – Home Depot and Costco – that are located everywhere and have no local identity or connection to the culture. I wanted to make a statement in the area that my own ‘big box’ has its own identity,” Vigil said.
He designed the recycling center to be layered high enough to be visible from the freeway. He used concrete to “wrap” the building, “in the same way that recycling centers condense and then bundle materials with wire,” Vigil said.
Concrete is an expensive material, he said, but enduring. “It was a challenge to figure out how to use it in a sustainable way. Like adobe, concrete is massive and functions similarly in climate and conditions,” he said.
Concrete is also challenging from an engineering perspective. Vigil said that it was important that the competition was part of Associate Professor Geoffrey Adams’ architectural technology studio course. “I was able to focus on how concrete would be supported and determine how it would actually work in a detailed environment,” he said.
Vigil received a $2,000 prize. “The prize money was nice because I just got married, but just as important to me was the knowledge that the UNM School of Architecture and Planning received recognition. It helps put us on the map,” he said.
Vigil earned his undergraduate degree in architecture from UNM in 2006. He will graduate with a master’s in architecture in May 2009.
“I am extremely pleased for Antonio, this is a wonderful accomplishment which emerges from the combination of individual hard work and acumen supported by the collective cauldron of the architectural studio environment. It is worth noting that Dean Cowdrey, one of Antonio's studio mates was awarded one of three honorable mentions in this competition. These accomplishments speak well of our program and the school as a whole,” Adams said.
“We applaud these students for coming up with such innovative submissions and pushing the boundaries of concrete in green building,” said David Shepherd, Portland Cement Association’s director of sustainable development. “Concrete’s durability, energy efficiency and versatility make it an ideal building material for sustainable design. This competition clearly illustrates its many applications.”
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Dr. Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, UNM vice president of Student Affairs, began teaching the course Traditional Medicine Without Borders: Curanderismo in the Southwest & Mexico this week. The course runs through Friday, Aug. 1 in Anthropology room 163. Now in its seventh year, the course provides traditional healers of all backgrounds, western medicine practitioners and members of the public to come together to share knowledge about the art and science of healing.
“One class featured Dr. Yvette Arellano, a doctor of oriental medicine, who demonstrated energetic healing methods. We also had Dr. Anselmo Torres present on healing through ceremony. Holistic, traditional and integrative medicine were the focus of a demonstration today featuring a panel of local healers including Sandrea Gonzales, the director of the UNM Women’s Resource Center,” Torres said.
Registered Nurse Elena Avila, an Albuquerque area curandera, will conduct a class on psychic healing on Friday, July 25. “Traumatic experiences can result in damage to the soul or the soul leaving the body. Elena works on soul retrieval and healing,” Torres said.
Torres said that a group of 17 Mexican curanderos arrives on Saturday. In addition to being class participants and sharing their skills and knowledge, they will visit Laguna Pueblo, attend a health fair in Alcalde, N.M., near Española, observe a presentation by the Southwest Acupuncture College, and get training by professionals at a local massage institute.
On Monday, July 28 at 8:15 a.m. in front of the UNM Anthropology Building, the class will conduct an opening ceremony. “We will give thanks to the four directions and the sun and the earth. We will have traditional native petitions and cleansing with incense,” Torres said. Every day will feature an outdoor activity, he said.
On Wednesday, July 30 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the UNM Student Union Building Acoma rooms A&B, Dr. Thomas Cruise and other internationally known speakers from the Southwest Acupuncture College will talk about laugh therapy and other healing rituals, Torres said. The event is open to the public and people are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch.
On Thursday, July 31, Emiglio Ballón, a Bolivian master herbalist, will give a presentation on growing medicinal plants.
In the six years since Torres started the class, the course’s popularity has spread by word of mouth. This year Torres has nearly 70 students signed up, with others coming in to listen to a particular presentation.
“We look at all aspects of curanderismo including native, African American, Moorish, scientific, biomedical, psychological and ayurvedic medicine are all woven into the fabric of the course and healing,” Torres said.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Five professors have been promoted to the rank of University of New Mexico distinguished professor. Distinguished professors are individuals who have demonstrated outstanding achievements and are nationally and internationally renowned as scholars.
Interim Provost Viola Florez said, “The rank of Distinguished Professor is the highest faculty rank at the university. It is reserved for a very small number of individuals who have made major scholarly contributions to their fields. This year we had a very strong group of nominees, and we are proud of the accomplishments of each of them. The new awardees join a very select group of our faculty.”
The 2008-2009 inductees:
C. Jeffrey Brinker, professor, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, School of Engineering, joined the UNM faculty in 1999, but his impact on UNM students and the department goes back to the inception of the Center for Microengineered Materials, around 1987.
Brinker helped develop the Nanoscience and Microsystems degree program at UNM.
He has brought in more than $7.9 million in extramural funding to UNM where he was listed as principal or co-principal investigator. He has received some of the highest honors in the materials research field and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Brinker is internationally acclaimed for his book on Sol-Gel Synthesis and for his many publications on materials synthesis.
Brinker’s publications and scholarly work includes a paper on evaporation induced self-assembly that is on the list of the most highly cited papers over the past decade. His tenure has had major impact on the center and the department, but also on nano-materials research and education statewide through the NSF EPSCOR program.
Patricia Crown, professor, Department of Anthropology, College of Arts & Sciences, joined the UNM faculty in 1993. Crown, the foremost Southwest archaeologist on the UNM campus, has an international reputation for her study of ceramics.
Crown recently presented her work on learning pottery making, which has garnered attention from archaeologists across the globe, at the Sixth World Archaeological Congress, a prestigious opportunity presented every four years to promote exchange of results from archaeological research.
Since promotion to full professor, she co-edited two books, and was an associate editor for and contributor to an encyclopedia on the archeology of prehistoric Native America. She co-organized four symposia, delivered seven invited conference papers, and as PI or co-PI, received funding for 16 research grants, 11 of those extramural, including the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
She developed a course, “Teaching Anthropology” for graduate students and received the Gunter-Starkey Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Suleiman Kassicieh, ASM Endowed Chair in Economic Development and Regents’ Professor of Management of Technology, Anderson School of Management, has been on faculty at UNM since 1981. He is the organizer of the Business Plan Competition at UNM, which focuses on technology entrepreneurship and links business students to their counterparts in engineering, medicine and science.
He has developed a local, national and international reputation in economic development based on technology. He is the founder of the Management of Technology Program at UNM, ranked 6th nationally by Linton.
He served as special editor for two IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management Issues. His research record includes numerous articles in journals of the “Financial Times Top 40 Business Publications.” Kassicieh has received research grants from Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories, Kauffman Foundation, WERC and others.
Barbara McCrady, professor of psychology in the College of Arts & Sciences, and director of the Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions, has been at UNM since 2007. McCrady’s area of focus is on the interrelationships between alcohol abuse/dependence and family function. Her premise has been that families are integrally involved in the development and maintenance of drinking, as well as the process of change.
She has been a driving force in the psychological and medical communities about the importance of family engagement in the treatment process. Through other treatment studies she showed that relationship-focused treatment led to both reduced drinking and fewer relapses. For this work, McCrady was awarded the distinguished NIH Merit Award for “enduring contribution to scientific knowledge,” acknowledging that she is a seminal force in shifting the nature of alcohol treatment from a purely medical focus to one that emphasized psychosocial factors.
Gerald Vizenor, professor, American Studies, in the College of Arts & Sciences, is a professor emeritus from the University of California, Berkeley. Vizenor has published more than 30 single-author books, has established an exceptional record of publication represented in fiction, poetry and cultural criticism.
His publications are required readings at colleges and universities here and abroad. He has contributed a critical vocabulary - in some instances coining terms for concepts that cross Native cultural studies. As series editor of the “American Indian and Critical Studies Series” at the University of Oklahoma, he guided the publication of more than 50 books in the series. Vizenor’s work elicits respect from Native American authors of his generation.
N. Scott Momaday considers Vizenor “the supreme ironist among American Indian writers in the 20th century.” He is the winner of the American Book Award and New York Fiction Collective Award, named to the University of Minnesota Teachers Hall of Fame, Honorary Doctor of Human Letters, Macalester College, Named Literary Laureate by the San Francisco Public Library, among many others.
For a complete list of UNM’s Distinguished Professors, visit:
http://www.unm.edu/~acadaffr/DistinguishedProfessors.html
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
For weeks now, I've been studying the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) and listening to your concerns about how the proposed Regents' policy changes might impact our campus. As you may know, I appointed a Task Force to consider how we might develop appropriate University policies consistent with IPRA that would also protect the interests of the University and its employees.
I have read every one of the 179 insightful and provocative comments submitted by faculty, staff and other concerned stakeholders regarding the new Regents policy. The input of both the Task Force and the many people who wrote me has been extremely helpful and enlightening.
On July 11, I met with the Chair of the Board of Regents; the Regents' lawyer, Ron Segel; Chuck Peifer, attorney for the Foundation for Open Government (FOG) and the Albuquerque Journal; as well as Kent Walz, editor of the Albuquerque Journal. Our purpose was to discuss the Act, our mutual interpretations of it, and the recommended policies developed by the Task Force to comply with the Act.
Our meeting lasted 3 hours and was conducted in a very positive tone. All parties made clear the importance of complying with the Act - but without subjecting UNM employees to the risks associated with identity theft or invasion of privacy. I also pointed out the serious concerns the University community expressed that our search processes could be seriously jeopardized if we have to disclose names and submissions of job applicants during the search process.
What emerged from our discussion is the attached revision of policies. These revisions represent a compromise - one which provides the maximum protection to employees while in my view keeping us compliant with both the letter and spirit of the law.
The major changes include the following:
* A recognition of the philosophy of the law in New Mexico on this subject, that all government records are public under the Act, but that some records are exempt from production pursuant to the Act itself, because of other state or federal law such as HIPAA and FERPA, pursuant to the attorney-client privilege, or because disclosure might involve trade secrets.
* Employees would be able to "opt out" of releasing their current home address, telephone numbers and personal email addresses.
* Social Security numbers, personal financial account numbers, medical professionals' DEA and BNDD numbers and personnel evaluations are always to be exempt, as well as any other documents that might be protected under federal law, such as personal medical records.
* Job application materials submitted by candidates are generally public records, but to protect the integrity of the job application process, all parties have agreed that UNM will withhold disclosure of those materials until after the closing date for submission of applications.
While I recognize that no law is perfect, I think this agreement provides a solid framework for the maximum protection of the University and our employees. The new policies will be formally proposed and discussed at the UNM Regents meeting on August 12, 2008. After much consideration, I will recommend their adoption, and hope you will concur.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the Task Force for a great deal of hard work on this matter, and to each of you who took the time to send me your comments. This has been a thoughtful and intelligent discussion, and both the Task Force and those who've written me deserve credit for helping refine and improve our approach. Thank you all.
David J. Schmidly
President, UNM
Links to the proposed policies with the President's recommendations are posted on the UNM Policy Web site.
Spanish Conquistador Don Juan de Oñate is one of the most controversial figures in the history of the southwestern United States. He is also the subject of a controversy surrounding a statue of him that is currently located in El Paso. This statue, and the strong emotion, both positive and negative, that surround it are the subject of a new national PBS documentary, P.O.V. “The Last Conquistador.”
Photo: Audience member Rebecca Riley (Acoma) asks moderator Gene Grant a question during the taping of “The Last Conquistador: A New Mexico in Focus Special.” The panel discussion and audience questions explored the issues surrounding the film about the controversial statue of Spanish Conquistador Don Juan de Oñate in El Paso.
This week, “New Mexico in Focus” will screen the program, hold a panel discussion exploring different sides of the issue, and take questions from the studio audience. This episode airs Friday, July 25 at 7 p.m. and repeats on Sunday, July 27 at 6:30 a.m. A special repeat will follow on Thursday, July 31, at 9 p.m., following the airing of “The Last Conquistador.”
Due to the length of the post-screening response to the film, which ran over one-and-a-half hours, KNME will broadcast an edited version of the program. To see the complete episode, including all taped questions, answers and comments in their entirety, go to www.knme.org/newmexicoinfocus.
Joining panel moderator Gene Grant are regular panelist Margaret Montoya, UNM School of Law, John J. Valadez, one of the filmmakers working on “The Last Conquistador,” artist and activist Maurus Chino from Acoma Pueblo, Christine Zuni Cruz with the UNM School of Law and a member of Isleta Pueblo, and New Mexico State Historian Estevan Rael-Galvez.
Then, co-host David Alire Garcia sits down with another panel to debate the role of public art in our society and asks what is the obligation of art, and specifically public art, to cultural sensitivity? Alire Garcia is joined by Sherri Burr, a professor with the UNM School of Law specializing in art law, City of Albuquerque Public Art Program Manager Sherri Brueggemann, and Chiricahua Apache Artist Bob Haozous.
Co-hosted by Alire Garcia, managing editor of the New Mexico Independent, and Albuquerque Journal columnist Gene Grant, “New Mexico in Focus” looks at social, political, economic, health, education and arts issues and gives them context beyond the "news of the moment."
The producers of “New Mexico in Focus” are Kevin McDonald and Kathy Wimmer. Closed Captioning of “New Mexico in Focus” has been made possible by a gift from Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs.
Media Contact: Evy Todd, (505) 277-1218. E-Mail: etodd@knme.org
The University of New Mexico Alumni Lettermen’s Association will award 20 scholarships this fall to Lobo student-athletes that have exhausted their eligibility. The scholarship – now called The George Brooks Fifth Year Scholarship in honor of retired head ski coach and UNM lettermen George Brooks – will assist fifth-year athletes to complete their education at UNM.
The following athletes will receive financial assistance to finish their degrees at UNM:
• Amy Beresford and Laura Van Alst (women’s skiing)
• Ian Hollick and Adam Skelton (baseball)
• Ashley Allen and Lindsey Elcess (softball)
• Amber Wetsch and Ana Neu (women’s soccer)
• Darren Prentice (men’s basketball)
• Brandi Kimble and Dionne Marsh (women’s basketball)
• Jennifer Ryba (women’s tennis)
• Alexander Jones, Kamil Pajkowski and Chris Parkes (men’s tennis)
• Tyson Ditmore (football)
• Amina Adnan and Ashley LaBree (women’s swimming)
• Joseph Garcia (men’s track and field)
• Alexandra Phelps (women’s golf; Ralph C. Youngberg Memorial Golf Scholarship for graduate study)
“The UNM Alumni Lettermen’s Association is proud to be in a position to offer awards annually,” said Rick Ronquillo, Chair of the Scholarship Committee and a UNM baseball letterman from 1979-83. “Thanks to all our dues-paying members, we will award 20 scholarships. It is the number one mission of the Alumni Lettermen’s Association. We are proud of the accomplishments of the student athletes here at UNM; they embody the ideal student-athlete.”
Parents of high school students have an opportunity to immerse themselves in a college experience through a new, free program offered at the University of New Mexico. Parents will live and dine on campus and attend casual, informative sessions during the two-day, one night program held Friday and Saturday, Aug. 1-2.
UNM's new "Parent Experience Program" provides parents or guardians with information needed to support their student's goal of attending a college or university. It is open to parents of students entering 9th through 11th grades across New Mexico.
Information sessions will cover college entrance requirements, applications, financial aid, scholarships, college course work and support services. Parents will also meet faculty, staff, current students and other parents to create a resource network.
The program is supported by the UNM Division of Student Affairs, Engaging Latino Communities for Education (ENLACE) and New Mexico GEAR UP.
NM GEAR UP will provide stipends to offset travel costs for participants.
For more information, contact the UNM Parent Relations Office, (505) 277-5915.
Professor of Internal Medicine Wilmer L. Sibbitt, Jr., M.D., recently was selected as one of the top 100 people of note in the medical device industry. Sibbitt was recognized for his innovative work in developing products for procedural medicine and drug-delivery, new interventional cardiology products, and imaging contrast agents that improve pictures of organs in the human body.
Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry Magazine listed Sibbitt as one in an exclusive group who “. . . make amazing advances in medical science and technology, and ensure that medical devices can treat patients safely and effectively.”
More specifically, Sibbitt pioneered the reciprocating syringe, which enables both the injection and extraction of fluids by pushing down the syringe plunger. This practical medical device, designed around the ergonomics of the human hand, led to the founding of AVANCA Medical Devices, Inc., in 2004. AVANCA is now developing additional lines of advanced FDA-approved syringe-based drug-delivery, procedural medicine and dental products.
Sibbitt’s newest company, Avasca Medical, Inc., was created around a new device used by interventional cardiologists and radiologists. Avasca is his third business developed in the last 10 years with bother Dr. Randy Sibbitt - also a UNM School of Medicine graduate. Avasca’s advanced non-syringe technology was spun out of AVANCA to fully develop the technology’s potential.
“My dad was an engineer at Los Alamos Labs, so my brother and I were always making something in the garage,” Sibbitt says. “Like my parents, UNM’s School of Medicine and Science and Technology Corporation have been very supportive and encouraged me to develop my own ideas to bring UNM technologies to market.”
For more information about AVANCA Medical Devices, visit www.avancamedical.com.
University of New Mexico students Julie Kimsal and Mario Ortiz will join other students from universities around the state to take part in the inaugural Domenici Public Policy Conference at New Mexico State University Aug. 20 – 22.
“We are very fortunate to have support and participation from other universities in this statewide effort to honor Senator Domenici’s contributions to New Mexico,” said Garrey Carruthers, NMSU vice president for economic development and chair of the Pete V. Domenici Legacy.
Students from NMSU, Dona Ana Community College, New Mexico Tech, the University of New Mexico, Eastern New Mexico University and Western New Mexico University will have a chance to review academic papers written by presenters and ask questions of their research.
NMSU announced this week that U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate Chris Dodd would join a prominent list of speakers at the conference. NMSU will also waive conference registration fees until Aug. 1, the conference registration deadline.
Former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker, III, U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman, former U.S. Representative Manuel Lujan, Jr. and U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman have all agreed to speak during the event, along with a host of other local and national leaders. The conference will close with a free picnic and free concert performed by Randy Travis.
Registration is available online at the conference Web site:
Domenici Public Policy Conference.
Registration is required for most conference events. The opening ceremony Thursday morning, Chris Dodd’s speech Thursday evening, the picnic Friday morning and the Randy Travis concert Friday afternoon are free and open to the public.
A complete conference agenda can be found on the Domenici Conference Web site, where the public is encouraged to sign up for public events.
The Domenici Conference is part of the Pete V. Domenici Legacy, a statewide effort to celebrate the senator’s historic tenure in the U.S. Senate. Domenici will retire this year as the longest serving senator in New Mexico history.
Domenici Conference sessions will focus on topics important to the senator during his time in office, including behavioral health, national security, the federal budget and nuclear nonproliferation.
Other confirmed conference speakers include Paul Robinson, former ambassador and president emeritus of Sandia National Laboratories; Michael J. Fitzpatrick, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness; William Hoagland, a former member of Domenici’s staff; and Siegfried Hecker, co-director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation.
Media Contacts: Justin Bannister, (575) 646-5981; email: jbannist@nmsu.edu or Christina Chavez Kelley, (575) 646-1729; email: ckelley@nmsu.edu
University of New Mexico Executive Vice President David Harris has announced the appointment of Gilbert Ramirez Gonzales as Chief information officer. He is scheduled to assume the role August 18.
Gonzales has been the chief information officer at California State University, 'Monterey Bay since 2002. Prior to that, he was a senior consultant for Sungard Collegis, director of content management of GoCampus, and dean of information and library sciences at Maricopa Community Colleges.
The chief information officer is charged to lead integration of information technology functions across the UNM campus. "Gil's experience, training and education have prepared him well for this position. He has been heavily involved in information technology and he has the passion and commitment to be successful in this leadership role," Harris said.
Gonzales received a doctorate in history from Arizona State University, a master's in library science from University of Arizona, and a bachelor's in education from Arizona State University.
Gonzales said, "I'm excited to join UNM and its diverse community of professionals. I will work with ITS to help the university deliver quality services in support of the changing needs of students, faculty and our community."
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth (505) 277-5627;email: kwent2@unm.edu
Submit your favorite heart healthy recipe
Do you have a healthy recipe you would like to share? As one of the UNM Wellness Mini-grant recipients, Internal Medicine/Cardiology is putting together a UNM Heart Healthy Cookbook filled with YOUR healthy recipes, but UNM Wellness needs YOU to submit them!
To submit your recipe(s) visit: Submissision Form or Wellness - Resources and Support - UNM Heart Healthy Cookbook Recipe Submission Form.
You can also e-mail or campus mail your favorite recipe by Aug. 1. If you don’t use the form, you must include all the information from the form, or we won’t be able to use the recipe. We will categorize the recipes and analyze them to make sure they qualify as healthy. Not sure if your recipe is healthy? Send it along and it will be analyzed – it may be modified to be a healthy recipe – we’ll let you know.
Be a part of this cookbook – don’t wait! Submit your recipe right away. Tell your co-workers and pass the word!
Deadline is August 1st.
For more information or questions, e-mail cardiology@salud.unm.edu with “Heart Healthy Cookbook Question” in the subject line.
University of New Mexico-Gallup is ranked third among the nation’s community colleges for granting associate degrees to American Indian students, according to preliminary figures issued by the U.S. Department of Education, and as published in the June 16 issue of Community College Week.
UNM-Gallup granted 124 associate degrees to American Indian students in 2006-07. UNM-Gallup granted 118 associate degrees to American Indian students in 2005-06. The 2006-07 figures represent a 5 percent increase from 2005-06.
Community College Week’s June listing of “Top 100 Producers” also showed that UNM-Gallup was the number one college in New Mexico for granting associate degrees to American Indian students.
How, and why, would people want to travel around the world in a balloon? This question will be answered at the latest edition of KNME-TV’s “Science Café,” held at the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum, at 9201 Balloon Museum Drive NE on Saturday, July 19 at 10 a.m.
This month, guest speaker, noted ballooning expert and world record holder Tony Bradley will discuss hot air ballooning after attendees watch “Danger in the Jetstream,” a segment from PBS’ award winning series, “NOVA.”
Bradley owns and operates Skyspan Adventures and World Balloon in Albuquerque and has flown hot air and gas balloons in 45 states and 12 countries. He has made 3,150 hor air balloon free flights and 49 gas flights carrying over 11,500 passengers. Some of Tony’s awards and most memorable flights include:
** Fifty-eight (58) FAI World Record Diplomas
** Balloon Federation of America’s Shields-Trauger Award
** The FAI’s De la Vaulx Medal for an Absolute World Record
** Governor of New Mexico’s Certificate of Recognition
** Two time recipient of the FAI’s Montgolfier Diploma (the highest international award in ballooning)
** 1992 Chrysler Transatlantic Challenge flight with Richard Abruzzo
** Giving Walter Cronkite a lesson at Château de Balleroy in 1993
** The 1998 America’s Challenge. Landing in the Canadian wilderness and being rescued by helicopter
** The 2001 Gordon Bennett. Crossing the Alps from Germany to Italy with Earl Miller
** 2003 Flying out of the Stratobowl at night on the AX9 distance record (the only successful record flight from the Stratobowl since Stephens and Anderson’s flight in 1935)
Admission to the event is free, but a reservation is required. Contact Rose Poston at 277-2396 or at rposton@knme.org to RSVP.
This week, “New Mexico in Focus” looks at New Mexico’s Children, Youth and Family Services Department, presidential candidate John McCain’s recent town hall meeting in Albuquerque, and debate over what Governor Bill Richardson will do with New Mexico’s $400 million windfall. “New Mexico in Focus” airs on KNME-TV, channel 5, on Friday, July 18 at 7 p.m. and repeats at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 20.
Co-Hosted by David Alire Garcia, Managing Editor of the New Mexico Independent, and Albuquerque Journal columnist Gene Grant, “New Mexico in Focus” takes a multi-layered look at social, political, economic, health, education and arts issues and explores them in-depth, with a critical eye to give them context beyond the "news of the moment."
National Probation and Parole Officers’ Week is July 13-19 of this year. Each year Children, Youth and Families Department’s Juvenile Probation and Parole Officers provide services for over 15,000 children in communities throughout New Mexico. David Alire Garcia sits down with Ted Lovato, deputy director of Field Services for CYFD, Deborah Martinez, public relations manager for CYFD, Jeanne Masterson, chief juvenile probation and parole officer for Bernalillo County and Roberta Muro, supervisor of the Bernalillo County Juvenile Probation and Parole Officer Girls Unit.
Co-host Gene Grant attended Senator John McCain’s town hall meeting this week at the Hotel Albuquerque. While at the event, he had the chance to interview attendees for “New Mexico in Focus.”
Then, Grant and regular panelists Jim Scarantino, columnist with the Weekly Alibi, Scott Darnell, communications director for the Republican Party of New Mexico, and Margaret Montoya with the University of New Mexico School of Law and School of Medicine are joined by guest panelist Terry Bruner, state director for Senator Jeff Bingaman to discuss the New Mexico perspective on the presidential campaign and debate what Governor Richardson will do with New Mexico’s $400 million windfall.
The producers of “New Mexico in Focus” are Kevin McDonald and Kathy Wimmer. Closed Captioning of “New Mexico in Focus” has been made possible by a gift from Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs.
New standard set with 3.11 GPA
The combined grade point average of the Lobos’ 21 athletics programs for the 2008 spring semester was a school-record 3.11 according to the UNM registrar’s office. UNM’s previous high was 3.08 in the 2006 spring semester. The Lobos have now reached a GPA of 3.00 or better for 11 of the last 12 semesters. UNM began tracking grades in the fall of 1988.
“This is an outstanding achievement by our student-athletes,” stated UNM Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs. “The hard work put in by our student-athletes, coaches, academic advisement staff and mentors is definitely reflective in the GPA’s from the spring semester.”
After posting a 2.98 in the fall of 2007, the Lobos 3.11 showed their biggest improvement since a jump from 2.41 to 2.67 between the fall of 1988 and the spring of 1989.
Football (2.79), men’s skiing (3.75) and swimming and diving (3.50) each posted program highs for GPA while women’s soccer (3.47) and women’s tennis (3.65) had their second highest total.
“This caps off a banner year for our program,” stated UNM head football coach Rocky Long. “To win a bowl game for the first time in 46 seasons and set a program record for GPA in the same school year is an amazing accomplishment. I am very proud of our student-athletes for what they have done on the field and in the classroom.”
Men’s basketball (2.87) and women’s golf (3.54) had their third best total. Men’s basketball also made the biggest jump from the 2006 spring semester, improving 24 percent from their 2.30 GPA posted a year ago.
“One of our top priorities when we started last season was to try and change the academic atmosphere within the men’s basketball program,” stated Lobo men’s basketball coach Steve Alford. “We are not there yet, but this shows that we are headed in the right direction. We are going to continue to demand excellence in the classroom from each member of our program.”
2008 University of New Mexico Spring Semester Grade Point Averages
Men
Baseball - 2.92
Basketball - 2.87
Football - 2.79
Golf - 3.08
Skiing - 3.75
Soccer - 3.17
Tennis - 2.92
Track* - 2.90
Women
Basketball - 3.26
Golf - 3.54
Skiing - 3.53
Soccer - 3.47
Softball - 3.11
Swimming and Diving - 3.50
Tennis - 3.65
Track* - 3.37
Volleyball - 3.11
Total - 3.11
*includes cross country, indoor and outdoor track
Notes
• Baseball had it highest spring semester GPA, 6th highest overall
• Men’s basketball had its third highest semester GPA...only spring 2006 (2.97) and fall 1997 (2.89) were better
• Women’s Basketball has had a 3.0 or better each semester since the spring of 2000
• Football set a program record, bettering its previous high of 2.69 in the spring of 2003
• Women’s Golf had its third highest semester GPA...only trailing spring 2005 (3.76) and spring 2004 (3.61)
• The men’s ski team tied its best GPA, equaling a mark set in the spring 2001...also tied for the fifth best GPA by any team in a semester in school history
• The women’s ski team has had at least a 3.0 GPA since the fall of 1991
• Men’s soccer has had over a 3.0 for 11 of the last 12 semesters
• Only women’s soccer’s 3.50 in the fall of 2004 was better than their GPA this semester
• Softball now has four consecutive semesters with at least a 3.0
• Swimming and Diving sets a program record for the fourth straight semester
• Women’s tennis’s 3.67 in the fall of 2001 is the only semester GPA higher than their total for the spring of 2008
• Women’s track now has 10 straight semesters of 3.0 or better
• Volleyball extends its streak of 3.0 or better to 12 semesters
UNM mechanical engineering students built and raced a small formula-style racing car in the 2008 Formula Society of Automotive Engineers West competition at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., placing in the top 20 in three major categories. This is one of seven international competitions that are part of the largest engineering competition in the world.
Eighty-three teams from around the world entered. The UNM School of Engineering team placed 8th in acceleration, 17th in design, 19th in marketing and 24th overall.
It was a year long effort by the student team to design, build, test, train and race the cars. “I am very proud of this year’s team. They were forced to make a major design change in late February, but still developed a highly competitive car,” said Mechanical Engineering Professor and Program Director John Russell.
The students’ racing effort may also translate into jobs. “Recruiters from Honda, Toyota, and GM sought out members of the team,” Russell said. “Earlier in the year, four UNM team members were among 22 hired by Honda R&D after an extensive interview process.” Russell added that in job interviews, students were asked what they would do in various situations. Instead of answering hypothetically, they were able to explain precisely what they did on the project.
Students on the team begin a three-semester, for-credit course to learn about racecar engineering in the spring semester of their junior year. First semester is dedicated to the academics of racecar design. In the fall, students build the car, and in the spring, they test it. They master the software required to design the car and manufacture almost all the parts. The class is an alternative to the required senior design project in Mechanical Engineering.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; email: kwent2@unm.edu
Occupational Therapy students learn traditional healing practices
Recently, graduate students from the University of New Mexico visited Oaxaca, México to learn about Mexican Traditional Medicine with Occupational Therapy Professor Terry K. Crowe. The course was designed through a partnership between CECIPROC- a non-government Oaxacan organization working in community health, Tierraventura - a small business offering unique eco-tourism and the University of New Mexico Occupational Therapy Graduate Program in the School of Medicine.
Photo: On a rainy day in the village of Cuajimoloyas, UNM Occupatioanl Therapy students learn from Doña Queta the medicinal properties of plants.
Learning Traditional Healing Practices
The class toured throughout the state of Oaxaca taking part in the language, culture, customs, beliefs and traditions of México. It all began in the colonial city of Oaxaca, where for five days, students attended Spanish language classes each morning, and attended workshops focused on traditional healing topics in the afternoons.
Laurencio A. López Núñez, a biologist with CECIPROC, was the primary instructor. One afternoon, the students went to the market and purchased medicinal plants sold in the colorful, lively market. They then used the plants to make soap, shampoo, arnica cream and a eucalyptus vapor rub.
On another day, the students learned from a light-hearted young midwife, Catalina, who lives in a village eight hours from Oaxaca. She shared the anecdotes of her life and stories about the many births she has attended. Later, the students were exposed to two other healers, each with different experiences and ways of healing.
Doña Queta a well-known healer who has traveled to other countries shared her wisdom and knowledge of traditional healing practices, and Doña Rosalio demonstrated a powerful ritual cleansing.
On a hike into the Sierra Norte Mountains, the students encountered plants used especially for healing the mind, spirit and body. Here the students met Doña Lepa, a small woman with a large spirit. She was one of the healers in the high altitude village of Cuajimoloyas. They were welcomed into her humble home and sat on the ground in her small kitchen to learn about her gift of healing and how it is a part of her life and culture.
“There was light beaming through the tiny cracks between the wood that built the walls of her home, shining upon Doña Lepa who was teaching us something more than what we knew about ourselves and our universe,” said student Hallie Michael. “Her home was surrounded by a beautiful garden, each plant with its own unique properties for healing-that she used in her daily practices to help others.”
Heading to the Coast
Led by local hosts, Claudia Schurr and Yves Chavan, owers of Tierraventura, the class embarked on a six-day journey deeper into the ecologically diverse state of Oaxaca, heading to the Pacific coast and ultimately a small coffee plantation in the Mexican jungle.
Photo: The 2008 class of Mexican Traditional Medicine.
On the coast, the class visited with several amazingly strong women in the pueblo of La Luz who had built several small businesses to help themselves, their families and their communities. They experienced a piece of their day-to-day living by cooking and eating together.
“It was truly special to share this seemingly casual experience with them, knowing the true significance in this unity of cultures and people,” said Michael.
Later the students participated in a cleansing ceremony (limpia) and a Temezcal, a traditional steam bath along a beautiful and quiet beachfront. The ceremony was a powerful and enlightening experience for all of the participating students.
Deep in the Tropical Jungle
The students’ last stop was to El Mamey, a coffee plantation deep in the tropical jungle where they stayed with a local healer named Elizabeth and her family. Their home was enchanting and rustic; the only noises heard were the powerful running river and the birds. Elizabeth talked openly and honestly with the class about her traditions, her role in the community and her special gift.
She shared an understanding of traditional medicine from its cultural past to its current situation in our world. Her calling in life has been to share her knowledge with others, and she is currently teaching six little girls from three to eight years of age and two adolescents the art of healing. The girls and young women showed us some of the medicinal plants used in their communities and practiced their foot massage techniques on some of us.
Course Enrichment
The Mexican Traditional Medicine course enriched the students’ understanding of traditional medicine by providing hands-on experiences. They experienced the beautiful Mexican landscape and vistas, and got to know some of the Mexican people and were able to partake in their rich culture.
Throughout their time in México, they encountered energies, flavors, and sites new to them all. They were challenged personally, academically and professionally with new experiences that evoked feelings and ideas that encouraged the class to broaden its perspective.
“This is a course that will change your life in many ways,” said Michael.
For information about next year’s course contact Terry K. Crowe at: tcrowe@salud.unm.edu.
Story submitted by Hallie Michael, OTS. Photos by Terry Crowe and Yves Chavan.
Cortez Williams, retired University of New Mexico assistant professor of African-American Studies, now Africana Studies, died Saturday, July 12. He was 68 years old. A memorial service is set for Saturday, July 26, at 11 a.m. at the UNM Alumni Chapel followed by a reception at 1 p.m. in UNM Student Union Building Lobo rooms A & B.
Photo: Cortez Williams
Williams joined the UNM faculty as a lecturer in the history department in 1974. The following year he started teaching in African-American Studies and by 1977, he was also teaching in the School of Public Administration. He advanced as a faculty member from lecturer to instructor to adjunct associate professor. In 1986, he became a fulltime faculty member with the title of assistant professor, a title he retained until his retirement in December 2001.
Williams, a veteran of the Vietnam War, earned an undergraduate degree in history from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1971, master’s in history from the University of Connecticut in 1972, and a doctoral degree in American Studies and business/public administration from UNM in 1975.
In 1968-69, Williams taught English at the American Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, and in 1972-73, taught history at New Mexico Highlands University. He served as a special assistant to Governor Jerry Apodaca in 1977, and served on the New Mexico Board of Medical Examiners from 1979-85.
“What he wanted most of all was an educational revolution to institute writing as a mainstay in all programs in the university. His true passion was teaching. I would like to thank him for all he’s done for me, for all students and the university at large,” said Stephon Scott, third year UNM law student and doctoral candidate in the College of Education’s Language Literacy and Sociocultural Studies program.
Charles Becknell Jr., program specialist in Africana Studies, said that his father Charles Becknell Sr. was the first director of African-American Studies. “He was a colleague of my father’s in the 1970s and a teacher of mine when I transferred to UNM in 1989. Dr. Williams was committed to African-American Studies and it showed through his preparation. He expected the same from his students. He was a serious professor but a masterful storyteller who weaved stories through theory and practice.”
For those interested in participating in Williams’ service, contact Scott at 280-2495 or 222-9476 or by email at stephon@unm.edu. Scott will be teaching Williams’ classes, Blacks in the West and Blacks in the Latin America, in Africana Studies this year.
Williams’ widow, Joyce Williams, requests that in lieu of flowers donations can be made to a UNM scholarship fund in Williams’ honor. Checks can be made out to the University of New Mexico, indicating that the funds are for Africana Studies in Williams’ honor. Please mail to the UNM Foundation, 1 University of New Mexico, MSC 07 4260, Albuquerque, NM 87131.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; email: cgonzal@unm.edu
The Alpha Upsilon Chapter of the Lambda Theta Phi Fraternity, Inc. was recognized recently with a national award as Chapter of the Year. Among its accolades last year, the chapter raised money for earthquake victims in Peru, St. Jude's Hospital and the Red Cross. The chapter also has a mentoring program for students at Albuquerque High School and meets monthly to work with the Albuquerque Bicycle Recyclers program to rebuild and give bikes to needy Albuquerque Public School students.
Photo: Members of the Lambda Theta Phi fraternity help raise money for earthquake victims in Peru.
Those activities, along with strong recruitment, academic and ongoing efforts to maintain a strong fraternal brotherhood are the reason Lambda Theta Phi won the Chapter of the Year Award for the third time in the last seven years from its national organization.
Past president Gian Chaves says fraternity members just enjoy getting together and that has made it easier for the fraternity to handle all the community service activities. This is the fraternity's 10th year on campus.
“There is a shared set of values and ideals each brother takes along with him as he serves our local communities,” says alumnus and founding brother Gregory Marquez. “The fraternity directly becomes a vehicle in which young Latino men can develop their organizational, academic and leadership skills to become productive contributing members of society.”
Open recruitment for lambda Theta Phi will be held the first two weeks of the fall 2008 semester. The fraternity will have tables for students to sign up during Welcome Back Days in August and in the Student Union Building.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; email: kwent2@unm.edu
Yates to receive Sustainability Science Award
The Ecological Society of America (ESA) will present societal awards to eight distinguished ecologists at its 93rd Annual ESA meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in August. Among the recipients will be former University of New Mexico Vice President and Professor of Biology Dr. Terry Yates, who will receive ESA's 2007 Sustainability Science Award posthumously.
Photo: Dr. Terry Yates
The award recognizes research results that provide scientific foundations for sustainable management, link human and ecological systems and advance sustainability science.
Yates was best known for his groundbreaking research that isolated the source of the deadly Hantavirus, the serious respiratory disease that began afflicting many in the American Southwest in 1993.
In their 2002 BioScience paper, “The ecology and evolutionary history of an emergent disease: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome,” Yates and his colleagues applied ecological science to public health to unravel the linkages between the ecology of the Hantavirus disease and climate variability, landscape patterns and human behavior.
In December 2007, at the age of 57, Yates died of brain cancer. At the time of his death, Yates was vice president for research and economic development at UNM, as well as curator of genomic resources for UNM’s Museum of Southwestern Biology.
He served as president of the Natural Science Collections Alliance from 2004–2007 where he worked tirelessly on the national stage to increase awareness of the vitally important research in biological diversity, evolution, and ecology that is conducted at our nation’s natural science collections and museums.
Yates held several positions at the National Science Foundation and was a member of the Board of Life Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences and an honorary member of the Society of Mammalogists, the highest honor bestowed by the organization.
For more information about the awards session and the 2008 ESA Annual Meeting, visit www.esa.org/milwaukee. More than 3500 attendees are expected at this year’s meeting.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; email: scarr@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Athletics Department is offering an exciting and new opportunity for fans to get involved with all Lobo Olympic sports for the upcoming school year. The Olympic Sports Season Pass will be THE season ticket for all men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, softball and baseball preseason and regular season home games for the 2008-09 season.
Fans now have the opportunity to purchase one ticket for all of their favorite Lobo Olympic Sporting events. The Olympic Sports Season Pass goes on sale Tuesday, July 15 and will give fans over 80 events to a variety of Lobo contests for one price. The Olympic Sports Pass is available in the following options:
What it costs:
Adult - $50
Senior - $40 (55+)
Youth - $30 (Ages 2-18)
Family Plan - $150 (Includes 2 Adult/2 Youth Passes)
The Olympic Sports Pass can be purchased online on GoLobos.com or by calling the UNM Ticket Office at (505) 925-LOBO or (800) 955-HOWL.
Upon purchasing the Olympic Sports Pass fans will receive a specially designed credential along with a lanyard. This credential will give the holder admittance into all five sports with no individual tickets needed. Fans can pick up their Olympic Sports Season Pass in person beginning Tuesday, July 15th, at The Pit Ticket Office. Just wear your credential to each home game you attend and cheer on your Lobos.
What the coaches are saying:
Jeff Nelson, Lobo Volleyball Head Coach
“The Olympic Sports Pass is a great way to target new Lobo fans. It will be exciting to see a lot of new faces in the stands at Johnson Gymnasium as we continue to generate more interest in our volleyball program and battle for the Mountain West Conference championship.”
Jeremy Fishbein, Lobo Men’s Soccer Head Coach
“It is an exciting time to be involved with Lobo Athletics and the Olympic Sports Pass gives fans a chance to be a part of all of it. The men’s soccer program has enjoyed tremendous support over the past six seasons and the Olympic Sports Pass will only enhance the support and atmosphere at the UNM Soccer Complex. It will also make it easier for Lobo fans to check out all of the great programs UNM has to offer. “
Kit Vela, Lobo Women’s Soccer Head Coach
“I think it’s fantastic, it encourages people to come out to more Lobo events. We have some die-hard women’s soccer fans that will now get to share their love of Lobo athletics with all the Olympic sports. The pass is great for the fans. They can get their fill of every and any Lobo athletic event plus the pass pays for itself."
Ty Singleton, Lobo Softball Head Coach
“The Olympic Sports Pass is a tremendous opportunity for Lobo fans to see a lot of great teams here at New Mexico.” said Singleton. “When you look at the schedules and the competition those five programs play this is truly an awesome showcase of collegiate athletics. We look forward to the continued support of Lobo softball fans as we built a nationally competitive program.”
Ray Birmingham, Lobo Baseball Head Coach
“I’m excited about our ability to create, not just more baseball fans, but more Lobo fans with the Olympic Sports Pass. You can’t get a better deal with five sports for the price of one. We look forward to seeing a lot more Cherry and Silver in the stands at Isotopes Park next season.”
Media Contact: Jay Blackman, (505) 925-5528; e-mail: blackman@unm.edu
Noontime concert set for Friday, July 18 at University Honors Plaza
Rock & roll aficionados will relish in the next concert in the Greg Johnston Summer Concert Series at the University of New Mexico. The Albuquerque-based rock band Trinity is set to perform Friday, July 18 at the University Honors Plaza in the second of three summertime concerts. A classical metal act playing many of your old-time rock-and-roll favorites, Trinity will start rockin' at 12 noon at the University Honors Plaza, located southeast of the SUB and south of the Student Health Center.
Photo: Albuquerque-based Trinity.
Trinity’s musical repertoire contains songs from all your favorite classical rock-and-roll artists including AC/DC, Deep Purple, the Doobie Brothers, Kiss, Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne, the Scorpions and Whitesnake to name a few.
The summer concerts were named the Greg Johnston Summer Concerts last year in honor and recognition for Johnston’s work as founder of the concerts on behalf of the Work+Life Committee. The concerts provide staff with a new and unique way to enjoy their lunch hour once each month during the summer. Johnston, who worked in the University Communication and Marketing Department as a Sr. Communications Specialist, passed away in 2007 after a brief battle with cancer.
The Office of Institutional Advancement, Division of Student Affairs and UNM Staff Council’s Work+Life Committee sponsor the Greg Johnston Summer Concert Series.
The last concert in this summer’s series will feature the Squash Blossom Boys on Friday, Aug. 22. The concerts begin at noon at the University Honors Plaza.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
The UNM College Enrichment and Outreach Programs (CEOP), part of the Division of Student Affairs, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and the Department of Energy (DOE) are proud to team to up once again for the “UNM/LULAC Annual Leadership Program” for incoming junior and senior high school students.
The purpose of the program, which began in 2007, is to create a high school summer leadership camp that focuses on preparing young Latino student leaders for the future. And, with UNM being the only Hispanic Serving Institution classified as a Carnegie Very High Research Institution in the continental United States and 37 percent of its overall student body identifying themselves as Hispanic/Latino/Mexicano on demographic surveys, it’s the ideal place to hold the program.
After the success of the pilot program, which boasted 26 students and lasted for one week, the DOE granted UNM and LULAC $154,833 to continue the program for the next three years. This year’s program will have 50 students and last two weeks.
“We’re building off of what we started last year,” said Dr. Cheo Torres, vice president for Student Affairs. “This is the first National LULAC Educational Leadership Program and the University is honored to be selected as the university to inaugurate this program."
With the expansion of time and the larger number of students, Torres says the program will ensure the continuation of leadership training, tutorials, guidance, counseling, and cultural/social enrichment activities for future leaders from across the country.
The two-week schedule begins on July 20 and includes classes and events scheduled from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. starting with a morning wake-up call and ending with lights out at 10 p.m. Day’s events include team building and leadership exercises, college readiness training, cultural trips, case study and research and problem solving. At the end of the program participants are treated to a banquet and recognized for their accomplishments.
For more information on the program please call the LULAC National Office at (202) 833-6130 or visit: LULAC.
Everyone needs to play! UNM’s Staff Council Work+Life Committee is sponsoring “Learning Together through Play,” a free, hands-on workshop for staff, faculty and students on Thursday, July 24, from noon to 1 p.m. in the SUB Lobo rooms A&B. Light refreshments will be provided.
Discover how play enhances social, emotional and intellectual learning for all ages. Paula Steele, education specialist for the Family Development Program, a College of Education outreach program providing statewide professional development in early childhood education, will facilitate the workshop.
The Family Development Program also manages the Wemagination Center, which promotes the use of recycled materials to enhance learning. Workshop participants will be eligible to join Wemagination as members.
For more information contact Dorothy Kerwin, 277-9193 or e-mail dkerwin@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Representatives of the University of New Mexico and Central New Mexico Community College signed a transfer agreement today that allows CNM students who earn an associate degree in liberal arts to transfer into UNM’s College of Arts and Sciences.
Photo: Susan Murphy, left, CNM vice president for Academic Affairs; and Brenda Claiborne, dean, UNM College of Arts and Sciences, sign copies of a transfer agreement that will help students transition seamlessly from CNM into UNM's College of Arts and Sciences.
Students will be able to apply credits and courses from CNM directly toward graduation requirements in the UNM College of Arts and Sciences. For CNM students who follow the course and credit requirements, they can enter the UNM college as juniors.
Susan Murphy, CNM vice president for Academic Affairs, said that CNM has 3,600 declared associate of arts students. “CNM transfers approximately 1,000 students to UNM each year. With the majority destined for the College of Arts and Sciences, this creates a path to success for students. With the agreement, we will improve completion rates, create a significant pipeline to UNM and motivate students to complete a degree program.”
Viola Florez, UNM interim provost, said that the agreement has implications for both schools in Rio Rancho. “With the courses also being offered at CNM in Rio Rancho, we can expect those students to feed into our institution in large numbers,” she said.
“What this agreement does is put the responsibility on institutions to make sure the transfer process is seamless for students, a component often overlooked. At the heart of the agreement – for UNM and CNM in Rio Rancho – is for us to work together to create programs students can start at CNM with their 100 and 200 level courses, and then transfer to UNM for upper division coursework and graduate work. Community assessment and needs will drive what programs will be available in Rio Rancho,” said Beth Miller, special assistant to the UNM vice president for Rio Rancho operations and branch campus academic affairs.
Miller said that the “2+2” program will help students stay on track to graduate in four years. “By their second year, students should know their intended major and be able to take 200 level courses at CNM to ready them to move into their majors at UNM. We want to instill in the minds of both students and the community that if students follow the core curriculum and course sequencing, keep up their GPAs and receive good advisement, they can transfer to UNM to complete degree in two years.”
Florez added, “I want to thank Arts and Sciences Dean Brenda Claiborne and her team for believing in the value of the agreement and doing the work needed to make it happen. It’s what we need to do.”
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Center for Health Policy at UNM and the New Mexico Medical Review Association (NMMRA), an independent health care quality improvement organization, have been awarded a project planning grant from RWJF as part of its national initiative, Aligning Forces for Quality.
The planning process, to run through the end of 2008, focuses on developing a quality improvement consortium of business, health care providers, and community leaders. If successful, the project will extend to include Bernalillo County participating in the Aligning Forces for Quality initiative, joining 14 other communities around the country that are working to improve the overall quality of health care, reduce racial and ethnic disparities and provide models for national health care delivery restructuring.
The project in Bernalillo County involves developing a multi-stakeholder coalition bringing together business and consumer representatives with health care providers, health plans and state and local government. It will establish a process for setting quality improvement priorities that serve the interests of all the stakeholders and improves the care available for all who live and work in the region. This process will be used to develop and implement quality improvement strategies based on those priorities all lev-els. This structure will also drive increased transparency of data on quality and cost.
“The only way proven way to increase the quality of health care in a community requires participation by all stakeholders,” said Robert Valdez, Executive Director of the RWJF Center for Health Policy and co-leader of this planning process. “This process will allow us to improve the health care available in our communities and allow us to consider how best to make it available to all.”
RWJF undertook an extensive analysis and assessment of the Albuquerque community to determine its potential readiness to join the national Aligning Forces initiative, which included a two-day site visit to the state in August 2007.
“The Foundation is very excited to be working with Albuquerque on this planning project for the Aligning Forces for Quality initiative,” said Michael W. Painter, senior program officer at RWJF. “The premise of Aligning Forces is that no single person, group or profession can improve health and health care throughout a community without the help of others.
"We are quite hopeful that leaders in Albuquerque will make the most of this important planning opportunity. Success at this planning stage would mean that Albuquerque would have a real shot at joining the existing 14 Aligning Forces communities in their long-term partnership with RWJF to improve health care for every-one in their communities.”
Former state cabinet secretary of health and NMMRA quality improvement manager, Pat Montoya, will co-lead this project along with Dr. Robert Valdez, executive director of the RWJF Center for Health Policy and Professor of Family & Community Medicine and Professor of Economics at the University of New Mexico.
"I look forward to working with all of my health and business colleagues to explore ways in improving access to quality health care and to focus particularly in reducing the widening gap between racial and socio-economic sectors in our Albuquerque community," said Dr. Paul Roth, executive vice president of the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center.
In addition to Montoya and Valdez, collaborating in the development of the planning grant were Dan Jaco, director of NMMRA, William Wiese, director of the Institute for Public Health; Patricia Boyle, executive director of the New Mexico Center for Nursing Excellence; and Liz Stefanics, director of the New Mexico Health Policy Commission.
As both a national resource for minority health policy research and an advocate for minorities in health policy discussions, the RWJF Center for Health Policy seeks to increase the number of minority Ph.D. graduates, particularly Hispanics and Native Americans, participating in social sciences.
These individuals can serve as leaders in national debate concerning minorities and US public health policy offering their extensive training and knowledge of policy to promote improvements in healthcare for all.
NMMRA is a not-for-profit, physician-sponsored organization that is New Mexico’s federally contracted Medicare Quality Improvement Organization and Medicaid External Quality Review Organization. NMMRA works with health care providers, con-sumer and health care organizations, and state and federal agencies to improve the quality of health care in New Mexico.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change.
New permit rates effective Aug. 25
The University of New Mexico Department of Parking and Transportation Services (PATS) announced that parking permits for the 2008-2009 academic year will go on sale on Monday, July 14. Staff and faculty not enrolled in the automatic payroll deduction program must renew their permits annually and can purchase their new permits from the PATS Web site beginning at 5 a.m. Students may also begin purchasing permits at this time. New permit rates are effective Aug. 25.
Staff and faculty who are enrolled in the automatic payroll deduction permit program do not need to initiate a new purchase as the program automatically issues a new permit for a new academic year. Permits will be sent to the address listed with the UNM Human Resources Department.
To cancel enrollment in the payroll deduction program, staff or faculty must contact PATS before Aug. 1 to terminate the service. To initiate enrollment staff or faculty can visit the PATS Web site for more information or visit the PATS office on the NW corner of Central & University.
In April, PATS announced the new permit rates for the 2008-09 academic year as well as new rates for the meters and Cornell Parking Structure, which took effect July 1.
Rate Changes:
• Meters – from $1.60/hour to $1.75/hour
• Cornell Parking Structure – from $1.60/hour to $1.75/hour
• South, G and Q Lots – from $112/year to $124/year, an increase of $1 per month
• Dorm Residents – from $220/year to $242/year, an increase of $2.20 per month
• T Lot Parking – from $151/year to $183/year, an increase of $2.66 per month
• Surface Lot* Parking – from $331/year to $364/year, an increase of $2.75 per month
*Surface Lots are parking lots located on the core campus (A; M; L etc.). The prices listed are for the median salary range. Other permit types and salary ranges have different increases. Please visit Parking and Transportation Services for more information.
"Of course we regret having to introduce any raise in charges," PATS Director Clovis Acosta said. "We have succeeded in buffering much of the real-term costs internally, but because we are fully self-funded, inevitably there is an amount that is passed on to the customer."
But what does this price increase mean for the average UNM student, staff or faculty member? The additional money raised from the permit increase will help to replace older buses currently used in shuttle runs around the campus, some of which are nearly 14 years old. The new replacements not only give much improved fuel economy -reducing the cost of shuttle runs- but, thanks to improved technology, will also produce much less greenhouse gases.
It is often easy to overlook the broader role of the shuttle service. The advantage of an efficient, dedicated on-campus fleet provides:
• More efficient access to the University and campus learning centers
• Decongestion of central campus
• Better pedestrian safety and flow
• Improved air quality and reduced carbon emissions
• Reduction of intrusive traffic noise
"No-one wants to see parking prices rise," said Parking and Transportation Services said Acosta. "I understand the concerns of members of the UNM community. This increase is necessary to keep up with the rising price of fuel, as well as purchasing other petroleum-based products."
In addition to providing shuttle service from external lots to locations around the University campus, PATS is also responsible for parking lot maintenance. Parking lots are beginning to deteriorate and need considerable attention. Asphalt is petroleum-based and has recently undergone a 30 percent price increase. These costs are a part of the PATS operation.
Acosta added, "We are constantly working to improve parking on campus. We are designing new, purpose-built parking structures and locating them centrally on campus. The permit revenue helps us meet the debt obligation on these projects. I believe that the new prices reflect a fair and balanced increase and that Parking and Transportation remains highly competitive and continues to deliver an excellent range of services to our customers."
For more information about PATS services and parking rates, visit Parking & Transportation Services Web site at http://www.unm.edu/parking.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
This week, “New Mexico in Focus” recognizes some of the teachers who are making a difference in New Mexico, and then the panel tackles the issue of the Albuquerque Streetcar project among other topics of interest to New Mexicans this week. KNME-TV’s one hour public affairs show “New Mexico in Focus” takes a multi-layered look at social, political, economic, health, education and arts issues and explores them in-depth, with a critical eye to give them context beyond the "news of the moment." “New Mexico in Focus” will air on KNME-TV, Channel 5, on Friday, July 11 at 7 p.m. and repeat on Sunday, July 13 at 6:30 a.m.
Earlier this year, seven New Mexico teachers were honored as the “best of the best” by the Golden Apple Foundation of New Mexico. Co-host David Alire Garcia, managing editor for the New Mexico Independent, will sit down with Celia Merrill, executive director of the Golden Apple Foundation of New Mexico and honorees Christine Castillo, from Manzano High School and Sandy McMurray, of Eldorado High School.
Then guest panelist and columnist Arthur Alpert will join Gene Grant, “New Mexico in Focus” co-host and Albuquerque Journal columnist and regular panelists Jim Scarantino, columnist with the Weekly Alibi, Scott Darnell, Communications Director for the Republican Party of New Mexico, and Margaret Montoya, a professor with the University of New Mexico School of Law and School of Medicine. The panel will debate the Albuquerque Streetcar project, discuss lifestyle changes people are making due to high gas prices, and talk about how New Mexicans can help revamp the New Mexico State Fairgrounds.
The producers of “New Mexico in Focus” are Kevin McDonald and Kathy Wimmer. Closed Captioning of “New Mexico in Focus” has been made possible by a gift from Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs.
Media Contact: Evy Todd, (505) 277-1218. E-Mail: etodd@knme.org
The Inspection of Public Records Working Group has given a report and policy recommendations to the president and chairman of the Board of Regents for their consideration. It is important to keep in mind that these are only recommendations for Regents consideration and are not final approved policies. The report and policy recommendations can be viewed at http://www.unm.edu/~ubppm/.
The policy recommendations, regarding three administrative policies related to the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA), will be reviewed by the President, Chairman of the Board and Regents' counsel Friday, July 11, 2008. The Board of Regents will determine the final policies at their board meeting August 12, 2008.
The President and the Inspection of Public Records Working Group would like to thank the campus for reviewing and commenting on the policy changes proposed by Regents Counsel.
UNM’s Cancer Research and Treatment Center (CRTC) will become the exclusive provider of medical oncology services for all Lovelace Health Plan members, beginning Oct. 1. With this new partnership, Lovelace Health Plan members will have access to new cancer treatment technologies and therapies through important clinical trials currently underway at the CRTC, a National Cancer Institute designated Cancer Center.
Additional patient and family support services, such as cancer patient navigators, social workers, pastoral and hospice care, and advanced scheduling techniques also are being developed to enhance the quality of services for Lovelace Health Plan patients.
“As one of the nation’s leading cancer centers, our goals are not only to conduct groundbreaking research in the fight against cancer, but to assure that all New Mexicans have access to comprehensive, state-of-the-art cancer diagnosis and treatment through our statewide cancer care network,” says Dr. Cheryl Willman, UNM CRTC director and CEO. “This important partnership will help us meet those goals.”
The UNM Cancer Research and Treatment Center already has assumed responsibility for all medical oncology clinics in the Lovelace Health System at Lovelace Medical Center, Lovelace St. Joseph’s Square, and Lovelace Women’s Hospital. UNM medical oncologists have been treating Lovelace patients in these same locations for the past year, consequently the majority of Lovelace patients will see no difference in their physicians or facilities.
Lovelace Health System will continue to provide its patients radiation oncology services through its American College of Radiology accredited Radiation Oncology program located at Lovelace Medical Center and at the Lovelace Northeast Heights Cancer Center at 4650 Jefferson N.E.
The UNM CRTC is home to the state’s largest team of cancer specialists, with 81 physicians board-certified in various oncology disciplines; and the state’s only cancer research team, with 118 scientists supported by more than $50 million in annual grants. In 2007, the CRTC conducted more than 200 clinical trials, giving patients access to the latest and most promising cancer drugs and treatments.
“The UNM Cancer Research and Treatment Center, the official cancer center of the State of New Mexico, is one of the nation’s top-50 cancer centers and is our region’s only cancer center designated by the National Cancer Institute,” offers Dennis Wilson, CEO of Lovelace Health Plan. “This new partnership means Lovelace members will have access to the expertise of the state’s largest team of board-certified oncology physicians and important clinical trials. This truly is an exciting day for our medical oncology patients and for cancer care in New Mexico.”
“We look forward to working with community physicians and the Lovelace Health System team to provide outstanding care for Lovelace Health Plan patients,” concludes Willman.
Albert Palma and Zachery Watkins are the latest to carry on UNM's tradition of providing exceptional students excited to serve as Fulbright scholars. In the last five years, UNM has produced 13 Fulbright scholars in a variety of fields going to a number of different countries.
"I'm proud of the precedent our students are setting," UNM President David Schmidly said. "Year after year, they grasp opportunities and succeed. These students are among our best at UNM and I know that they will represent our university and the state of New Mexico well as they take their scholarship and service out into the world as Fulbright scholars."
The Fulbright Program pays all expenses and provides a stipend, insurance and travel costs for a full academic year, according to Ken Carpenter, associate director, International Programs and Studies.
Pursuing his doctoral degree in political science at UNM, Palma is going to Brazil for dissertation research on Latin American social movements. Growing up in a low-income neighborhood in Albuquerque, he went on to earn an engineering degree at New Mexico State University and a master’s degree in public administration at the Woodrow Wilson Institute of Princeton University. He has worked for a number of human rights organizations in the United States and Latin America.
Watkins, a 2007 UNM graduate with a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy, will teach English in Germany. Also an Albuquerque native, he plans a career in teaching when he returns from Germany. As an undergraduate at UNM he received a National Merit Scholarship, and a UNM Regents Scholarship. He also participated in the Honors Program and an international exchange program at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom.
The program is extremely competitive, Carpenter said. Last year 6,400 students applied for a grant; about 1,450 were awarded. Yet, UNM offers many resources to students who are interested, including a committee that interviews applicants and reviews applications before sending them to the Fulbright selection committees.
John Smeltzer, who graduated UNM with a bachelor’s degree, also received a Fulbright grant. Tragically, he died while traveling in Spain this summer.
With help from its friends, UNM has taken another step toward diversity in the arts. The UNM College of Fine Arts and the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce finalized an agreement yesterday establishing the Clifton A. Reed Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce Endowed Scholarship, benefiting fine arts students of Hispanic descent.
The scholarship is named in memory of Clifton Reed. Growing up in the depression era, Reed knew what it was like to struggle to pay for an education. He also had a great love of dance, music, art and the theatre.
Jean Salas Reed, Clifton Reed’s widow, Alex Romero, Hispano Chamber president, and College of Fine Arts Dean Christopher Mead signed the agreement, which will support the university’s priority of achieving excellence through diversity.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu