UNM Mailing Systems is developing a way to reduce the amount of unnecessary paper materials generated within the university as a response to growing concerns about paper waste. Currently Mailing Systems generates campus mailing lists to target specific employees, based on selected criteria for departments who wish to send out notices, marketing materials and other information to the campus.
In addition to the mailing lists, Mailing Systems will now offer an “opt-out” option for employees who do not wish to receive any materials. Employees can submit their Banner ID’s via an email to UnivServ@salud.unm.edu beginning Sept. 3.
Once Mailing Systems receives the e-mail, they will remove the individual from the mailing lists. An online form to “opt-out” will be available in mid-September on the Mailing systems’ web site at http://mailingsystems.unm.edu.
By mid-September there will also be a departmental option in which a department head can choose to “opt-out” the entire department by submitting the appropriate org code or codes to UNM Mailing Systems.
Mailing Systems is also launching a system to reject mass mailings that do not relate to the University’s mission. Currently some of this is recycled, and some is delivered if it is properly addressed. When you receive mail that you do not want and wish to stop receiving, simply bundle it up and leave it in the outgoing mail, marked “Remove from List.” Mailing Systems will inform the companies to remove the name and address from their mailing lists.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact Deb Wells at 272-1058.
Anderson School of Management Accounting Professor Joni Young will receive the 2008 Outstanding Accounting Educator Award from the New Mexico Society of Certified Public Accountants (NMSCPA). Young, chair of the accounting department, was selected by the NMSCPA for her outstanding accomplishments in the classroom that enhance the reputation of the CPA profession.
Photo: Joni Young
She has been a faculty member at Anderson since 1992 and is admired by both faculty and students for her intermediate accounting classes.
NMSCPA President John Carey says recognizing CPAs who have distinguished themselves in their field is one of the most rewarding events sponsored by the society.
Young says she is pleased to accept the award. "I've been lucky to have had the opportunity to work with great students and colleagues at UNM."
Young will be honored at the NMSCPA Pride in the Profession luncheon on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at the Albuquerque Embassy Suites and will also be featured in the society's September newsletter.
Media Contact: Leslie Venzuela, (505) 277-7117; email: venzuela@mgt.unm.edu
Jennifer Gomez-Chavez, director, University of New Mexico Title V, invites all faculty to a Community Faculty Welcome reception Monday, Sept. 15, at 5:30 p.m. at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 4th S.W.
UNM administrators including Provost Suzanne T. Ortega and Vice President for Equity and Inclusion Jozi De Leon, and community members from various organizations will be on hand for an evening of conversation on faculty support and student success.
New faculty should RSVP to ncabrera@unm.edu or by calling 277-1481. When you e-mail or leave a message, include the following information.
1.) First Name
2.) Last Name
3.) Position
4.) Department/College/Faculty
5.) Email address
6.) Additional guests (spouse, children, etc) and their names for name tags
This $2.8 million Title V Grant is titled “UNM Title V, Improving Campus Climate for Hispanic Students.” The goal of the project is to continue to improve retention and graduation rates for Hispanic students. UNM receives approximately $550,000 per year during the funding cycle. The grant can continue beyond 2011 if the university meets certain requirements and it is so deemed by the U.S. Department of Education.
Through the grant, UNM is expanding current faculty development practices to include education sessions focused on student-centered, culturally appropriate instructional methods that will have a positive impact on students.
Additionally, another component focuses on student development and engagement through activities/initiatives that provide academic tutoring support in the classroom; mentoring, cultural, and social support in and out of the classroom; and a live interface program that will provide students with a tool to navigate academic, social, and cultural support programs available on campus.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
UNM Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Eliseo “Cheo” Torres will be among the speakers at the Hispanic Heritage Press Conference on Wednesday, Sept. 3 from 11 a.m. to noon in Albuquerque’s Old Town Plaza. Torres, will address the importance of teaching Hispanic heritage to future generations.
Other speakers include Vivian C. La Valley, Albuquerque Job Corps, executive director for training, who will make introductions; Carla Aragon, local veteran news anchor who is now writing a book for young children, will give an overview of the Albuquerque-area leaders from the 39 local, state and national Hispanic, education, government, civic, military and business organizations that will promote more than 60 events taking place in Albuquerque during the month-long Hispanic Heritage celebration.
Mayor Martin J. Chávez will speak on the importance the Hispanic community has made to Albuquerque’s cultural fabric; and Ralph Arellanes, Hispanic Statement of Cooperation chair will speak on HSOC’s 10th anniversary. Alex Romero, CEO – Hispano Chamber of Commerce - addresses the importance of the Hispanic community working collaboratively now and in the future.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
A fundraiser benefiting the Comadre a Comadre program in the College of Education at UNM will be held Thursday, Sept. 4 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Cold Stone Creamery located at Jefferson and I-25 near the Century Rio 24 Theatre.
As part of the promotion, 25 percent of the sales will be donated to Comadre a Comadre. Join Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority Inc. and Cold Stone Creamery help Comadre a Comadre raise money for its breast cancer organization.
Comadre A Comadre, which is housed in CoE’s Department of Health, Exercise and Sports Sciences area, is committed to empowering the lives of Hispanic/Latina women and their loved ones through advocacy, education, information, resources, and support about breast health and breast cancer.
The project trains and recruits “comadres” who are breast cancer survivors to meet and assist patients at medical appointments and to serve as a liaison between the patient and medical providers.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
This week, “New Mexico in Focus” examines the impact that New Mexicans, from Gov. Bill Richardson to Patricia Madrid, Tom Udall and more, have had at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colo. “New Mexico in Focus” airs on KNME-TV, Channel 5, on Friday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. and repeats on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 6:30 a.m.
“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 one-hour show brings viewers important topics, opinions and insight, in an integrated and cohesive package.
In a different format this week, co-hosts Gene Grant, Albuquerque Journal columnist and David Alire Garcia, managing editor of the New Mexico Independent, visit the Democratic National Convention while guest host Jim Scarantino, columnist for the Weekly Alibi talks with the pair about their reflection on the event.
Also this week, another presidential hopeful visited the Land of Enchantment. “New Mexico in Focus” reports on the press conference and rally Ralph Nader held at the University of New Mexico earlier in the week.
Then KNME’s countdown to the Digital TV transition continues. Gene Grant talks with Jim Barry of the Consumer Electronics Association about the switch from analog TV to digital TV on Feb. 17, 2009.
Producers of ‘New Mexico In Focus’ are Kevin McDonald and Kathy Wimmer. Closed captioning 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 Information Technology Services (ITS) Department invites all faculty, staff and students to celebrate a technology milestone. Meet and greet Dr. Gil Gonzales, chief information officer for UNM, and say farewell to the UNM's old mainframe system on Wednesday, Sept. 3 from 3:30 – 5 p.m. in SUB Ballroom C. Gonzales, UNM's new CIO, started Monday, Aug. 18.
Photo: The Information Technology Services Department is set to officially retire UNM's old mainframe system.
For more information contact Vanessa Baca at 277-0987 or Jane McGuire at 277-3378.
Media Contact: Vanessa Baca, (505) 277-0987; e-mail: vjbaca1@unm.edu
During this week’s influx of students and their new internet-capable devices, the UNM wireless network was overwhelmed. In an attempt to provide more wireless IP addresses, wired connectivity also became limited. ITS ha fully restored all network access, including wireless, and have all available resources working on the root cause of the problem.
Check ITS alerts at: http://itsalerts.unm.edu/ for the latest system status. If you encounter any further internet access issues, please call the ITS Support Center at 277-4848.
We are pleased to be able to offer casual-use wireless network broadly across campus and are working to continuously expand its capacity. For more information about this service, see the ITS wireless Web site, Wireless.
Media Contact: Vanessa Baca, (505) 277-0987; e-mail: vjbaca1@unm.edu
Professor Thaddeus Pope, an associate professor of Law at Widener University Law School, will a give a free public lecture that will focus on medical ethics, specifically relating to issues of making medical decisions. The lecture will be held Saturday, Aug. 30 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at St. Thomas of Canterbury Church located at 425 University N.E. The lecture itself begins at 10 a.m. Light refreshments will be served beforehand.
Recruited to speak here by Dr. Aroop Mangalik from the UNM Cancer and Research Center, Pope’s expertise is concentrated in issues of medical ethics. He will also be addressing the medical community at the UNM Medical Center and UNM Health Sciences Center on Aug. 28-29 including topics of health law, bioethics and torts, which he specializes in.
Due to emergency maintenance, the UNM Wireless Network will be intermittently unavailable today, Aug. 27 from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. During this time, the following services will be affected: Wireless Network (Lobo-Wifi & Lobo-Sec).
Due to an large influx of WiFi enabled devices ITS needs to add more IP address space for client connectivity on the wireless network. This will require and emergency outage and wireless connectivity campus wide.
Please refer to the ITSAlerts board ITS Alerts for additional information, including a complete list of affected applications or ontact the ITS Support Center, 277-4848 with questions.
Media Contact: Vanessa Baca, (505) 277-0987; e-mail: vjbaca1@unm.edu
On Wednesday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m., award-winning author and UNM alumna Anne Weaver will be the first speaker in the recently resurrected Voices of the Southwest lecture series at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque. Weaver's book, 'The Voyage of the Beetle,' explores Charles Darwin's "mystery of mysteries" by taking young readers on a scientific ride that helps answer the questions of why so many different species exist on Earth and why each is uniquely fitted for its environment. An hour-long talk will precede a question-and-answer period and book signing.
Weaver, who graduated from UNM with a Ph.D. in anthropology, will talk about teaching evolution. She has taught at Santa Fe Community College and will continue her quest to make evolution accessible with a book on hominid children through time, forthcoming from UNM Press.
Weaver's 'The Voyage of the Beetle' won the New Mexico Press Women's 2008 Zia Award for best children's book and will also be the New Mexico State Library's selection to represent the state at the National Book Festival in Washington D.C. Sept. 27.
Voices of the Southwest was begun in 2003 by then UNM Associate Provost Dr. David Stuart, in conjunction with UNM Press. Employing UNM Press authors, the series has covered a broad range of topics-from New Mexico history and culture to world archaeology to literature and poetry-and proven a forum for the public to mingle with recognized authors and learn about a specific subject.
KUNM will simulcast the lectures on 89.9 FM and online at KUNM ~ 89.9 FM. For more information about the Voices of the Southwest or to view the complete lineup, visit UNM Press or contact Christina Frain at 505-272-7183 or cfrain@unm.edu.
UNM has 15 National Merit Scholars and 24 National Hispanic Scholars in the freshman class this fall. That is a major increase from 2007 when the university had four National Merit and 10 National Hispanic Scholars.
Rosalie Otero, director of the University Honors Programs says National Merit Scholars and National Hispanic Scholars are very important to universities because they are proven leaders and students. She says, “They raise the level of discourse and bring their outstanding talents to the flagship institution.”
Students who qualify as National Merit Scholars or National Hispanic Scholars take a PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test administered by the College Board, a non-profit membership association. Universities are notified of the students with the highest scores. At UNM all National Merit and National Hispanic Scholars are on full scholarship.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The UNM Office of International Admissions recently offered a “Bienvenidos” to a group of students from Latin America to the campus community. Recruited from Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia and Honduras, the students include undergraduates attending UNM on the International Amigo Scholarship, as well as graduate Fulbright and CONACYT scholars.
International Admissions Manager Myriam Muñoz has developed relationships with schools throughout Latin America, including Colegio Americano and Colegio Internacional SEK-Ecuador, both in Quito. She has also developed close ties with the Fulbright office, said Janine Pacheco, international admissions representative.
“The International Amigo Scholarship makes UNM attractive to international students we recruit from Latin America. The scholarship pays the out-of-state portion of tuition, leaving the student only in-state tuition costs,” Pacheco said. She organized a dinner recently to welcome the students, and in some cases their parents, to UNM.
CONACYT, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia, is a prestigious scholarship available to Mexican students which the Mexican government funds to allow students to study abroad, generally in science and technology.
UNM welcomed four Ecuadorian Fulbright students, three of whom are studying in the School of Engineering. Elsa Castillo, student program specialist in Engineering Student Services, is also from Ecuador. “International students are drawn to the UNM School of Engineering for many reasons. The excellence of our programs attracts them. UNM is a top choice because of our nationally ranked programs, the quality of our labs and the funding we put in research.”
She added that the School of Engineering faculty is actively involved in recruiting internationally, and that the school puts forward the resources to offer the students assistantships. Castillo added, “We have a student-centered perspective in the college. The moment a student emails me, I respond.”
The Fulbright scholars are Feliza Montez, Teaching English as a Second Language; Antonio Ruales, electrical engineering; Daniel Riofrio, computer science; and Francisco Rodriguez, mechanical engineering.
CONACYT scholars are Yarnel Torres, computer science; Miguel Dominguez, Organizational Learning & Instructional Technology, College of Education; and Marcela Zarate, Latin American literature.
Amigo scholars are Lilliam Aguilar, Honduras; Felipe Acosta, Colombia; Sebastian de los Reyes, Ecuador, Jan Monterrubio, Mexico; Joaquin Borja, Ecuador; Fernando Najera, Ecuador; John Zamudio, Colombia; Milton Flores, Ecuador; and Rodrigo Osuna Orozco, Mexico.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
For 15 years, UNM’s Associate Vice President for Research Michael Dougher has worked with his students to examine the role of stimulus relations and semantic networks they believe underlie human cognition learning and memory. They have studied the effect on clinical disorders such as depression and anxiety. For that work, Dougher has received an award from the American Psychological Association.
Photo: Associate Vice President for Research Michael Dougher
The Don Hake Award for Translational Research for work that bridges the basic/applied continuum of behavior analysis was given to Dougher at the association’s national meeting in Boston.
As part of the event, Dougher delivered an invited talk, “Stimulus Relations: False Memories and Clinical Implications.” He and his students have spent the past decade and a half trying to identify experimentally behavioral processes that underlie language and certain cognitive phenomena.
Dougher and his students used basic laboratory work to identify processes that can account for development of fearful reactions to events that have never been associated with aversive stimulation or even directly encountered. The work clarified behavioral processes responsible for cognitive distortions that characterize depression and stimulate memory distortions and errors.
“It’s nice that the work was recognized, but it has been a real team effort, and the students did the heavy lifting,” Dougher said.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
The Division of Human Resources would like to thank the more than 2,500 respondents to the compressed work week survey. Your responses, comments and insights into the impact of the compressed work week on the UNM community are greatly appreciated. As the summer compressed work week pilot ended on Aug. 15, it is time to reflect on what we have learned.
Ultimately, the compressed work week pilot illuminated the dichotomy of opinions regarding flexible schedules. Individuals in support of the program cited individual financial savings and better work+life balance as key benefits. In contrast, business requirements, department conflicts and personal conflicts were cited by those concerned with the compressed work week.
Given the divergent business needs and input received at the Transportation and Energy Summit, the Division of Human Resources has recommended that we continue with our current policy on flexible schedules. The Paid Time Policy 3300 can be viewed at unm.edu/%7Eubppm/ubppmanual/3300.htm. It states the importance of work schedules that meet the missions of the university and the departments. However, it does give managers the opportunity to permit flexible work schedules for employees.
In light of the compressed work week survey feedback, here are three general tips for flexible schedules.
1. Flexible schedules can be a morale booster and provide financial savings for employees. You may want to consider additional options such as a 9-80 (for exempt employees) or a 4 and a half day week (for non-exempt employees).
2. Structure is important. Employees want to know guidelines around flexible schedules including availability, eligibility and limitations. At the same time, managers need consistency in staffing to meet business needs. Defining a clear and understandable process will benefit everyone.
3. Flexible schedules are meant to encourage flexibility from everyone – managers and employees alike. However, fulfilling the missions of the university is the paramount responsibility of all employees.
Thanks once again to those respondents who voiced their opinions. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to speak with your manager or Human Resources consultant.
Story submitted by Helen Gonzales, vice president, Human Resources
Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez, ABQ RIDE Director Greg Payne and UNM President David J. Schmidly are pleased to announce an agreement between the City of Albuquerque and the University of New Mexico to provide shuttle service to all UNM Lobo home football games during the 2008 season.
Photo: UNM President David J. Schmidly and ABQ RIDE Director Greg Payne discuss an agreement to provide shuttle service to all Lobo home football games.
"We have a great relationship with UNM, and have worked with them on many projects in the past," said Mayor Chávez, "This service builds on that relationship and allows for better access to the games, freeing up parking and reducing congestion on busy streets."
"Sitting in traffic and trying to find a place to park is not a way to start an evening," said President Schmidly. "We want to provide a great entertainment venue and a stress-free ride. This partnership between UNM and the City will help make that happen.
"With ABQ Lobo-Ride, you can save your energy to yell and holler for the Lobos. It’ll be a great night of football and a stress-free ride, at a price everybody can afford. It’s a great deal for everybody – the fans, the UNM Lobos, and ABQ Ride. It’s one more example of UNM working hand-in-hand with the City to get things done," Schmidly added.
"We've had a terrific response from UNM with the student bus pass." ABQ RIDE Director Greg Payne said, "This new program has allows us to introduce even more people to a vastly improved transit system who hopefully will become regular riders in the future."
Special parking lots will be set up and bus riders will be dropped off at the front door of the stadium. UNM will be working with APD to allow the buses easy access in and out of the game.
The parking shuttle will be at Lot T at Lomas and University. A representative from UNM will be selling tickets for the shuttle for $3 for each game, or $12 for a season pass at that location.
The bus service will begin two hours before kick-off and will continue until all the fans are gone. For more information visit the UNM Lobos web-site at www.golobos.com or visit ABQ RIDE's web-site at www.cabq.gov/abqride.
Media Contact: Greg Remington, (505) 925-5525; e-mail: gregrem@unm.edu
Several University of New Mexico faculty are recipients of prestigious Fulbright awards that will take them to Latin America to share their expertise and conduct further research.
Michael Morris, research professor, College of Education Administration, is a Fulbright New Century Scholar, a new Fulbright program that brings together a 12 month international cohort of scholars looking at major global issues - women's rights, world health care systems, the environment and sustainability, and, most recently, access and education in education, the themes for 2006-2007 and 2007-2008.
Morris is only the second New Mexican to be named a Fulbright New Century Scholar and the only Fulbright New Century Scholar to focus investigations in Spain.
Morris’ research focused on education and immigration. He looked specifically at the young undocumented, under-aged and unaccompanied minors between the ages of 12-17 who entered Spain and the European Union illegally from North Africa, largely Muslim countries, and the Sub Sahara.
Partially as a result of this, Morris has been invited to be a respondent on a special panel dealing with youth migrants at the World Forum on Migration next month in Madrid where he will comment on and analyze the phenomena and education’s response in a comparison between the US and the EU.
Additional faculty who received 2007- 08 Fulbrights are Justine Marie Andrews; assistant professor, Department of Art and Art History, College of Fine Arts, whose topic is “Gothic Architecture in Medieval Cyprus: Constructing Identity and Reading Reception in Nicosia and Famagusta,” Cyprus-American Archaeological Research Institute, Nicosia, Cyprus. Ruth G. Trinidad, assistant professor, Department of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies, College of Education, looks at “Women's Involvement in Nongovernmental Organizations in Ecuador: Possible Solutions for the Migration Phenomenon,” Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), Quito, Ecuador .
Les Field, professor, Anthropology, College of Arts & Sciences, investigates “ Pre-Colombia: The Social History of the Museo del Oro and the Future of Colombia's Cultural Patrimony,” in Colombia.
Student Fulbrights include Albert Palma, Political Science graduate student, Brazil; John Smeltzer, 2008 Political Science/French/European Studies/and Economics graduate student, Canada, who died unexpectedly this summer in Spain; Zachary Watkins, 2007 English/Philosophy graduate student, Germany.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The UNM campus is packed with people, and if a number of these people look like they’re trying to find their way around, it’s because they are brand new to campus. UNM is seeing a surge in new freshman enrollment this fall. On the first day of the fall semester, 3,190 freshmen were signed up for classes. That’s a 9.85 percent increase over last fall and record setting numbers for new beginning freshmen.
This year more students than ever are also living in the dorms. UNM residential housing holds approximately 2,400 students, and they are full. That means single rooms are not available at the moment, although housing officials say the pressure might ease slightly when Greek rush is over and some students move into sorority or fraternity houses.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Zapatistas respond to questions about immigration
Richard Schaefer, associate professor, Communication & Journalism, led his UNM Cross-Border Issues Group from their base in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, to the state of Chiapas to further their research on immigration. Schaefer’s group last year focused on Mexican immigration to the United States. This year, the perspective was expanded to include immigration from Guatemala to Mexico as well as intra-Mexico migration. The trip included crossing the Mexican-Guatemalan border seeing the difference between that international border and the muro, or wall, being erected between the U.S. and Mexico.
San Cristóbal de las Casas
The group spent four days in San Cristóbal de las Casas, population 200,000, considered the cultural capital of the state of Chiapas. Located in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas Mountains, the city lives among the clouds, but the people have their feet firmly on the ground.
The X-Border Issues Group needed to understand the dynamics and reality of both city and state to understand why people leave either for other Mexican cities or for the United States.
They found San Cristóbal to be a dichotomy. The city features Spanish architecture with colorful buildings adorned with balconies erupting in vibrant pink, red and purple flowers. Plants and shrubbery line hilly, stone streets with narrow sidewalks. Although the citizens are predominately Mexican mestizo, the city also has many residents or vendors who come from the surrounding countryside. They are the descendents of the ancient Mayans who now live in Chamula, Huixtán and San Juan Larráinzar, among other plDavid Brookshire.
Their dress reflects both color and climate. The women are clothed in heavy woolen skirts topped with colorful woven and embroidered blouses. They speak to each other not in Spanish, but in Tzotzil and Tzeltal, the sounds of which waft in the air where the smells of fresh fruits and vegetables hang heavy and sweet.
San Cristóbal appears a place of wealth, but the economy in all of Chiapas is primarily agricultural with coffee, corn, vegetables and fruit with some cattle ranching and small business. Tourism, including eco- and edu-tourism, is part of the economy of the city as well as the state.
The bountiful vegetation is deceiving, as well. Chiapas possesses a variety of natural resources, but extensive exploitation has devastated areas of the bosques and forests resulting in a loss of many species of both flora and fauna.
Human Rights
The X-Border Group met with Santiago López Gomez, general coordinator for the Human Rights Committee in Ocosingo. His group works with migrants, both those from Chiapas as well as those migrating north from Guatemala, at Chiapas’ southern border. He talked about the need to provide safe passage for “nuestros hermanos,” our brothers and sisters, immigrating to escape poverty. He said they are abused at the hands of Mexican authorities. López Gomez said that many people leave when there isn’t enough land to support the family. “There is enough land, but much of it is in dispute either at the federal level or between indigenous groups,” he said.
He also spoke about what happens to a community when someone leaves. “When a countryman migrates, it changes and causes suffering for the community. It is like a body without an arm. Those who do migrate and return come back with other ideas.” He added that it is “ignorance” to believe that one culture is better than another.
Zapatistas
He also supports the work of the Zapatistas.
The Zapatistas, or Zapatista Army for National Liberation, is a Chiapas-based politico-military organization comprised predominately of indigenous people. They came into public light on January 1, 1994 when they took over various municipalities the same day NAFTA took effect. Their fight is for indigenous Mexicans whose individual and collective rights have been neglected historically. They strive for a new democratic model based on the fundamental principles of liberty and justice and have created a network of revolt and resistance against Neo-Liberalism.
The X-Border Group wanted to interview the Zapatistas. Schaefer knew Esteban López Gómez, who speaks Tzotzil and Spanish, and he helped the group gain access into Oventik, a Zapatista-controlled zone, and get an interview with the “Zetas,” or “Z’s” – the Zapatistas.
After showing passports and explaining the reason for their visit, the X-Border group was asked to provide a written list of their questions. Then they waited three hours to interview a group of six rebels, who declined to be video or audio taped. All wore the distinctive Zapatista black mask.
The Z’s took their name, one told us, in honor of Emiliano Zapata, who organized a 1906 uprising of campesinos in defense of their rights to the land in the state Morelos. His cry for “land and liberty” resonates with the Zapatistas. “Zapata’s fight was for the poor. He started a fight that we are continuing. His work lives through the Zapatistas,” one told the group.
“We have a dream of a land free of borders. We fight for the land which is necessary for the growth of the pueblo. This is our dream. One day we will be free,” one said. The Mexico “ejido” land system, which provides communal lands, but disallows individuals to sell land or use it to acquire loans.
Immigration, he said, isn’t healthy for the individual or the community. “Leaving disorients a person. When they come back, they have a different mentality.” However, another Zapatista said, in response to a question about the economic impact on the community when someone leaves, “There’s no effect when they leave, but when they come back it’s good because they have money.”
The Zapatistas are organized in five caracoles, or groups, and exist within six communities.
They created their own medical and educational systems. The Mexican education system didn’t help students hold onto their idiom or culture. Their teachers or “promotores,” “advocates,” teach for free. They also have teachers from around the world who come on their own time and dime to teach in Spanish.
Zapatista leadership includes women. The current leader in San Juan de la Libertad is female. “The Mexican government does not treat women equal to men. We have succeeded, we have our place here. Because of women’s involvement in the movement, more men take responsibility to help care for children and the animals,” a Zapatista woman said.
Because of the X-Border group’s strong interest in the Zapatistas, López Gómez wanted to expose them to the varied indigenous cultural contexts, who the people are, and how they live. “It is the only way to understand why the Zapatistas came into being,” he said.
Religious Confluence
The X-Border group then stopped to visit San Juan de Chamula a church where López Gómez explained, “There is no mass, there is no priest, although a priest does come and baptize the children on Día de San Juan.” Inside the church, the floor is covered with fresh pine needles “because the Maya tradition tells the people to be in contact directly with nature,” he said. Candles are everywhere: on tables, around the statues of the saints, and on the floor. People kneel or sit on the floor. They pray and chant. They drink “posh,” a fermented sugar cane drink. Families sit together as comfortably as if at home.
“This is a place created for Catholicism and where Catholicism still exists, but traditional Mayan religion is very obviously practiced here,” López Gómez explained when the group witnessed the sacrifice of a chicken in the church.
NAFTA’s Impact
Among advocates for the Zetas in San Cristóbal is Miguel Pickard White, director of CIEPAC, an organization that gathers political and economic information. Pickard White said that the day January 1, 1994 was both the day NAFTA went into effect and the day of the Zapatista uprising in Chiapas. He said, “NAFTA is one of the main reasons for the huge increase in out-migration from Mexico.”
He said that NAFTA was the “death knell” of the indigenous people in Mexico. He said that emigration from Mexico to the U.S. has increased 300 percent in the past 15 years. “All sectors have shown increased out-migration. Whether this be the young people, women, children, the elderly, everybody’s on the move. All of those sectors of the population have picked up and moved in increasing numbers,” he said.
The young – those between 15 and 35, is the sector with the most out-migration and their exodus has the largest effect on the community.
“What this has meant for the indigenous communities is that, as the young people leave, most of them do not come back. Upwards of 80 percent do not come back, this tears apart the fabric of the indigenous community. Those that do come back, come back transformed. . . most of the time they do not want to participate in the traditional rituals of the indigenous community. They don’t want to take up the traditional posts.
“Many times they are now ill-at-ease speaking their indigenous language, participating in the religious rituals, etc. And what happens is that as the young do not reproduce the indigenous culture, that that culture is obviously subjected to the possibility that it may disappear. . . . Or that it may become part of the ‘mestizo mainstream’ here in Mexico,” Pickard White said.
The Journey Continues
Schaefer plans a third trip to study immigration. In addition to three weeks in Cuernavaca he anticipates a week’s stay in Oaxaca, which, like Chiapas has a high indigenous population.
Special Thanks
Schaefer said that the Cross-Border Issues Group program was successful because of support from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, College of Arts & Sciences, Department of Communication & Journalism, University Communication & Marketing and Universidad Fray Luca Paccioli.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Beginning with the 2008 Fall semester, participants of the University of New Mexico’s Graduation Project will see an increase in their Regents’ tuition assistance award, also know as TAP. The new award will be up to $750 a semester, for a new total of $3,000. Previously, the TAP award helped students pay up to $500 a semester for a total of $2,000.
The Graduation Project is the first of its kind in the United States. Other universities have since modeled their own programs similar to the University of New Mexico’s Graduation Project.
Throughout the course of the program more than 1,200 students have been issued the Regent’s Tuition Assistance award.
“The UNM Graduation Project acts as a “middleman” on campus,” said Vanessa Shields, Student Program Specialist. “We help students navigate the university. If a student is unsure of what to do next or has a question, it is our job to find the answer.”
Funded by the UNM Board of Regents, the Graduation Project is now in its 11th year helping students return to the university to complete their degree. The program is designed to help students who had earned at least 98 credit hours, had a 2.0+ GPA, and left in good standing for one semester or more return to the university.
“Overall, the Graduation Project has helped more than 1,600 students graduate with an average GPA of 3.03. The project graduates 70 percent of the students it brings back to UNM,” added Shields.
Any former student who meets the criteria is encouraged to contact the Graduation Project Office at (505) 277-0896 or visit: Graduation Project. Walk-ins are also welcome to visit in Dane Smith Hall, rm. 220. The office is open Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Five new exhibits will open soon at the University Art Museum. “Photography: New Mexico” and “Having an Experience” open Tuesday, Aug. 26. “Art From Fort Marion: The Silberman Collection,” “Spirits of the Underworld: The Mexican Paintings of Ary Stillman” and “The Trickster: A Suite of Prints” open Tuesday, Sept. 2. An opening reception for all exhibits will be held Friday, Sept. 5, 6-7 p.m. The exhibits end Sunday, Nov. 9.
To celebrate the release of Fresco Fine Art Publications’ “Photography: New Mexico,” the UNM Art Museum will present a selection of work from the book, which recognizes some of New Mexico’s most accomplished photographers. A gallery talk by Professor Catherine Zuromskis will be held Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 5:30 p.m.
“Having an Experience” showcases a single work of art, Patrick Nagatani’s photograph, “Contaminated Radioactive Sediment, Mortandad Canyon, Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM, 1990.” Two Japanese woodblock prints hang on the wall opposite and initiate a dialogue with the photograph across time and space.
The exhibit invites museum visitors to experience art in a new way. You begin your encounter in observation. Further explorations, including reflection, sketching, entering into the visual dialogue or writing a response, add an experiential dimension, which may result in deeper understanding. Sara Otto-Diniz leads an evening for educators on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 5:30 p.m.
Arthur and Shifra Silberman’s collection of Fort Marion art is an important record of work created in St. Augustine, Fla., 1875-1878, by southern Plains warriors and chiefs who were held there at the end of the southern Plains wars. Through their drawing and painting, the Fort Marion prisoner-artists provided views of their past lives, their present conditions, and their hopes for the future. Joyce Szabo, chair of the Department of Art and Art History, will give a gallery talk on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 5:30 p.m.
Ary Stillman was a noted abstract expressionist painter living and working in New York in the 1950s alongside Jackson Pollack, Mark Rothko, and the other “Irascibles.” But in 1957 he left for Mexico, where he developed his most transcendent body of work. The UNM Art Museum presents a selection from this important period in Stillman’s career. Professor David Craven will give a gallery talk on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 5:30 p.m.
In 1999 four artists from New Mexico pueblos and four artists from D’Kar, Botswana joined forces with master printers and senior interns at Tamarind Institute to create a suite of sixteen lithographs based on folk tales about the Trickster. These images, made by artists from two very different cultures, share many characteristics in their portrayals of this universal and enigmatic creature.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Working with students is Tim Backes’ favorite part of his job. “They’re very inventive and creative. They keep me on my toes,” he said. Backes is associate director of business operations at the Student Union Building. About 85 percent of SUB staff are students.
Photo: Tim Backes
In addition to their creativity, Backes said students know best how to reach other students. For example, the last games room manager publicized tournaments in the dorms and got fraternities and sororities to compete.
“The saddest part of the job is when they graduate,” Backes said, adding that of course he’s happy for their achievement.
When he joined UNM 11 years ago, he managed the food services. Since the university began contracting out food services to private companies, he and Associate Vice President for Student Life Walter Miller work with those companies to ensure they meet the campus’ needs. Backes also oversees building operations, maintenance and events.
Backes said the transition to UNM’s new food services provider, Chartwells, has gone well. “I think they’re much more receptive to the campus and student needs,” he said.
Chartwells is providing a mix of local, regional and national eateries, balancing support for local businesses with students’ preference for branded, familiar concepts, Backes said.
He said Chartwells is gearing toward providing a greater variety of healthy food options. The company is also partnering with the SUB on green initiatives.
Going green has been the SUB’s biggest challenge in recent years, Backes said.
Initiatives include several energy conservation measures. The SUB has a computerized HVAC heating and cooling system, so, for example, when a ballroom is not in use, it’s not being air conditioned. The SUB has switched to energy efficient light bulbs, and student managers make sure lights are off at night.
The SUB has also recently expanded recycling, with more bins available for consumer waste recycling. New water filtration stations will be installed in the fall, so that people can fill reusable bottles instead of buying disposable ones. The eventual goal is for the SUB to become carbon-neutral.
Backes enjoys horseback riding and calf-roping – a strange hobby, he said, for someone originally from New York City.
Celebrate the 25th anniversary of CARS, Counseling Assistance and Referral Services, during an open house on Friday, Sept. 12, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the CARS office, 1800 Mesa Vista NE. Refreshments will be served.
CARS will also feature a series of brown bag workshops Sept. 8-11. The topics are “Retiring Well,” “Relaxation Techniques,” “Self Esteem,” “Resiliency” and “Expressive Art.” To participate, R.S.V.P. to CARS at 272-6868.
CARS was created in 1983 to help employees deal with the effects of alcoholism personally or in their families. Ilse Gay, founding director, brought the idea to then-UNM President Chris Garcia, who gave his support to begin operations.
CARS opened in a back office of the Faculty Club, which at that time was located where Dane Smith Hall is now. Gay was the director of and sole counselor for CARS until she retired in 1987.
Since then, CARS has developed into a broad employee assistance program, or EAP, adding clinical and administrative staff to increase counseling and consultation services for faculty and staff. From time to time CARS has also served as a training site for counseling and psychology interns.
CARS’ goals for the future are to explore new opportunities for partnering with other UNM departments, provide increased services in preventive care to facilitate healthy work/life balance, and contribute to a culture of wellness within the university.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
How do you push the Lobo football team’s strength and flexibility to the limit? Give them Pilates classes led by a dancer. This August, dance Professor Jennifer Predock-Linnell has tested the Lobos endurance during stretch and strengthening classes at the Indoor Practice Facility. Coach Rocky Long joined in on the last day, keeping pace with the players.
Predock-Linnell teaches an intensive Pilates-based course, Dance 204 – Stretch and Strength, for three weeks during the summer. She’s had a few football players in the class over the years, but with 20 Lobos in this summer’s group, “the coach got wind of it,” she said.
As a result of the course’s popularity among athletes, Predock-Linnell was invited to lead stretching exercises for the football team. The sessions wrapped up just before the start of the fall semester.
UNM Parking and Transportation Services will begin Saturday enforcement on Aug. 30. Illegally parked vehicles include those parked without a properly displayed permit in “Reserved” spDavid Brookshire and in “Restricted” zones such as fire lanes, handicap, yellow curbs, loading, and will be subject to a citation.
Individual Reserve Space Owner
Please display your Reserve Space permit so it can be clearly seen by the Enforcement Officer.
Department Reserve Space
This placard is to be displayed on the driver’s side dashboard so it can be clearly seen by the Enforcement Officer.
For more information on Saturday enforcement or to design your Saturday department placard(s), contact Clara Edwards at (505) 277-1483 or via e-mail, cedward3@unm.edu.
For Saturday only enforcement complaints call (505) 934-0394. To appeal any citation visit PATS web site at: Parking Citations.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
Shane Wallace has accepted a faculty librarian position within the University of New Mexico's Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center (HSLIC). In his role as an Information Services Librarian, Wallace will explore and implement next generation reference service innovations for the HSLIC. He also will be the daytime manager of HSLIC’s Information Desk.
Photo: Shane Wallace
Wallace was previously a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he studied Information and Library Science. His interests include teaching, librarianship, and the use of electronic resources in a library setting.
UNM HSLIC improves and enhances human health through support, innovation, and leadership in the organization, delivery and use of quality information.
For more information about the UNM Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center, visit http://hsc.unm.edu/library/ or call (505) 272-2311.
David Iglesias, former U.S. Attorney for New Mexico, will speak at a free lecture on Thursday, Sept. 11 from 7-8 p.m. at the UNM Continuing Education Conference Center, 1634 University Blvd., NE. Sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of New Mexico, Iglesias will explain how the Justice Department fired him and others for political reasons.
His free lecture, "In Justice," is also the title of his new book. This thought-provoking event is open to the public and launches the Fall Membership Drive for the Osher program. The program will begin its sixth successful semester this fall and is designed to serve adults 50 years-of-age and above.
The $20 half-year membership in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNM means joining a community of adults over 50 who share a love of learning and an understanding that quality of life is enhanced through education. The program offers a rich university-level array of courses, available with an additional fee per course. Instructors are distinguished current and emeritus
faculty, renowned authors and experts. These are non-credit courses with no entrance requirements, no tests and no grades.
For information, call Maya Sutton at 277-6179. To request a catalog or register to become an Osher member, call 277-0077. More information is available online at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
A week of activities is planned to welcome new and returning students to UNM. Welcome Back Days, UNM's annual welcome back tradition, will be celebrated this year Monday, Aug. 25 to Friday, Aug. 29. The week of activities offers information about university departments, organizations and programs, along with food and entertainment.
Interested departments may sign up to have an information table by calling 277-4706.
For the week's complete schedule visit: http://sac.unm.edu.
Events include:
Monday, Aug. 25
Start the week off right with free Coldstone Creamery Ice Cream served to you by University VIPs at University House! There will be information booths from the UNM Schools and Departments plus live music and ice cream by the Duck Pond from Noon - 1 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 26
Safety, Health, Wellness & ROTC Day
Enjoy free massages, a climbing wall, pinatas and free watermelon! Booths from the Safety, Health, Wellness and Recreation departments will be at the Duck Pond. ROTC booths will be located on the SUB Mall. Great Live Music and healthy food from Noon - 1 p.m. Free movie - Indiana Jones 4; SUB Theater at 5:30 pm.
Wednesday, Aug. 27
Women's and Cultural Day
Information about all of the ethnic, cultural & women's center programs and departments. Cultural entertainment will run throughout the day by the Duck Pond. Look for UNM museums and student art displays as well. Enjoy a long standing tradition of Welcome Back Days - free green chile stew! Free movie - Indiana Jones 4; SUB Theater at 7:00 pm.
Thursday, Aug. 28
Student Organization Day
Meet student leaders from around campus and learn how to get involved with the over 400 student organizations on campus.. Listen to great live music at the Duck Pond from 12 - 1 p.m. while ASUNM leaders serve free pizza and Pepsi. Free movie - Indiana Jones 4; SUB Theater at 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 28
North Campus Welcome Back Day
North campus will celebrate its Welcome Back Day in the plaza area in the Health Sciences Complex from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m. with great information booths, free hotdogs, free Pepsi and great music.
Friday, Aug. 29
Community Service & Employment Day
Looking for a job? Interested in helping out in the community? University departments looking to hire students will be set up at an On-Campus Jobs Fair north of Ortega call from 10 a.m. - 2 pm. They will have information about their workstudy and student employement positions. Community organizations will be recruiting volunteers for their worth while events and causes. Alumni will serve free hotdogs & Pepsi. Enjoy more live music from great local bands from noon to 1 p.m.
Free music and food runs daily from Noon - 1 p.m. Information booths will be set up between the hours of 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. For more details see the Welcome Back Days schedule at Welcome Back Days.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
UNM alum named chair
Thomas Williams, professor of Pathology in the UNM School of Medicine Department of Pathology and director of HLA and Molecular Diagnostics at TriCore Reference Laboratories in Albuquerque, has been appointed chair of the UNM School of Medicine Department of Pathology at the UNM Health Sciences Center.
Photo: Dr. Thomas Williams, chair, Department of Pathology, UNM School of Medicine
“I’m pleased to announce Dr. Williams’ appointment as chair,” said Paul Roth, dean, UNM School of Medicine. “This appointment is a reflection of his many years of dedicated service here as well as his tremendous contribution to our academic and clinical missions.
"I also want to commend our departing chair of Pathology and dear friend, Dr. Mary Lipscomb, for her many years of unwavering devotion to the UNM School of Medicine for her service, and to Dr. Brian Hjelle, who has been serving as interim chair.”
Williams has been part of the faculty within the department of Pathology since 1991. He has served a number of leadership roles through the years including vice chair, Undergraduate Medical Education, and was executive vice chair of Pathology from 2003- 2006. Additionally, Williams has been the recipient of many research and teaching awards including the Dean's Award of Distinction in 1998 and the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award in 2001.
He received his M.D. from UNM and completed a pathology residency at the University of Pennsylvania where he also served as chief resident in the Anatomic Pathology, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine. His post graduate training also includes an Immunobiology Training Fellowship, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.
Earlier this summer, UNM began the fifth phase of a water project to improve the university’s water system and provide stronger water pressure for fire hydrants and building fire sprinkler systems. Two segments of the project, located at the dormitories and the Duck Pond, are now complete and construction teams are almost finished working between Smith Plaza and Mitchell Hall. Construction has started at the final project location along Yale Mall and will be completed near the end of September.
Three locations between Smith Plaza and Mitchell Hall remain under construction. On the east side of Smith Plaza, an opening to test potable water is still open, but to minimize the impact of the project on students in Smith Plaza and on organizations taking part in Welcome Back Days next week, the opening has been fenced off and will not be tested until the following week. While on the west side of the project, between the Duck Pond and Mitchell Hall, water pipes will continue to be replaced and tested.
Construction teams have begun work on the next part of the project, improving the water lines along Yale Mall from south of the Center of the Universe to Redondo Drive. The area will remain accessible via pedestrian walkways during construction. As the project approaches Redondo south of the Mother Earth Fountain, pedestrian lanes will be located on each side of the project area for students to access buildings.
Additional care is being taken for the Mother Earth Fountain. Much of the fountain is being fenced off during the project, and an east-west pedestrian pathway will be created through the area. In addition, the construction teams are creating fenced off pit areas located north and south of the fountain so the water lines can be bored under the fountain with no damage to the area.
The project is on schedule, and the Smith Plaza portion of the project should be completed on Sept. 10, while the Yale Mall construction will be finished by Sept. 28.
The Democratic National Convention starts next Monday in Denver, Colorado. This week, “New Mexico in Focus” will feature those attending the convention and developing the platform the Democrats will follow in the 2008 election. ‘New Mexico in Focus’ airs Friday, Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. and repeats on Sunday, Aug. 24 at 6:30 a.m. on KNME-TV, channel 5.
This week, co-host David Alire Garcia, managing editor of the New Mexico Independent, sits down with former New Mexico Democratic Party Chairman John Wertheim, Democratic Party Superdelegate Laurie Weahkee, and Platform Committee Chair Patricia Madrid to preview the convention.
Then, co-host Gene Grant, a columnist with the Albuquerque Journal, and regular panelists Margaret Montoya, professor at the University of New Mexico School of Law and School of Medicine, and Jim Scarantino, a columnist with the Weekly Alibi, will be joined by guest panelists Christine Sierra, a UNM political science professor, and Marco Gonzales, attorney with the Modrell Sperling law firm.
The panel will discuss the Democratic National Convention, debate the outcome of the recent special session of the New Mexico Legislature called by Governor Richardson, and examine the latest proposal to lower the drinking age.
“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 one-hour show brings viewers important topics, opinions and insight, in an integrated and cohesive package.
Producers of ‘New Mexico In Focus’ are Kevin McDonald and Kathy Wimmer. Closed captioning has been made possible by a gift from Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs.
Media Contact: Evy Todd, (505) 277-1218. E-Mail: etodd@knme.org
This fall, UNM's Recreational Services will begin administering fitness classes for UNM’s faculty and staff. This will allow the Division of Human Resources’ Employee Health Promotion Program (EHPP) to focus more outreach to various departments and branch campuses, promoting the benefits of physical activity. EHPP will continue to advocate for faculty and staff by working with Recreational Services to ensure that fitness classes address their unique needs.
“Collaborating with our internal and external health partners affiliated with UNM creates a win-win situation that ultimately allows us to increase our scope of services”, says Mary Jo Quintana, EHPP’s Sr. Program Manager. “While avoiding duplication of efforts, we focus on what each department does best to create an impact of increasing physical activity.”
EHPP has adopted E-fitness as the new name for fitness classes for easier identification. To find more information, including the current E-fitness schedule, registration process, cost, and tuition remission options, please go to Recreational Services Fitness.
Any questions pertaining to E-fitness including registration, instructors, class venue, and/or scheduling may be referred to Samantha Fernandez, Recreational Services Fitness coordinator. Fernandez is located in rm. 1102 at Johnson Center. She can also be reached at 277-0178 or via e-mail at: sam47@unm.edu.
To schedule a customized, educational fitness presentation for your department, an individual fitness assessment, and/or personal training, contact EHPP at 272-4460 or ehpp@unm.edu.
Combined endowment portfolio at UNM and UNM Foundation finishes fiscal year with a market value in excess of $325 million
The University of New Mexico and the University of New Mexico Foundation established a new institution standard for fundraising by raising $85.5 million, a 17.9 percent increase from last year’s high-water mark of $72.5 million. The increase from last year was aided by more donors, which increased to 20,330 from last year’s record total of 19,500 donors. The UNM Foundation has more than doubled its fundraising total since fiscal year 2003-04, when it raised $41.7 million.
“Our fundraising success this year is an integral part of our overall aim to focus on student success, on retaining our faculty, and on building healthy communities,” said David J. Schmidly. “I am grateful for the trust our donors are placing in us.”
“I am pleased to see so many people coming together to support UNM’s education and service to the community,” said UNM Foundation Board of Director’s Chair Thelma Domenici, “The UNM Foundation received gifts from more than 20,000 donors in one year’s time.”
The UNM Foundation, Inc. is an incorporated not-for-profit organization with the responsibility to receive, invest and distribute gifts of private support to UNM. Gifts raised by the foundation help support student scholarships, initiatives to help students volunteer in the community, funds for new construction and renovation, and support for faculty and course development.
For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2008, the combined endowment portfolio of the University of New Mexico and University of New Mexico Foundation finished the year with a market value in excess of $325 million and returned .7 percent, 10.6 percent and 10.9 percent for the trailing one, three and five-year periods outperforming the benchmark during each period. Investment performance results for 2007-08 are expected to rank in the top quartile when compared against other similar endowments and foundations.
“One hundred percent of gifts to the UNM Foundation provide support to achieve the mission and work of UNM,” said UNM Foundation President John R. Stropp, “Our donors make a substantial impact on improving the quality of the experience at UNM.”
The UNM Foundation, which announced a reorganization to consolidate its development operations earlier this year, is on schedule as it prepares for a major fundraising campaign to be launched next year. The UNM Foundation office can be reached by calling (505) 277-4503 or by visiting its web site at: UNM Foundation.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Bernie Salazar from the NBC show “Biggest Loser” will speak at the UNM Student Union Building, Ballroom C at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 3. Salazar's talk is sponsored by the ASUNM Student Special Events Committee and admission is free.
Salazar has lost 130 pounds and will speak about the life-changing effects of that weight loss, and the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Salazar has an interesting story, elected as high school prom king, university homecoming king, and spending time as a dancer for the Matadors, a half time dance troop for the Chicago. But his humor and success were based on using his weight as a big part of his winning personality. The weight loss has changed the way he looks at the world.
He is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Instructional Leadership and teaches English as a second language to parents in Chicago’s Little Village Community. Salazar grew up in a single parent household, but says his childhood was in no way tragic. “My mother instilled in us a tremendous sense of self worth, stressed the importance of education, insisted that we always be kind to people, and would always remind us that only through hard work can you achieve your goals and dreams,” says Bernie.
Media Contact: Lesley McKinney (505) 277-5602 or 321-6135 or llmcknny@unm.edu
UNM's Information Technology Services (ITS) Department recently initiated the Print Release Program in all the ITS computer labs and PODs throughout campus. The program is a joint effort between ITS and the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico (ASUNM) Association, and is aimed at not only improving print job tracking for students, but is also part of UNM’s larger environmental initiative to “go green” and reduce wasted resources such as paper, ink and energy. There is no charge to students, faculty or staff for printing.
From an environmental standpoint, the Print Release Program gives students the option to decide if their print job is indeed necessary or if it is something they can access in less wasteful, environmentally-friendly manner. During the Fall 2007 semester, there was approximately 13 percent of paper waste, with a 25 percent increase during finals. These peak printing periods showed approximately 300,000 pages being printed each week. Print Release will help those numbers drop significantly and saving the University money and valuable natural resources.
The support of ASUNM was instrumental for implementation of the Print Release Program.
“ASUNM actively worked with us at ITS to come up with a solution to the wasted resources such as paper, and we are very grateful for their assistance and backing of this program” said Moira Gerety, Director of ITS Computing. ASUNM purchased and placed the see-through recycle bins in each of the ITS PODs to raise student environmental awareness of how much paper is wasted on unnecessary printing.
The Print Release program holds print jobs until they are released by the user. Students who send something to print will see pop-up screen on their monitor, asking them to name their print job, type in their own name, and giving them the option to delete or to print. Once at the printer, the student will swipe their Lobo Card at the print station monitor to release the print job. Print Release enables a student to print out large documents or files on their own schedule, and also offers increased security and privacy by utilizing the optional password.
Lobo Cards are used to only correctly identify users and their print jobs only, and does not charge the students for their print jobs. However, swiping the Lobo Card is required to print in the ITS PODs so students and other users must have their Lobo Cards with them.
Media Contact: Vanessa Baca, (505) 277-0987; e-mail: vjbaca1@unm.edu
There are more options than ever before for students wanting to get a graduate business degree from UNM's Anderson School of Management. The UNM Anderson School is joining some of the nation's top schools such as Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University and MIT in accepting the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) test as part of its admission process.
Beginning with the Spring 2009 semester all students looking to get an MBA, Executive MBA or Master of Accounting from Anderson, can take the GRE test. In previous semesters prospective Anderson graduate students were required to take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). This change gives students a choice they didn't have before - Anderson will now accept both the GMAT and the GRE.
The new admission policy gives all students interested in applying to graduate school the opportunity to consider Anderson in their higher education aspirations. The GRE is the same test used by most of UNM's other graduate programs, while the GMAT is only used by students considering business school.
Dr. Michelle Arthur, Assistant Dean for Enrollment Management, says the change is a win-win situation for both students and the school.
"Accepting the GRE offers students more flexibility when choosing a graduate program," Arthur said. "It also allows Anderson to increase our accessibility to potential students and create innovative dual degree programs."
To help students prepare for the GRE test, Anderson will offer specialized prep courses starting on September 10, 2008. The six week program will focus on core math and verbal skills required for students to reach Anderson standards in taking the GRE. More information can be found at http://mba.unm.edu/. The deadline to register is Sept. 6. The best consideration date for students applying for admission to the spring semester is Nov. 1.
And to make the application process as easy as possible, prospective MBA students will now be able to apply to Anderson online. The new, secure online web application is located at: Secure Online Web Application.
Interim Dean Amy Wohlert noted that, "We at UNM-Anderson are dedicated to maintaining quality and value while removing unnecessary barriers. We think that accepting the GRE and creating an easy online application will help us to welcome an increasingly talented and diverse graduate student body."
This is the first time Anderson has offered an online application which was developed with the intention of reaching a broader pool of potential applicants.
Media Contact: Leslie Venzuela, (505) 277-7117; email: venzuela@unm.edu
Bookworks will host Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Díaz for a talk and signing of his award winning novel, 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao' at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23 at Woodward Hall on the University of New Mexico Campus.
Photo: Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Díaz.
Díaz exploded onto the literary scene in 1996 with Drown, and the reverberations can still be felt. “Talent this big will always make noise,” wrote Newsweek, and so it has.
A collection of short stories that was one of the first books to illuminate the lives of Dominican-American immigrants, and “a front-line report on the ambivalent promise of the American Dream” (San Francisco Chronicle), Drown transformed Díaz into a literary star and now, Díaz has returned with his critically acclaimed, Pulitzer Prize-winning, first novel, The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Riverhead Trade Paperbacks).
Spanning three generations and six decades, it chronicles the ill-fated quest for love by Oscar de León – literature’s first Ghetto Nerd – and the struggle of his family to escape the shape-shifting curse known as the fukú. Moving from the hardscrabble inner-city neighborhoods of New Jersey to the barrios of Santo Domingo, and from the fear-plagued Trujillo dictatorship to the multicultural campuses of the contemporary United States, Díaz both redefines the immigrant experience and transcends it.
Díaz is the winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. His fiction has been published in The New Yorker and The Paris Review, and four times in The Best American Short Stories. His critically praised, bestselling debut book, Drown, led to his inclusion among Newsweek’s “New FDavid Brookshire of 1996” – the only writer in the group.
The New Yorker placed him on a list of the 20 top writers for the 21st century. Born in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, and raised there and in New Jersey, Díaz graduated from Rutgers and received an MFA from Cornell. He lives in New York City and Boston, and is a tenured professor at MIT.
Tickets for the event went go on sale at Bookworks as of Aug. 14. A voucher for the $14 paperback of 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,' to be released Sept. 2, may be purchased at Bookworks. This voucher is redeemable for the book and a ticket to the event. Customers will also have the option of purchasing a $5 ticket for the event only.
Tickets may be purchased in person, or over the phone. Bookworks is located at 4022 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, three miles north of Old Town, in the Flying Star Plaza, (505) 344-8139.
Freshman Family Day is a UNM tradition welcoming incoming students and their families to the college community and held the afternoon before the start of fall classes. The event is Sunday, Aug. 24, and is a three-fold. It kicks off at 4 p.m. with a Freshman Convocation in Popejoy Hall, followed by a social celebration and class crawl at the UNM Duck Pond, and a movie at sunset on Johnson Field.
Special Notice: Parents and incoming students attending Sunday's Freshman Family Day are urged to enter the University off of the Stanford, Yale or Martin Luther King Jr. entrances due to the City of Albuquerque's shop and stroll event that will close Central Avenue east of Girard Blvd.
Incoming freshman and their families are introduced to administrators, faculty and staff. Students learn that they are about to embark on an academic adventure designed to prepare them for a rewarding life.
The event also demonstrates that the university partners with the family to ensure student success and that UNM values family and does not seek to separate students from familial, cultural and communal roots.
Freshman Convocation is a ceremonial event held at most colleges and universities. The ceremony, usually a combination of the serious and the light-hearted, provides an opportunity for administration, current students and the Parent Association president to address families.
For more information and to register visit: Freshman Family Day, an event sponsored by the Office of the University Secretary.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Press has resurrected the popular 'Voices of the Southwest' lecture series, featuring authors speaking on evolution, immigration, medicine, archaeology and the writing process. The series begins Wednesday, Sept. 3 and continues into October, with lectures scheduled at 7 p.m. at the Bank of America Auditorium at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 4th St. S.W. The auditorium opens at 6 p.m. for a UNM Press exhibit and book sales.
The series format entails an hour-long talk, followed by a Q&A and a book signing. This year’s line-up includes:
* Sept. 3 -- Santa Fe anthropologist Anne Weaver discusses evolution. Her award-winning children’s book, The Voyage of the Beetle, explains evolution through the voice of a beetle accompanying Darwin on his voyages.
* Sept. 10 -- Los Angeles Times reporter Sam Quinones examines stories of Mexican migration that inspired his book Antonio’s Gun and Delfino’s Dream, the focus of “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” and other national media.
* Sept. 17 -- UNM Health Sciences Center administrator and professor Dr. David Sklar talks about emergency medicine in rural Mexico-the subject of his memoir, La Clinica.
* Sept. 24 -- Harvard historian of religion and Mesoamericanist Davíd Carrasco addresses the significant rediscovery of an ancient Mexican codex that explains important aspects of post-conquest native society documented in the book Cave, City, and Eagle’s Nest.
* Oct. 1 -- David Stuart, UNM professor, associate provost emeritus and Voices creator, shares results of writing from personal experience, as he has done with his experiences as an anthropologist in Latin America in his books Flight of Souls, The Ecuador Effect, Zone of Tolerance and The Guaymas Chronicles.
’Voices of the Southwest’ was founded in 2003 by then-UNM Associate Provost Stuart, in conjunction with UNM Press, and has featured prominent writers Rudolfo Anaya, N. Scott Momaday, Tony Hillerman, Ursula LeGuin and Demetria Martínez.
”I conceived of the ‘Voices of the Southwest’ series to provide UNM’s summer session with a world class educational and cultural event that would interest a broad spectrum of both students and off-campus citizens,” Stuart said.
Employing UNM Press authors, the series has covered a broad range of topics-from New Mexico history and culture to world archaeology to literature and poetry -- and proven a forum for the public to mingle with recognized authors and learn about a specific subject.
”We teamed up with UNM Press to present the series because no other division of UNM had given such a wide voice to Southwest culture,” Stuart said.
Another campus resource, KUNM radio, broadcast the series and will do so again this year at 89.9FM and online at www.kunm.org.
"KUNM gives speakers a live voice, substantially adding to the series’ legend and appeal,” Stuart said
For more information about ‘The Voices of the Southwest’ lecture series, or to schedule interviews with the speakers, contact Amanda Sutton at (505) 272-7190 or e-mail: asutton@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzlaes, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
This week on ‘New Mexico In Focus,’ KNME Channel 5’s prime-time news magazine covering events, issues and people shaping life in New Mexico and the Southwest, the panel takes a look at new leadership in the Santa Fe and Albuquerque Public Schools districts, whether or not a non-profit crossed the line from political lobbying to political campaigning and yet another voter registration scandal. ‘New Mexico In Focus’ airs Friday, Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. and repeats on Sunday, Aug. 17 at 6:30 a.m.
It’s back-to-school time in New Mexico, and there is new leadership at the helm of two of the largest public school districts in the state. This week on New Mexico In Focus, co-host David Alire Garcia sits down with Superintendent Bobbie Gutierrez of Santa Fe Public Schools, and Superintendent Winston Brooks, of Albuquerque Public Schools.
Additionally, co-host Gene Grant and guest panelists weigh in on the new leadership and whether or not a non-profit crossed the line from political lobbying to political campaigning. Guest panelists include Jane Blume, owner/principal, Desert Sky Communications and Marco Gonzales, attorney, Modrell Sperling Law Firm.
Co-hosted by David 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 one-hour show brings viewers important topics, opinions and insight, in an integrated and cohesive package.
Producers of ‘New Mexico In Focus’ are Kevin McDonald and Kathy Wimmer. Closed captioning has been made possible by a gift from Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs.
The University of New Mexico Dental Hygiene program is excited to partner with the program at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell to offer a degree completion Bachelor of Science degree for students in Roswell. The Associate Degree program is designed to provide seamless access to the UNM Bachelor's degree program via interactive television through the Extended University Distance Education Programs at UNM.
For the past three years, significant effort has been directed toward the development of an Associate Degree Dental Hygiene program at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell that would be linked to the Bachelor's program at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center.
"We are thrilled to partner with the University of New Mexico to bring advanced health career options to Chaves County and Southeast New Mexico,” said Judy Armstrong, ENMU-Roswell president. “Our goal is to provide highly trained dental hygienists to overcome a critical shortage of these professionals in rural New Mexico. We appreciate the confidence UNM has in the quality of our educational program, and we look forward to many more collaborative initiatives between our two campuses in health and other programs."
ENMU-Roswell is in the process of building an addition to the Health Science Center on campus, which will house the Dental Hygiene program and an expansion of the dental residency program from the UNM Health Sciences Center. More than $650,000 in legislative funding has been awarded to Dental Hygiene programs in New Mexico to expand programs in rural areas. Those programs are located at ENMU-Roswell, Dona Ana Community College, and Luna Community College.
The University of New Mexico offers a Bachelor of Science degree completion program in Dental Hygiene in continuation to the Associate Degree in Dental Hygiene. The curriculum is planned to meet individual needs of the continuing student. The Program offers an opportunity to expand basic dental hygiene knowledge and skills in areas of concentration including education, management, research, public health, or advanced clinical training.
“To provide degree completion opportunities for statewide students interested in pursuing a degree in Dental Hygiene encompasses the goals of the UNM School of Medicine Dental Hygiene program,” said Christine Nathe, professor and graduate program director for the UNM Dental Hygiene program.” “With current interactive television technology, we are able to deliver the coursework required for the cohort of students at ENMU-Roswell,” Nathe continued.
ENMU-Roswell will also utilize UNM courses taught by UNM faculty via distance education format for their Associate Degree program. “We are very happy to be working with UNM Health Sciences Center. We hope this is just the first of many programs that can be brought to Roswell,” stated Dr. Steven Gamble, president of Eastern New Mexico University.
The Dental Hygiene degree completion program in ENMU-Roswell will begin Spring 2009 semester.
For additional information, contact Jane Batson, Dean of Health at ENMU-Roswell at (575) 624-7233 or the UNM Dental Hygiene program at (505) 272-8147.
Students interested in working on campus will have an opportunity to meet with UNM department and program representatives during the second annual UNM Student Job Fair Friday, Aug. 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Duck Pond. Departments with student job openings, including off campus sites, are encouraged to participate and can register at the Career Services Web site.
The fair is organized by the Graduation Task Force Student Engagement Committee and UNM’s Career Services. The goal is to communicate student employment opportunities and encourage students to be more connected with campus through the UNM job experience.
Sponsors also include Student Financial Aid, Student Affairs, Enrollment Management, Title V, ENLACE and Information Technology Services. For more information call UNM Career Services, 277-2531.
To register visit: Student Job Fair .
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Associate Professor of History Andrew K. Sandoval-Strausz is the winner of the 2008 American Historical Association-Pacific Coast Branch Book Award for his book Hotel: An American History, Yale University Press, 2007. The prize is awarded for the best first book in any field or period of history by a scholar living in the United States west of the Mississippi River or in the provinces of Canada west of Ontario.
Previous winners of the prize include Ramón Gutierrez, who received his bachelor’s from UNM, for When Jesus Came, the Corn Mothers Went Away: Marriage, Sexuality and Power in New Mexico, 1500-1846, and Becky Nicolaides, University of California, San Diego, for My Blue Heaven: Life and Politics in the Working Class Suburbs of Los Angeles, 1920-1965.
Local organization to expand neurodiagnostic capabilities
The Mind Research Network (MRN) has received a two-year, $455,000 grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NIH) to study high-frequency brain activity in infants with epilepsy.
Photo: The Mind Research Network
For most people, the treatment of epilepsy, a brain disorder where clusters of nerve cells suddenly produce large, abnormal, synchronous activity, involves controlling seizures with medications. But determining the most effective drug treatment can be time-consuming and relies on a rule-out process; and in some instances, pharmaceuticals are ineffective. In these situations, surgery is the only treatment option available.
If surgery treatment is indicated, clinicians must first determine the seizure onset zone. Unfortunately, this zone – or the area of the brain where a seizure starts – is difficult to identify; and, until now, the only method of pinpointing the area has been the utilization of an EEG (electroencephalography) and the insertion of intracranial electrodes. This procedure requires opening the skull, and therefore has associated risks, including infection. Moreover, this technique might not provide the precise information needed.
That’s where Dr. Julia Stephen, a research scientist at the Mind Research Network, comes in. The NIH award will provide Stephen with funds to study the use of a non-invasive procedure that uses the BabySquid®, a one-of-a-kind infant/child magnetoencephalograph (MEG) machine located at MRN, to identify the seizure onset zone.
The BabySquid® was invented by Dr. Yoshio Okada, director of the BRaIN Imaging Center at the University of New Mexico. Okada is a collaborator on the NIH study.
Dr. Pete Engel, an epileptologist at UCLA and a consultant on this project, has identified high-frequency activity called interictal spikes during brain surgery in adults. He has hypothesized that this high-frequency activity, which is associated with interictal spikes, may provide a better marker for identifying the seizure onset zone if it can be identified noninvasively. The current study will utilize the BabySquid® to noninvasively measure this high-frequency brain activity in children. This technique could help determine whether the interictal spikes are associated with the seizure onset zone.
“Once surgery becomes an option, it’s absolutely critical that clinicians have the ability to identify the seizure onset zone in infants and children as early as possible,” according to Stephen. “The earlier the surgery takes place, the less likely that damage can occur from seizure activity during the child’s critical brain-development period. We hope to develop a safer and simpler diagnostic tool for identifying the seizure onset zone; one that is timely and thus will allow for repair and subsequent normal brain development in these children.”
The research will involve 30 children from birth to six years of age who have epilepsy. Stephen adds that surgery is often not an option for children younger than four, because clinicians need to rule out the use of pharmaceuticals before proceeding with surgery.
The National Institutes of Health reports that more than two million people in the United States – about 1 in 100 – have experienced an unprovoked seizure or have been diagnosed with epilepsy. For about 80 percent of those diagnosed with epilepsy, the seizures can be controlled with medicines and surgical techniques.
Media Contacts: MRN - Dolores González, (505) 925-4747 or UNM - Luke Frank, (505) 272-3679; e-mail: lfrank@salud.unm.edu or
The Squash Blossom Boys, an eclectic bluegrass quintet hailing from Corrales and featuring UNM students, will perform the “back-to-school” UNM Greg Johnston Summer Concert Friday, Aug. 22, from noon – 1 p.m. on the University Honors Plaza.
Photo: The Squash Blossom Boys - 'Promoting Sustainability with a Twang'
The band combines elements of jazz, rock, reggae and traditional roots bluegrass to create a unique sound that explores the roots and boundaries of the musical genre.
Additionally, the band utilizes a carbon neutral solar trailer that uses energy from the sun through photovoltaic cells to power UNM events. Designed by Nate Campbell, a Sustainability Studies student at UNM, the inspirational trailer has the ability to reach a wide variety of audiences while appearing both inviting and professional. It is used as a means of education and networking in sustainability.
The Student Union will also set up an outdoor grill for lunch sales and the Work+Life Committee will provide free ice cream.
The events are held to offer employees a free noon-time respite and are named in recognition of Greg Johnston’s work as founder of the concerts on behalf of the Staff Council Work+Life Committee. Johnston, who worked in the University Communication and Marketing Department, passed away in 2007 after a brief battle with cancer.
The concerts are sponsored by the Office of Institutional Advancement, Division of Student Affairs and Staff Council Work+Life Committee.
The Board of Regents of the University of New Mexico today unanimously approved the recommendations of President David J. Schmidly to changes in the university’s public records policies. The Board had approved changes to Regents policies on public records at its regular meeting last May.
Following the May meeting, President Schmidly appointed a task force to help develop appropriate university policies consistent with the Inspection of Public Records Act that would also protect the interests of the university and its employees. In formulating his recommendations, the President reviewed the changes suggested by the task force as well as 179 comments submitted by faculty, staff and other concerned stakeholders.
“These revisions represent a compromise,” said Schmidly. “It is one I believe provides the maximum protection to employees while keeping UNM in compliance with both the letter and the spirit of the law.”
The major changes to university policies 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.
The policy changes go into effect immediately.
New faculty orientation is set for Monday-Tuesday, Aug. 18-19 in the UNM Student Union Building and other campus locations. New faculty - including lecturers, adjuncts and part-time instructors - will learn about characteristics of UNM student learners, tips for teaching, critical information about benefits and other important resources.
A new feature this year is mini-workshops, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, that cover topics in teaching and research. A Support Services Fair on Monday afternoon acquaints new faculty with UNM offices, services and opportunities.
For more information and to sign up visit: OSET.
NMMNHS, KNME team up across the state
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science has been awarded a $25,000 grant from Institutes for Research in Seismology (IRIS) for a New Mexico EarthScope Education Program. The program has three components: (1) Science Café presentations (2) New Mexico-specific geoscience educational materials; and (3) a day-long professional development workshop for middle to high school science teachers.
In August and September, the Museum will present a series of Science Café presentations in five communities throughout the state (Albuquerque, Raton, Clovis, Aztec, and Deming). The Museum is offering this educational program in partnership with the New Mexico State Library, with support from KNME, New Mexico Tech, the Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory and the University of New Mexico.
EarthScope and the New Mexico Connection
Instruments...
The IRIS/PASSCAL Facility at NM Tech supplies, and modifies, seismic instruments for research projects worldwide. The USArray Operations Facility for the United States is located at New Mexico Tech. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory (ASL) is part of the Global Seismic Network of seismographs that monitor and record all earthquakes. The recording drums in the “QuakingEarth” exhibit at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science are linked to the ASL seismograph. EarthScope is conducted in partnership with the USGS, and ASL is the siting coordinator for the “backbone array” network.
Research...
Researchers working on EarthScope research in New Mexico include scientists from NM Tech, UNM, Colorado and Texas. There are 10 geodetic observatory sites to measure horizontal movement and stress of the continent, as well as 67 USArray “transportable array” instrument sites fully operational throughout our state (and they will stay in place transmitting data for the next 18 months). Also, there are “flexible array” instruments in place in specific locations in New Mexico to send back specific data on targeted research areas.
Education...
The New Mexico EarthScope Education Project is being created and presented by the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in partnership with the New Mexico State Library, with partners KNME, New Mexico Tech and UNM.
The Science Café programs titled, "EarthScope: Taking the Earth’s Pulse," will inform New Mexicans about the earthquakes and volcanoes of New Mexico – and the planet . The cafés will include information about the EarthScope project, a special presentation by a New Mexico EarthScope research scientist, hands-on activities, and refreshments.
Calendar of Museum EarthScope Science Cafés
Museum Science Café at the Library in Raton
EarthScope: Taking the Earth’s Pulse
Thursday, Aug. 14, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.; at the Arthur Johnson Memorial Library located at 244 Cook Avenue
Partners: NM State Library and KNME-TV5 with support from Lockheed Martin/Sandia National Laboratory and NM Tech.
Special guest scientist: Leo Sandoval, seismic engineer, Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory, U.S. Geologic Survey
For more information call (575) 445-9711 or visit: www.arthurjohnsonmemoriallibrary.blogspot.com.
Museum Science Café in Albuquerque
EarthScope: Taking the Earth’s Pulse
Saturday, Aug. 16, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the N.M. Museum of Natural History and Science
Partners: KNME-TV5 with support from Lockheed Martin/Sandia National Laboratory and NM Tech.
Special Guest Scientist: Dr. Rick Aster, seismologist, New Mexico Tech.
Museum Science Café at the Library in Clovis
EarthScope: Taking the Earth’s Pulse
Tuesday, Aug. 19, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Clovis Carver Library, 701 North Main Street
Partners: NM State Library
Special guest scientist: Leo Sandoval, seismic engineer, Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory, which is part of the U.S. Geologic Survey
For more information call (575) 769-7840 or visit:
www.library.cityofclovis.org.
Museum Science Café at the Library in Aztec
EarthScope: Taking the Earth’s Pulse
Wednesday, Sept. 3, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., Aztec Public Library located at 319 South Ash
Partners: NM State Library and KNME-TV5 with support from Lockheed Martin/Sandia National Laboratory and NM Tech.
Special guest scientists Laura Crossey and Karl Karlstrom, from the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at UNM.
For more information call (505) 334-7658 or visit:
www.azteclibrary.org.
Museum Science Café at the Library in Deming
EarthScope: Taking the Earth’s Pulse
Tuesday, Sept. 23, 6:30 – 8 p.m., at the Marshall Memorial Library located at 110 South Diamond
Partners: NM State Library
For more information call (575) 546-9202 or visit:
www.youseemore.com/marshall.
More About EarthScope...
EarthScope is a decade-long national geoscience program whose purpose is to better understand the structure and evolution of the North American continent. EarthScope consists of several permanent observatories, located along the San Andreas Fault and in other locations, including New Mexico, and an array of temporary instruments that will be located throughout the U.S. EarthScope is funded by the National Science Foundation and conducted in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey.
EarthScope observatories and instruments are constructed and maintained in collaboration with IRIS (Institutes for Research in Seismology) and UNAVCO. For more information visit: EarthScope.
During breaks and at the beginning of semesters, Information Technology Secrvices computer security teams see a marked increase in attempts to phish for passwords and plant malware on UNM computers. Although UNM’s spam filtering keeps our in-boxes relatively clear of spam, some does get through, such as today’s ‘CNN Alerts’ spam. Please delete the CNN Alert e-mail.
To protect yourself and your computer...
** Do not click on links in email, rather manually type URLs into browsers;
** Frequently change your password;
** Keep your security software suite up to date, and routinely scan your machine.
For more information visit the ITS web site or call the ITS Help Desk at (505) 277-4848.
All UNM and UNMH employees are invited to the grand opening of UNM’s new Integrative Medicine Clinic - The “Center For Life” - Friday, Aug. 15, from 1:30-5 p.m. at 4700 Jefferson NE, Suite 100 (just north of Montgomery Blvd). Shuttles will be available from UNM Main Campus based on interest. Please RSVP as soon as possible to 925-4557 if you’d like to attend and need transportation.
A public forum titled, “Healing the Wounds of War with Mind-Body Medicine,” will kick-off the event at 1:30 p.m. Noted author and Director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington D.C., James Gordon, will lead the discussion and book-signing event.
Gordon will be joined by UNM SOM Alumnus Michael E. Kilpatrick, M.D., Deputy Director, Force Health Protection and Readiness Programs & Director of Strategic Communications for the Military Health System.
The CFL Grand Opening and Dedication Ceremony from 3-5 p.m. will feature refreshments, free chair massages, facility tours, dancers, a raffle and more.
The UNM Center for Life (CFL) Integrative Medicine Specialty Clinic is an extraordinary clinic in New Mexico offering “preventive and wellness” services incorporating physical, social, spiritual and emotional components in a healing environment. The CFL Team embrDavid Brookshire the most effective principles of conventional and complementary medicine.
The CFL mind-body connection to healthy lifestyles and healing includes comprehensive clinical services under one roof, like:
• Integrative Medicine Consults;
• Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine;
• Chronic Pain Evaluation;
• Myofascial Trigger Point Techniques;
• Massage Therapy and Esthetics;
• Psychology and Hypnotherapy;
• Stress-Reduction Evaluations and Techniques;
• Ayurvedic Lifestyle Counseling, Nutrition and Reiki;
• Opportunity to meet with Curanderas and other traditional healers.
In addition to clinical services, the Center For Life offers classes for healthy lifestyles that include Nia, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindful Eating and Living (MEAL), Yoga, Qi Gong, and more - all at a single, central location.
All UNM and UNMH employees are eligible for a 10 percent discount on services and programs. For more information visit UNM’s new Center For Life Integrative Medicine Specialty Clinic or call (505) 272-3679.
Course Available Through ITV
UNM offers Educational Leadership Program, a course that addresses both educational planning and school facility design and management. Available statewide through ITV, the course is offered as both Leadership 581, “Educational Leadership and School Facility Planning” as well as Architecture 412/512, “Educational Planning and School Facility Design,” the class will explore educational planning systems, strategies, facility design and instructional leadership within non-traditional schools.
A special focus addresses facility financing options, guidelines, planning and management as well as capital outlay resources for non-traditional schools. The course is especially beneficial for charter school administrators and educators.
The course is scheduled on Tuesdays from 4 – 6:45 p.m. during the fall semester. For more information e-mail Vita Saavedra at vvita@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Amy Wohlert, interim dean of the University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management, and Pam Hurd-Knief, senior director of development, UNM School of Engineering, and Lisa Kuuttila, president and CEO of STC.UNM, have been named among the most outstanding and influential women in the business community by the New Mexico Business Weekly.
At the recent 2008 Women Who Mean Business Awards Breakfast, Wohlert, Hurd-Knief and Kuuttila were three of the 10 women receiving honorable mention as influential and hard-working women in New Mexico.
The Anderson School was well represented at the event. Anderson Foundation Board Chair Carol Cochran, Anderson Foundation Board Advancement Committee Chair Sheri Milone and Anderson National Advisory Board Member and Anderson Hall of Fame recipient Ann Rhoades were inducted into the 2008 Hall of Fame for Women Who Mean Business.
Wohlert arrived at UNM in 2000, and has held several positions at the state’s largest university. In her most recent position of interim dean she is making a difference in the lives of business students at the Anderson School of Management. In addition to successfully guiding the school’s students and faculty, she also plays a pivotal role in merging the business school with the business community by serving on and working with the more than 50 members of the National Advisory Board and the Anderson Foundation Board comprised of local and national business leaders.
Prior to being appointed at Anderson, Wohlert was vice provost for graduate education and dean of Graduate Studies at UNM. She has also served as associate provost for Academic Affairs: curriculum and instruction and chair of the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences.
Hurd-Knief joined the University of New Mexico School of Engineering as senior Director of Development in June 2008 and has served in high-level development positions at UNM since 1999. Hurd-Knief combines a wealth of knowledge and experience in academic fundraising with a high energy level and is enthusiastic about showcasing the School’s innovative education and research.
Previously Hurd-Knief served concurrently as director of Major Gifts at the UNM Foundation and the interim associate vice president for Development, before that she was chief development officer and director of Alumni Affairs for the School of Architecture and Planning.
Prior to her UNM positions, Hurd-Knief held director of development positions with ACLOA (now Musical Theater Southwest), University of New Mexico Hospitals, Adelante Development Center and the Carrie Tingley Hospital Foundation. She has been active in the Junior League for 25 years and she was a member of the Association of Junior League International Board of Directors from 1988 until 1990. She is a past President of the New Mexico Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals
Hurd-Knief holds professional certification as a “ certified fundraising executive.” She was also the recipient of a Kellogg Foundation Leadership Fellowship. Hurd-Knief was named New Mexico’s Outstanding Fundraiser for 2007 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, a 2007 Powerbroker by the New Mexico Business Weekly, and a 2008 Woman on the Move by the YWCA of Albuquerque.
Hurd-Knief has authored numerous articles for local, regional and national fundraising publications. She is a native of Hershey, Pa., and holds a master’s in philanthropy and development from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
Kuuttila joined STC.UNM, a bridge between UNM and business, in 2003 with more than 20 years of leadership experience in technology commercialization and licensing, including positions as assistant vice president for Technology Commercialization at Purdue Research Foundation; director, Technology Commercialization, University of Georgia; director, Office of Technology Commercialization, Center for Advanced Technology Development, Iowa State University.
Her prior experience includes a consulting practice that provided strategic marketing and technology transfer consulting services for a wide variety of well-known technology corporations, universities and foundations, including Stanford University. Kuuttila began her career in industry in several engineering and technology marketing positions.
Kuuttila has exhibited exceptional skills in the marketing and start-up company aspects of technology commercialization, having significantly increased the number of spin-off companies at each university she has served. She has substantial expertise in university-based equity transactions. She managed the seed capital venture fund on behalf of Purdue Research Foundation, making investments in Purdue start-ups. She has published extensively in her field and has made presentations throughout her career at AUTM, AURRP, the Licensing Executives Society, the Association of University Related Research Parks and other regional and national conferences and forums.
Kuuttila serves on the Board of Directors of New Mexico Private Investors, a not-for-profit affiliation of accredited private investors and members of venture capital companies.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Trevor Rohm has accepted a Fellowship with the University of New Mexico's Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center (HSLIC) in its Biomedical Informatics Training Program. In addition to a curriculum in informatics, Rohm will complete a mentored research project using a natural language-processing program to determine diagnoses and de-identify pathology text reports from UNM’s Human Tissue Repository.
Rohm completed his residency in July with UNM’s Department of Family and Community Medicine, which is partnering with HSLIC to provide the fellowship opportunity. His interests include Clinical Informatics, Sports Medicine, Rehabilitation Medicine and Men’s Health.
“We are very happy to have the opportunity to partner with Family and Community Medicine to fund this fellowship, which will be a big win for all parties concerned - Dr. Rohm, HSLIC, Family Medicine, and UNM.” says Dr. Holly Buchanan, HSLIC Director.
UNM HSLIC’s mission is to improve and enhance human health through support, innovation, and leadership in the organization, delivery and use of quality information.
For more information visit UNM Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center or call (505) 272-2311.
Luke Frank, Media Relations Manager, 272-3679; 907-9525 (cell)
Abhaya Datye, director, Center for Microengineered Materials, is leading an international team of researchers and students studying large-scale chemical catalysis of biomass materials into fuels, chemicals and materials. Students and researchers working with Datye are investigating how biomass is broken down into chemical components while also looking for ways to convert some of those components into useful products efficiently.
Photo: Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Abhaya Datye.
“Biomass is a distributed resource and provides a pathway to capture the CO2 we emit into the atmosphere,” Datye said. “If we could convert this renewable resource into chemicals and fuels cleanly and efficiently, we may be able to find a long term solution to our energy and materials needs. The scope of the problem is such that it demands an international partnership.”
Datye, who came to UNM in 1984, is a respected researcher in the catalysis community. He is a pioneer on heterogeneous catalysis and catalyst imaging. His seminal research on catalyst imaging has provided critical information that forms the foundation of the field.
This is the first year of a $2.5 million, five-year Partnership for International Research and Education Grant (PIRE) funded by the National Science Foundation to foster new international research partnerships and provide international education opportunities for students.
UNM is the lead institution for the grant, which includes the University of Wisconsin, Iowa State University, University of Virginia, Technical University of Denmark, the Fritz Haber Institute and the Institute for Colloids and SurfDavid Brookshire of the Max Planck Society in Germany, and Haldor Topsoe A/S, Denmark, a large Danish catalyst company.
The program allows 12 graduate students and four undergraduate students from the U.S. to spend up to one semester at the partner institutions in Germany and Denmark.
Although the research program is still being developed, three specific projects have already been defined. The first two projects will focus on hydroxymethylfurfal (HMF), a compound formed during the selective catalytic conversion of sugars. HMF has the potential to serve as a replacement for the petroleum-based building blocks that are currently used in the production of plastics and fine chemicals.
In one project, the team will study the downstream conversion of HMF to useful products. In the second project the team will study the selective conversion of HMF and its derivatives under oxidizing conditions. This project will focus on gold catalysts for oxidation of HMF and its directivities to high-value organic acids.
The third project is conversion of biomass into materials, providing an opportunity to reverse negative environmental effects of burning fossil fuels. The project builds on the work done by UNM’s partners in Germany on conversion of biomass into carbon-based materials.
This release was based on an article by Megan Fleming for “UNM Engineering”, a semiannual publication of the UNM School of Engineering.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
On Monday, Aug. 11, Information Technology Services (ITS) will debut Lobo-WiFi as the primary wireless network for UNM wireless access, replacing the existing wireless networks and consolidating them into one overarching system.
Lobo WiFi’s expanded wireless coverage on campus has already resulted in faster Internet connections and improved customer service in areas such as sporting events at the Pit and at Lobo Stadium, where hand-held wireless scanners rapidly scan tickets, minimizing lines and wait times. As well, the Physical Plant recently issued wireless PDAs to its field technicians to process work orders, ensuring a faster turnaround time and reduced paper use.
An authenticated system called Lobo-Sec will also replace the existing UNM_Wireless_Secure network. UNM_Wireless_Secure is for customers who need to authenticate to UNM computing resources, such as Windows print and file sharing resources. Configuration requirements for Lobo-Sec will remain the same as UNM_Wireless_Secure, with the exception of a new pass phrase, which can be obtained by contacting the ITS Support Center.
The new wireless system detects unauthorized access points inside and outside of the UNM system. “Lobo WiFi will continue improving services for faculty, students and staff by making the system easier to use,” said John Duran, Network Analyst with ITS. “We are committed to keep working with departments to enhance wireless services across campus.”
The expansion of UNM’s wireless network was made possible through the generosity of New Mexico Educator’s Federal Credit Union. For questions on accessing the new Lobo-WiFi or to request a business-essential application not currently allowed by Lobo-WiFi, contact the ITS Support Center at 277-4848 or visit Lobo-WiFi.
Media Contact: Vanessa Baca, (505) 277-0987; e-mail: vjbaca1@unm.edu
This week on ‘New Mexico In Focus,’ KNME Channel 5’s prime-time news magazine covering events, issues and people shaping life in New Mexico and the Southwest, the panel takes a look at Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), the legislature’s upcoming special session, the spread of the red light camera, and the failure of a mental health ordinance. ‘New Mexico In Focus’ airs Friday, Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. and repeats on Sunday, Aug. 10 at 6:30 a.m.
AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) represents the annual academic proficiency targets in reading and math that the state, school districts and schools must reach to be considered on track with the federally mandated goals set by the No Child Left Behind law. What does it mean when New Mexico schools don’t make the grade?
Guests include Ellen Bernstein, president, Albuquerque Teachers Federation, Veronica Garcia, New Mexico Secretary of Education, and Peter Winograd, director, Office of Education Accountability. Other guest panelists are Scot Key, blogger, frannyzoo.blogspot.com, and Marco Gonzales, attorney, Modrell Sperling Law Firm.
Co-hosted by David 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 one-hour show brings viewers important topics, opinions and insight, in an integrated and cohesive package.
Producers of ‘New Mexico In Focus’ are Kevin McDonald and Kathy Wimmer. Closed captioning has been made possible by a gift from Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs.
The College of Nursing has announced that Nancy Hoffart, the second of three finalists for the position of Dean in the College of Nursing, will be on campus Aug. 7-8, to participate in the formal interview process.
All University of New Mexico faculty, staff and students, as well as members of the community are invited to attend Dr. Hoffart’s presentation and open forum at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 7.
This forum will be held in the Basic Medical Sciences Building, Room 303. A reception with light refreshments will follow the presentation. The reception is in the lobby of the Domenici Education Center.
Parking is available in the M-Lot, south of Tucker Road, between Camino de Salud and Stanford Road. Parking permits are not required in the M-Lot between 3:30 PM and 6 p.m. on Aug. 7.
Gaining Advantages from Childhood Experience
It often seems that certain aspects of our personalities are influenced by events that occurred in our childhoods. A recent study by Akaysha Tang’s research team from the University of New Mexico Psychology Department Atlab and collaborators at Rockefeller University examined how early life experience influences social skills and ability to handle stressful situations using a rat model. The study was published July 30 in the online, open-access journal PLoS ONE.
In this study PLoS ONE, Tang and her colleagues examined whether rats that experienced greater novelty by spending three minutes a day away from their familiar home environment during infancy had a greater ability to compete against other rats for exclusive access to chocolate reward compared to their siblings that stayed in the home environment during infancy.
They found that novelty-exposed rats were able to “beat out” their competitors more often than their home-staying siblings. They also found that across repeated sessions of competition, novelty-exposed rats decreased their release of stress hormones into the bloodstream, suggesting that they adapted faster to the stressful situation.
These findings were made among rats that were 24 months of age—considered old age for a rat. Perhaps most remarkably, the differences in early experience were induced by approximately 60 minutes of cumulative differential treatment carried out during the first 3 weeks of life. This means that very brief exposures to a novel environment during infancy can have a life-long influence on social competitive ability and the stress response.
Another question asked by Dr. Tang and colleagues was whether the differences between siblings depended on the care received from their mothers during infancy. They measured how much mother rats licked and groomed their pups after the novelty exposure procedure and how consistently they provided this care from day to day. They discovered that the mother rats that delivered more care to their pups on average were inconsistent in their amount of care from day to day. This led to the surprising finding that the novelty-exposed rats with the most adaptive stress responses had mothers that gave highly consistent, but lesser amounts, of care.
In translating possible significance of these findings to the human species, although it is sometimes assumed that the overall amount of care from the mother is one of the most important influences on her children’s development, this study by Tang and her colleagues provides a different view—that the consistency of maternal care may be more important than the amount of maternal care and that other sources of influences, such as environmental novelty can play an important role in shaping a child’s development.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
The College of Fine Arts recently announced the appointment of E. Luanne McKinnon as the new director of the University Art Museum. Hailing originally from West Texas, McKinnon is intimately familiar with the Southwest, including New Mexico where she has been a frequent visitor for many years. McKinnon starts Aug. 18.
Well versed in all aspects of modern and contemporary American and European art, theory and criticism, she holds an M.F.A. in painting from Texas Christian University and is now completing her Ph.D. in art history at the University of Virginia.
After earning her M.F.A. in 1984, McKinnon headed east for New York City to launch her career in the arts as a researcher for Robert Rauschenberg, gallery director of ACA Galleries, and owner of McKinnon Modern, a private gallery that specialized in modern masterworks of painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography and drawing.
She is currently director of the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., where she has developed both its collections and its sources of funding while organizing a series of exhibitions and publications.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Al Sena, executive director of facilities for the Rio Rancho Public Schools, is the newest member of the Dean’s Council for Design and Planning Excellence at the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning. The council is the school’s membership-based external advisory group.
Photo: Van Gilbert, president, Dean's Council, presents a gift to Al Sena, executive director of facilities for Rio Rancho Public Schools, at the occasion of Sena joining the council, while Dean Roger Schluntz looks on.
Sena earned both his undergraduate and master’s degrees in architecture from UNM. “As a graduate of UNM, I see how the university has helped me with my life and career. This is an opportunity for me to take my experience full circle,” he said.
Roger Schluntz, dean, UNM School of Architecture and Planning, said, “Individual members typically are able to provide unique insight that advances our instruction with professional students as well as faculty research. Al’s work and success with Rio Rancho Public Schools, for example, is closely aligned to our broader interests in the planning and design of optimal learning environments.”
Sena said that he was unaware of the council until members talked to him about it. “Many members have been on the council for several years. They represent a diverse group with a vital interest in furthering architecture, design and planning education. I also hope to take away from the group ways to improve public schools facilities for our students in Rio Rancho,” he said.
Sena, who earned his master’s in architecture in 1997, has been with the Rio Rancho Public Schools for nine years.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The UNM Department of English recently co-hosted the annual Summer Seminar West of the Association of Departments of English at La Fonda on the Plaza in Santa Fe. Along with co-hosts Arizona State University, UNM and ADE hosted 120 English chairs and graduate directors from across the country. The four-day conference included panels, plenary addresses and breakout sessions.
Photo: English Professor Jesse Alemán speaks at the panel 'Redefining National Literatures in the Americas.'
Gerald Graff, president of the Modern Language Association, spoke on “Involving Students in Critical Conversations.” Reed Way Dasenbrock, former UNM provost and current New Mexico Secretary of Higher Education, gave a dinner address outlining various crises in higher education locally and nationally.
Panels addressed the situation of non-tenure-track faculty and outcomes assessment. And workshop discussions covered such topics of interest to administrators as “Running Effective Department Meetings” and “Troubled and Troubling Faculty Members.”
Local faculty making appearances included Professor Gary Harrison, who co-hosted the workshop for directors of graduate study and ran a discussion group on how to prepare graduate students for the job market; and both former Assistant Professor Elizabeth Archuleta (now of ASU) and Associate Professor Jesse Alemán, who took part in a plenary panel on “Redefining National Literatures in the Americas.”
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico College of Nursing has received a $750,000 grant from the Helene Fuld Health Trust, HSBC Bank USA, N.A. Trustee to be used over the next three years for baccalaureate student scholarships. The College of Nursing will use $450,000 of the total grant to establish a permanent endowment fund for scholarships.
The Helene Fuld Health Trust is the nation’s largest private foundation devoted exclusively to nursing students and nursing education. In 1935, Dr. Leonhard Felix Fuld and his sister, Florentine, created a foundation in honor of their mother, Helene. In 1965, the foundation was converted to the Helene Fuld Health Trust and in 1969, HSBC Bank USA, N.A., in New York, became its corporate trustee.
The Helene Fuld Health Trust mission is to support and promote the health, welfare, and education of student nurses. With the grant, the UNM College of Nursing will be able to fund current financial aid for students enrolled in the baccalaureate degree nursing programs in addition to creating the endowment for future nursing scholarships.
The UNM College of Nursing currently has 375 students enrolled in its undergraduate program. A bachelor’s degree in nursing not only provides the broadest background in the sciences and liberal arts, but also prepares nursing students for a fulfilling, lifelong career. At UNM, undergraduate nursing students divide their learning between the classroom and health care settings, providing them a well-rounded nursing education.
“It has been our pleasure to collaborate with the Helene Fuld Health Trust in securing this money to support our students,” said Karen L. Carlson, PhD, RN, professor and interim dean at the UNM College of Nursing. “Today’s students have many needs for financial assistance. These needs are even greater in our compressed 16 month curriculum. The Helene Fuld Health Trust Scholarship Fund for Baccalaureate Nursing Students will allow students to focus on their studies rather than work more hours and that is invaluable to the individual student.”
Polly Anderson, president and CEO of KWBU TV & FM in Waco, Texas, has been named general manager and CEO of KNME TV, Channel 5. Her first day at KNME is set for Monday, Sept. 22. Anderson replDavid Brookshire Ted Garcia who now serves as senior vice president in charge of television content for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Photo: Polly Anderson
Anderson brings with her more than a decade in public broadcasting where she has gained experience and training in development, operations, engineering, finance, personnel development and digital transition of television and radio stations.
At KWBU, the community-licensed Public Broadcasting Service television and National Public Radio member stations serving the Waco-Temple-Bryan, Texas, area, Anderson has been responsible for fostering effective relationships with the stations and the Central Texas community, as well as with the licensee’s board and license owner, Baylor University. She is a member of the board of trustees of the Association of Public Television Stations and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Educational Telecommunications Association.
Prior to her three years at KWBU, Anderson was vice president of development and marketing for the Alabama Educational Television Network where she was responsible for raising $2.4 million in development revenue for the statewide public television network.
“I am very excited about the opportunity to come to Albuquerque and to continue the high standards that have been set by KNME over their 50 years of service. The communities of northern New Mexico deserve the very best that public broadcasting has to offer, and I look forward to continuing that tradition and to further the mission of education, entertainment and inspiration that are central to the services offered by KNME.”
Anderson earned a bachelor’s in business administration and marketing from the University of South Florida.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Jed Crandall, an assistant professor in Computer Sciences has spent years working with researchers at University of California–Davis on monitoring the ways the Chinese Government filters access to internet sites. His research is again in the news, as the international media focuses on the filtering process as it affects coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics.
More at: Las Cruces Sun-News.
The College of Nursing has announced that Nancy Ridenour, the first of three finalists for the position of Dean in the College of Nursing, will be on campus Aug. 5-6, to participate in the formal interview process.
All University of New Mexico faculty, staff and students, as well as members of the community are invited to attend Dr. Ridenour’s presentation and open forum at 4 p.m., Tuesday, August 5. The forum will be held in the Domenici Education Center Auditorium. A reception with light refreshments will follow the presentation.
Parking is available in the M-Lot, south of Tucker Road, between Camino de Salud and Stanford Road. Parking permits are not required in the M-Lot between 3:30 and 6 p.m. on Aug. 5.
Student physicians Otoño Silva and Lorenzo Rodriguez were among participants in the recent ‘White Coat Ceremony,’ a rite of passage for beginning medical students. The UNM School of Medicine welcomed 75 students into the profession, while the physician’s assistant program welcomed 15.
The ceremony emphasizes the importance of humanism, compassion and honor as integral to the medical profession. Friends, family and faculty members welcomed the student physicians into the medical community. They were “cloaked” with their first white coats, the mantle of the profession. The student physicians also recite the Oath of Geneva, representing public acknowledgment of professional responsibility and a willingness to accept the obligations. The message is that physicians should care as well as cure.
Silva, a graduate of Albuquerque’s Highland High School, is the son of Catherine Heller and Victoriano Reyes Silva. He earned his undergraduate degree in nutrition from UNM.
Rodriguez, a graduate of St. Michael’s High School in Santa Fe, is the son of Lorenzo S. and Yolanda Rodriguez. He earned his undergraduate degree in psychology and sociology from UNM.
Employee Health Promotion Program will conduct glucose and cholesterol screenings Thursday, Aug. 7 from 7 to 9 a.m. The screenings will be held in Johnson Center B-143 in the Exercise Physiology Laboratory.
Interested participants should eat nothing and drink only water for 12 hours before the test. For more information and screening cost call 277-2658.
University of New Mexico Provost Suzanne Ortega announced that the search committee for a new dean of the UNM School of Law has been named. Ortega, who was hired in March and officially assumes her role today, is the hiring officer for the search.
The search committee chair is Brenda Claiborne, dean, College of Arts & Sciences. Vice chair is School of Law faculty Laura Gomez. Other law school faculty committee members are Norman Bay, Fred Hart, Steven Homer, April Land, John LaVelle, Nathalie Martin, Jose Martinez and Jenny Moore. Committee members Melissa Lobato and Susan Mitchess represent staff and DeAnza Valencia and Leon Howard represent the students.
Chief Justice Edward L. Chavez, New Mexico Supreme Court, David Martinez, Oso Law Firm, Martinez & Hart, P.C., and Maureen Sanders, Sanders & Westbrook, P.C., represent the professional community.
Bonnie Leigh Reifsteck from the Office of the Provost is the search coordinator.
The new dean will replace Suellyn Scarnecchia, who resigned earlier this year to accept a position as university counsel at the University of Michigan.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu