The new Parent Connection Workshop Series addresses issues relevant to parenting college students and is held on the first Wednesday of each month and in coordination with the academic calendar. The initial workshop is slated for Wednesday, Jan. 7 in the Dean of Students Conference Room, room 260 in the Student Services Center.
Co-sponsored by the Dean of Students Family Connection Program, Parent Relations Office and Parent Association, the series features presenters from a variety of university departments. It provides a regular opportunity for parents to gain new insights from campus experts and to network with other parents to improve their students’ experience at UNM.
1st Workshop Agenda...
5:30-6 p.m. - Check-in
6-6:05 p.m. - Welcome and Speaker introduction
6:05-6:45 p.m. - Presentation by Susan Chavez & Bill Bloom
6:45-7 p.m. - Q & A
7 p.m. - Workshop Evaluation & Conclusion
Workshop Topic: Money Matters: Financial Aid & Scholarships
With the economic downturn, many people need some help. This workshop will provide parents with information on Financial Aid and Scholarship opportunities.
Financial Aid: January is the time when students and parents should be preparing for the FAFSA again. Whether it is your first time submitting this important form or just a renewal of last year’s form, this workshop will provide you with important information about this year’s financial aid process.
Scholarships: Learn what UNM has to offer current and returning students. Topics include the General Scholarship Program and other outside scholarship opportunities.
Future Workshop Series:
February—Student Health and CounselingLove is in the air! Learn how relationships affect student success and retention. Whether your student is in love or looking for it, this workshop addresses many issues including relationship counseling, transferring, study time, and family planning issues.
March—Academic Support
Conquering academic challenges! Every student has a class that he or she is struggling through all semester. Learn what UNM has to offer in terms of tutoring programs, mentorship opportunities, and other student support services that will help your student succeed in the classroom.
For more information contact the Parent Relations office at, (505) 277-5915 or via e-mail at: parent@unm.edu or the Dean of Students office at, (505) 277-3361 or via e-mail at, nso@unm.edu.
During this time of giving, students at the Anderson School of Management are giving back to the Albuquerque community after raising more than $11,000 to help those less fortunate.
At the beginning of the semester students in Howard Kraye's Management 489 class were given the assignment of creating an event to raise money for the charity of their choice.
The class was divided into four teams with the proceeds going to the Dwight Tweed Scholarship Fund (a UNM charity), Joy Junction Homeless Shelter, and PACA, the oldest no-kill animal rescue group in New Mexico. Each team had a budget of $500 and any costs over that amount had to be donated from outside sources.
The events developed by the students were the "Golf 4 Grades" golf tournament, "I Can Help Carnival," a food drive done at the Evangel Christian Academy that collected enough food to feed three thousand people, "Furry Friends 5k Fun Run" that took place on the UNM Campus and the "Catwalk Couture" fashion show.
The result was an impressive $11,127.83 raised collectively for the community organizations.
Professor Kraye says the goal of his class is not only to teach the students about the mechanics of marketing, but to have them successfully implement that knowledge outside of the classroom by putting on a charitable event from start to finish. He says the process allows them to test their course material in the "real world" and says there is no "doubt in his mind" that the projects gave the students the abilities and confidence they need to succeed in the business world.
Media Contact: Leslie Venzuela, (505) 277-7117; e-mail: venzuela@mgt.unm.edu
UNM to create clearinghouse of opportunity for research for students and teachers
Researchers from four Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites, 11 universities, and K-12 school districts from across the nation are partnering in a $12.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Mathematics and Science Partnership program to create a dynamic teacher development program targeted at middle school and high school teachers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
Colorado State University is the lead institution in the program, which will create a framework where environmental science literacy drives learning of core science and mathematics concepts. John Moore, a co-principal investigator at the Shortgrass Steppe (SGS) LTER site and director of CSU’s Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, will oversee the program.
The LTER Network Office, based in the Biology Department at the University of New Mexico, will work to create a clearing house of opportunity for research for students and teachers based on activities at the 26 LTER sites and try to match teachers and students with appropriate research and education programs.
The collaborative program will connect the research prowess of the environmental sciences and education of partner universities and sites within the 26-member LTER network, which is also funded by NSF, with K-12 science and math teachers in partner schools and districts. The focus will be on human-ecosystem interactions to develop culturally relevant ecology from both a scientific and educational perspective.
“Dr. Moore and his colleagues have done a great service by translating the education goals of the Decadal Plan for LTER into a proposal that will allow us to move forward on a path to achieve these goals,” said Robert Waide, executive director of the LTER Network Office. “The LTER Network is committed to developing an approach that integrates research and education across the entire educational continuum.”
Providing teachers with content knowledge and increasing student preparation and interest in STEM disciplines is an urgent need across the US. Collectively, the four LTER research sites will partner with 22 local K-12 schools/districts focusing exclusively on middle schools and high schools serving more than 250 science and mathematics teachers and 70,000 students across the United States.
“Ultimately, our plan is to develop, implement and disseminate our models through the LTER Network Office, which each year interacts with upwards of 1,000 teachers and impacts nearly 500,000 students of diverse ethnicities across the United States,” said Moore.
Collaborators on the project aim to develop models of professional development that integrate the research efforts of scientists with the professional development needs of teachers. They plan to include a teacher-in-residence program, research internships for teachers, placement of graduate students into K-12 classrooms, professional development workshops leading to graduate credit and degrees, and professional learning communities.
Additionally, grant collaborators will examine existing K-12 curriculum to refine and extend current learning progressions leading to environmental science literacy and associated mathematics. The themes for this activity will include carbon cycling, water systems, and biodiversity in socio-ecological systems.
Core partners on the NSF-funded grant are Greeley-Evans School District #6 (CO); Poudre School District (CO); Michigan State University (MI); Plainwell Community Schools (MI); University of California, Santa Barbara (CA); Santa Barbara School District (CA); Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (NY); Towson University (MD); Baltimore City and County Public Schools (MD); University of Northern Colorado (CO); University of Wyoming (WY); and the LTER Network Office (NM).
Media Contacts: McOwiti Thomas, (505) 277-2638; e-mail: tmcowiti@lternet.edu or Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
From Gov. Richardson’s failed presidential bid to a democratic congressional sweep in New Mexico, 2008 has been a year that will not be forgotten. “New Mexico in Focus,” KNME-TV, channel 5’s weekly one-hour news show, will air the first part of two-part series looking back at 2008 on Friday, Dec. 26 at 7 p.m., and the second part on Friday, Jan. 2, 2009, at 7 p.m. There will be no Sunday repeat for either of these broadcasts.
Co-hosts Gene Grant and David Alire Garcia will count down the top stories of 2008. Grant and regular panelists Whitney Cheshire, Margaret Montoya and Jim Scarantino will be joined by guest panelist Sophie Martin, managing editor of DukeCityFix.com to debate the important stories of 2008.
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
Governor Bill Richardson announced the reappointment of regent Jamie Koch to the University of New Mexico's governing board. Koch, president of Daniels Insurance is one of three regents whose terms were set to expire at the end of this month. Additionally, Emily "Cate" Wisdom, a junior majoring in biology and chemical engineering, was appointed student regent. Wisdom replaced student regent Dahlia Dorman, whose term expired.
"I want to extend the congratulations of the entire UNM community to regent Jamie Koch who was reappointed to the Board of Regents by Gov. Richardson on Friday," UNM President David J. Schmidly said. "Let's also extend our warm thanks to student regent Dahlia Dorman, whose term has been marked by enormous hard work, intelligence and poise. Let's also congratulate and welcome our newest student regent, Emily "Cate" Wisdom."
Media Contact: Susan McKinsey, (505) 277-1807; e-mail: mckinsey@unm.edu
The UNM winter break begins Wednesday, Dec. 24 and continues through Friday, Jan. 2, giving most university employees 12 consecutive days off. Regular university hours resume Monday, Jan. 5. Certain critical facilities and departments, such as police and those involved in patient care, will remain open. Other major campus departments and facilities have special intersession hours.
· Zimmerman Library will be closed Dec. 21 and Dec 24 - Jan 4 and 19. Excluding those dates, Zimmerman will be open 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., Monday-Friday during intersession.
· The Centennial Science and Engineering Library will be closed Dec. 21, Dec. 24- Jan 4 and 19. The library will be open 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., Monday-Thursday, and 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Friday during intersession.
· The Parish Memorial Library will be closed Dec. 21 and 24-27 and Jan. 1-3 and 19. The library will be open Dec. 28, 30, 31 and Jan 4 from 10 am - 4 pm and on Dec 29 from Noon to 4. The library will be open during intersession 8 a.m. - 7 p.m., Monday-Friday, and 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturday.
· The Law Library will be will be closed Dec. 24-Jan. 2. The library will be open during intercession 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., Saturday, and noon - 11 p.m., Sunday.
· The Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center will be closed Dec. 24-25 and Dec. 31-Jan. 1. The library will be open noon-6 p.m., Dec. 21 and 28, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m., Dec. 22-23, and 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Dec. 26-27, 29-30 and Jan. 2-3. Regular hours resume Jan. 4.
· The Fine Arts Library will be closed Dec. 21 and 24-Jan 4 and Jan 19. The library will be open 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., Monday-Thursday, and 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Friday during intersession.
· Information Technology Computing Services will be closed and checking voicemail remotely Dec. 24 - Jan. 4. Regular hours resume Jan. 5. To report a problem, call 277-4848 and leave a message - all voice mail will be answered. Voice Customer Care at 277-1111 will be staffed Dec. 26 and Dec. 29-31 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., and will be on-call after hours.
All computer systems, networks and dial-up lines will be available during the break. Technical staff will be on call for system problems. Break schedules for all computer pods are available at: Computer Pod Hours. See ITS News for more detailed information.
· The UNM Bookstore will be closed Dec. 24-28 and Dec. 31-Jan. 2. The bookstore will be open 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Dec. 29-30. Regular hours resume Jan. 5.
For information on closures due to inclement weather, call the snow hotline, 277-SNOW (277-7669).
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Every state in the union is going through rough times, as federal funding dwindles and jobs are scarce. A state’s role in international trade, especially with Canada and Mexico, can increase much needed economic growth in these times.
UNM’s Latin American and Iberian Institute presented “Strengthening Our Border Economy: Promising New Developments in U.S.-Mexico Trade” to discuss New Mexico’s trading potential as well as the barriers to increasing trade with Mexico.
The symposium surveyed the North American Free Trade Agreement and its implications for New Mexico.
“The first six years of NAFTA, there were only two U.S. states whose trade with Mexico decreased, West Virginia and New Mexico,” said Jerry Pacheco, executive director, International Business Accelerator. “We rank about 35th in terms of exports to Mexico.”
New Mexico trades very little with Mexico compared with trading giants like California, Texas, Arizona, Mississippi and Delaware, despite the shared border.
“Our exports and our trade with Mexico are quite marginal, but this is a blank state for opportunities for development,” said Juan Massey, director, New Mexico Economic Development Department Office of Mexican Affairs.
Massey and Pacheco explained a plan to develop the New Mexico-Mexico border by building road and rail networks and further developing Santa Teresa, one of three New Mexican ports of entry, which would directly connect New Mexico with Mexico’s maquiladora capital, Juarez.
“The maquila industry is the economic development stream for New Mexico,” Pacheco said. “There are about 420 maquilas. Almost all of the Fortune 500 companies have a presence in northern Mexico.”
The Mexican maquiladora, or maquila, industry is factory-based manufacturing importing materials and equipment duty-free for assembly and then re-exporting assembled products to the country of origin. The industry, which began in the 1960s, expanded after NAFTA and continues to grow.
Pacheco said that companies like Electrolux and Foxconn, a Taiwanese industrial giant, have already invested millions to create their maquiladora base and will need a capable port of entry and a dependable transportation network at the United States border to facilitate trading. He and Massey proposed that New Mexico, namely Santa Teresa, be that facility.
If Santa Teresa becomes the next hub of international trading with Mexico, New Mexico will see an increase in economic growth, employment and taxable revenue. “We don’t have jobs in southern New Mexico. You bring people out of poverty by giving them economic opportunity,” Pacheco said.
Some are concerned that a large scale overhaul of border trading would lead to poor air and water quality, violence and increased demands on social resources such as schools and hospitals in Santa Teresa and Doña Ana County.
Sanford Gaines, director, UNM Utton Transboundary Resources Center, said that a rural community like Doña Ana County may not have the necessary resources to handle the expense of development and a population surge.
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” Gaines said. “If the visions that have been laid out materialize, this does not come without consequences. We need to plan now, not wait for the consequences to be on us, for meeting those kinds of demands.”
Story by Jazmen Bradford
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Soon after first year M.F.A. student Tanaya Winder came to UNM this semester, she told Julie Shigekuni, new director of the creative writing program, about a Stanford program called the Levinthal Tutorials that helped her prepare for graduate school. Winder’s suggestion led to the creation of the Russo Tutorials, an independent study pairing creative writing graduate students with seniors who are developing a portfolio and graduate school application.
M.F.A. student Valerie Santillanes will participate in the tutorials next semester. In her final year, Santillanes said she wants to pass on the mentorship she received. “Having someone that believed I could do it made me believe I could do it,” she said. “It’s exciting to think I could be that for somebody.”
She’s also excited about a new retreat for graduate students that will be held at Ghost Ranch during intercession so they can work intensively on their dissertations. Santillanes said it will be great to go somewhere without distractions and concentrate on writing.
While acknowledging the UNM creative writing program has had a controversial year with serious issues to be resolved, these students are bringing new ideas and energy to help the program live and grow.
“The perception is students aren’t moving on… but it’s a nonissue, except when it’s forced on us. We just want to write, or at least I do,” said M.F.A. student Samantha Tetangco, expressing a sentiment echoed by several other students.
Graduate students are also engaged in community service in their field, making connections that can extend beyond graduation. Among other partnerships, Winder teaches poetry monthly in the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in Ignacio, Colo.
To foster community, she started Chicken and Salsa, an informal gathering where students can talk about writing issues, and fellow first-year M.F.A. student Jennifer Simpson developed a creative writing program blog.
Students acknowledge there have been disappointments. Winder said studying with Joy Harjo was a big part of why she came to UNM, and she’s upset that Harjo is leaving. She’d hoped that by studying with Harjo she could get a foot in the door in writing for Native American communities.
“I do think I made the right decision to move out here, regardless of how everything is,” she said.
Students are also putting energy into the valuable programs developed in past years. M.F.A. student Christina Yovovich has helped organize the Taos Summer Writers Conference, founded by Professor Sharon Oard Warner, in recent years. She said this summer’s conference has some great faculty lined up, and quite a few people signed up in the first week registration was open.
Before she was a student at UNM, Simpson came to the Taos conference and took nonfiction workshops with Associate Professor Greg Martin. “He’s one of the reasons I came here,” she said, adding that she likes the way he raises the bar and encourages revision. “I don’t need someone to tell me my writing is good. I need someone to tell me how to make it better.”
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
UNM Associate Professor of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Plamen Atanassov is leading a team exploring the possibility of putting biofuel into a fuel cell, research that takes a step toward hydrogen rather than petroleum based economy. Biofuels are considered a renewable energy source since they are plant-based rather than petroleum-based.
Photo: Associate Professor of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Plamen Atanassov
Atanassov, director of the Center for Emerging Energy Technologies, said, “We would link the world of biofuels with the world of fuel cells.”
A major grant from the Department of Energy’s EPSCoR program brought together research faculty from UNM, New Mexico State University, New Mexico Tech and Eastern New Mexico University as well as researchers from Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Labs to explore the possibility of making usable fuel cells from ethanol to produce electricity.
The grant is about $750,000 per year for up to six years. Students at the universities will work directly with research faculty on a cutting edge problem vital to the future of the United States. Student participation will range from undergraduates to post doctoral research.
The basic science research is divided in several ways. Atanassov is principal investigator and will coordinate the overall research activity. His group will examine the problem of direct electrochemical oxidation of ethanol. Researchers at UNM will also examine medium temperature steam reforming of ethanol. Faculty researchers involved in the project are Atanassov, Kateryna Artyushkova, Abhaya Datye, Julia Fulghum, Dimiter Petsev and Tim Ward.
At New Mexico Tech, work on high temperature partial oxidation of ethanol will be done by Corey Leclerc from the Petroleum and Chemical Engineering Department and his research group.
At New Mexico State University Physics Department faculty Boris Kiefer will work on theoretical aspects of the program and Heinz Nakotte will examine the materials with neuron diffraction techniques at LANL.
Juchao Yan from the Chemistry Department at Eastern New Mexico University will do characterization of chemical cells.
The research groups want to determine whether ethanol can be reformed to produce hydrogen. If possible, they will build on the results to explore how direct electrochemical oxidation of ethanol might work. The research is expected to result in a new family of materials.
“This is fundamental research,” says Atanassov. “Now if that can be wrapped into a portable cell, that would be say an ethanol fuel cell for cellular phones. If that could be wrapped in a stationary fuel cell, it could be in-situ power generation in homes.”
Work on the project is just beginning. It is expected to continue for several years, and will offer students throughout the state an opportunity to work on the kind of fundamental research that could change the world energy future.
Researchers at the University of New Mexico presented the results of a DWI study at the Governor’s DWI Research Forum recently. The study, “Treating DWI Offenders: Are offenders getting the treatment the law requires,” found that less than half of repeat DWI offenders in the state of New Mexico are receiving substance abuse treatment despite state law.
Photo: Gill Woodall, director of Prevention, Education and Research at UNM’s Center of Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions.
In 2004, the New Mexico Legislature made treatment mandatory for all convicted subsequent DWI offenders. According to the state law, all second- and third-time offenders must be sentenced to treatment. However, the research showed some troubling problems with the law.
The results were presented by Gill Woodall, director of Prevention, Education and Research at UNM’s Center of Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions (CASAA), Paul Guerin, UNM Institute for Social Research and Jim Davis, UNM Division of Government Research.
"The results call for better communication and cooperation among all who are part of DWI tracking and treatment system, including the Courts, Treatment Providers, and the Department of Finance and Administration County Screeners and Trackers," said Woodall.
The researchers examined 2,000 cases or approximately 25 percent of applicable cases in 2006 and 2007 and found that 52 percent of repeat offenders, which includes second and third time offenders according to the law, were not sentenced to substance abuse treatment. The Sample was comprised of 1,651 Males (82.6 percent) and 347 Females (17.4 percent).
Seven counties including Bernalillo, Chaves, Doña Ana, McKinley, Santa Fe, San Juan and Rio Arriba were involved in the study. Types of treatments to satisfy the law vary depending on the county. They can include residential rehabilitation and outpatient treatment said Woodall.
The forum was sponsored by the Governor’s office, the New Mexico Department of Transportation Traffic Safety Bureau and the UNM School of Law Institute of Public Law.
Communication problems between the state and tribes shouldn’t cost time and money in transportation projects, according to UNM Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering Giovanni C. Migliaccio. So he is leading a team to write a guidebook to navigate thorny disputes over cultural and sovereignty issues that entangle and delay needed projects for tribal and state governments.
Photo: Giovanni C. Migliaccio
Migliaccio said that disagreements between the New Mexico Transportation Department and the Navajo Nation over the widening of U.S. 491 exemplify how misunderstandings can become serious disagreements. A series of stories in the Albuquerque Journal outlines how in 2003, the New Mexico legislature appropriated $125 million to widen the highway that connects Gallup to Shiprock, on the reservation. But lawmakers didn’t calculate the four percent sales tax the Navajo Nation planned to impose on the project contractors.
The NM Department of Transportation requested that the Navajo Nation waive the fee. The Navajo Nation Tribal Council refused, and the project was stuck for five years while the groups argued. The issue was finally resolved in a partial compromise, and in May 2008, ground was broken for the widening.
“In the intervening time, the estimated project cost shot up to $260 million, so the widening will not cover the entire distance between the two communities,” Migliaccio said.
He said that disputes over taxation authority are one but one issue that derails projects. The guidebook identifies potential conflict areas and defines steps to alleviate them. The guidebook, he said, identifies practical strategies for aiding communication, coordination and cooperation when dealing with five major categories of issues, including protecting and preserving the environment and addresses sensitive tribal matters, monetary issues, sovereignty issues, land ownership issues and cultural competency.
Migliaccio is working with his graduate student Rebecca Martinez; the Alliance for Transportation Research Institute; Dexter Albert, cofounder of Intrinsic Consulting; and Terry Holley and Mike Quintana from PAIKI, a private company. They presented their initial findings to the Transportation Committee of the National Congress of American Indians, at the Inter Tribal Transportation Association Annual Conference and at the National Tribal Transportation Conference.
In addition, results will be presented in January at the 88th Annual meeting of the National Transportation Research Board in Washington D.C. and at the 46th Paving and Transportation Conference in Albuquerque.
Migliaccio said that next spring his team will invite representations from state transportation agencies and tribes to participate in a consensus process for suggesting solutions. He expects the guidebook to be complete in fall 2009.
“With more than 500 federally recognized tribes, and a growing number of city, county, regional and state transportation agencies, the potential for conflict and the need for solutions will only increase,” he said.
Funding for the project is from the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences.
It’s been a year since the United States Surgeon General challenged New Mexico on underage drinking. This week on KNME-TV’s “New Mexico in Focus” co-host David Alire Garcia sits down with experts from the New Mexico Department of Health and Attorney General’s office, among others to discuss progress made since last year. “New Mexico in Focus,” KNME-TV, channel 5’s weekly one-hour news show, will air on Friday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. and will repeat on Sunday, Dec. 21 at 6:30 a.m.
Joining Alire Garcia to discuss underage drinking in New Mexico are Dr. Karen Armitage, chief medical officer with the New Mexico Department of Health, Stuart Bluestone, senior counsel for the Attorney General’s office, Herman Silva, director of the Special Investigations Division, and Glenn Wieringa, underage drinking prevention program manager with the New Mexico Traffic Safety Bureau.
Afterward, “The Line” panelists will discuss the top headlines of the week, including the potential threat that a grand jury investigation might mean to Governor Richardson’s plans to become Secretary of Commerce. Joining panel moderator Gene Grant are regular panelists Margaret Montoya, a professor with the University of New Mexico School of Law and School of Medicine, political consultant Whitney Cheshire, and Jim Scarantino, a columnist with the Albuquerque Journal and moderator for NewMexicoLiberty.com, and guest panelist Terry Brunner, state director for U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman.
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) 277-1812; e-mail: etodd@knme.org
Executive Vice President for Health Sciences Paul Roth has appointed Philip W. Wiest as the new chair of Radiology. Wiest replaces Michael R. Williamson who is stepping down to take sabbatical leave but who remains on faculty.
Wiest is an associate professor of Diagnostic Radiology at UNM. He received his M.D. from the University of Nevada School of Medicine and completed his residency in Diagnostic Radiology at UNM Hospital. He has served on faculty since 1992 and was elected a Fellow in the American College of Radiology in 2006.
Since 1997 he has served as Vice-Chair for Clinical Affairs within the Department of Radiology with responsibility for coordination of all technical and professional aspects of Clinical Operations in Diagnostic Radiology, CT MRI, Ultrasound, Nuclear Medicine and Interventional Radiology. Wiest has served in a number of curriculum development and educational administrative positions. He has conducted research projects both nationally and internationally including in Kazakstan and Estonia
The Department of Radiology has some 32 faculty members. Based at the UNM Health Sciences center in Albuquerque, the department provides radiology services for the University of New Mexico Hospital; UNM Cancer Research and Treatment Center; Carrie Tingly Hospital; UNM Children's Hospital and New Mexico VA Healthcare System. UNM Hospital is also the tertiary referral center for the state of New Mexico and the surrounding area, and is also the state's only level-1 trauma center.
Each year college graduates cope with the stress of diving into the real world and getting a job. For many, it will be their first time seeking employment off campus. One way the university’s Office of Career Services can lessen career anxiety is eRecruiting.
“This is the time of year when graduates need the most assistance. It takes anywhere from six to eight months to find a job,” said Jenna Crabb, director of Career Services.
Once students register with Career Services, they have access to numerous resources, such as networking with potential employers and resumé and interview help. With eRecruiting, students can upload résumés, cover letters and other information and apply for job openings. The site includes national and international jobs and internships, both full time and part time.
“We have about 5,000 employers registered with Career Services here at UNM,” Crabb said. “The students have access to see all of the jobs that are uploaded at any time. There’s anywhere between 500 and 1,000 jobs available at any given date. You can sort by your area of interest, your major, your state or city.”
The service allows students to develop a connection with potential employers while honing career skills.
“It’s really great because the students have access not only to the jobs but to the employers. They can click on our employer link and pull up information about the organization, their Web site, their recruiters and on-campus events they will attend,” Crabb said.
She said that with a little more than half of the university’s student body registered with the Office of Career Services, the program continues to grow and in the past year has seen a five percent increase in employer attendance at career fairs as well as a 23 percent increase in on-campus events hosted by off-campus employers. “We haven’t seen a decline at all, in light of the economy,” she said.
Students and alumni are encouraged to register and schedule an appointment with a career development counselor.
For more information visit: Career Services or call 277-2531. The Office of Career Services is located on the second floor of the Student Services building. Walk-in hours are Monday-Wednesday, noon-4 p.m., Thursday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., and Friday, 1-4 p.m.
Story by Jazmen Bradford
Luke Lester, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and associate director, Center for High Technology Materials, has been appointed to the UNM Microelectronics Chair Professorship. Lester has a track record of innovations in semiconductors and photonics, including fabricating the world’s fastest transistor, a record that stood for more than a decade as noted in the “Guinness Book of World Records.”
Photo: Luke Lester
“Luke’s work in microelectronics and photonics has resulted in breakthroughs in technology,” UNM School of Engineering Dean Joseph L. Cecchi said, “It is particularly noteworthy that Luke has involved his UNM students every step of the way, from formulating the research plan to launching startup companies. Luke’s appointment to this position recognizes the key role he has played in establishing UNM’s international reputation in microelectronics and photonics.”
Lester intends to use the additional funds that come with the chair to work on areas that have long interested him, including work on alternative energy with quantum dots in solar cells, and high speed photonics using injection-locked semiconductor lasers.
He is also interested in researching 100 gigabit per second Ethernet applications, and short pulse semiconductor lasers that will use optics to transfer data from chip to chip in silicon integrated circuits.
“I’m excited to receive this appointment,” Lester said. “This honor will free me to explore new areas that previously would have been considered too risky to guarantee useful results.” Lester’s appointment became effect in August 2008.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Graduate students in UNM Landscape Architecture Studio 3 presented “SITE AND NON-SITE: Visioning the Pat Hurley Neighborhood: A Gallery Installation + Interpretation of a Landscape,” at a gallery at 711 3rd St. SW. The course is taught by Adjunct Professor and Landscape Architect John Barney.
Photo: Nan Masland looked at Atrisco Plaza’s parking lot. Her piece, a table set with car parts, asphalt and oil, expresses the loss of agricultural land that the lot once was.
The intent of the installation was to convey an area or aspect of Pat Hurley neighborhood and the processes that shaped it over time, said student Kristina Guist. “The installations deal with larger issues of landscape architecture and contemporary art so that they become a mirror of the site as well as larger issues that we face as landscape architects and inhabitants of the landscape,” she said.
Barney said that the area was selected because of its interesting geography and history. “Pat Hurley, for whom the park is named, is the son of the famous Western artist Wilson Hurley,” he said. The students researched the area and discovered the remnants of agricultural patterns along the ditches and evidence that Atrisco Plaza was an actual plaza at one time.
Guist’s project depicts the lone cottonwood tree standing in Atrisco Plaza, the last remnant of the plaza’s days on the bosque and flood plain. “The tree is a vibrant point of the community,” she said.
Ning Cui’s hanging ropes adorned with cotton represent the bosque’s cottonwood trees while mirrored tiles represent and reflect river water. “Gravel depicts the transition between open and residential space,” Cui said.
Nan Masland looked at Atrisco Plaza’s parking lot. Her piece, a table set with car parts, asphalt and oil, expresses the loss of agricultural land that the lot once was. “We can’t eat car parts or drink motor oil. And we can’t have all our food trucked in from out of state,” she said.
Ruth Currey chose a degraded bridge adjacent to Old Town. “People live on site that others don’t see, and there is also water use not visible to passersby,” she said. Her display included images of people, as well as the sight, sound and smell of water.
Katya Yushmanova looked at the abandoned canal in the bosque. “It was poorly engineered. It still floods and has created an unintentional habitat, or wildlife corridor,” she said. Her design features an earthen wall embedded with seeds. An artificial irrigation system allows her creation to erode over time.
Anthony Fettes’ project explored the bosque at Central and Atrisco. Cottonwood trees are represented by logs, while the Russian Olive, Siberian Elm and other non-native species are represented by plastic tubes filled with water. “The natives drop their leaves while the exotics, with their longer growing season, take the water,” he explained.
Elaine Stevens looked at upper and lower Pat Hurley Park. Her project represented the escarpment and the windblown, sandy loam. She envisioned a terraced walkway with basalt and limestone tiles that allow water to soak in. “If the water is slowed, it can be brought down in canales, possibly lined in glass that come along the path, allowing walkers to celebrate the sight and sound of water,” she said.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Landscape Architect Baker Morrow, adjunct associate professor, School of Architecture and Planning, talks about how the kind of social innovation generally reserved for cities took place in Artesia, N.M., when the small town wanted and found the will to change. Civic will guided them – with help from Morrow’s firm – to create a main street where pedestrians can walk from “pool of shade to pool of shade” with wide sidewalks, fountains and places to sit.
Photo: Baker Morrow
He talked about Goddard’s original rocket sitting unobtrusively outside a Roswell museum and how small town New Mexico still possesses 1950s post-war infrastructure. Only then did Morrow reveal that he’d received the Stewart Udall Cultural Landscape Preservation Award from the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance.
Morrow’s had his own firm, Morrow Reardon Wilkinson and Miller, Ltd. since 1973. He pursued landscape architecture after discovering he enjoyed the 3D world and open spaces. “Landscape design is a combination of manmade and natural elements. We proceed with the assumption that vegetation will grow – and it does – which allows us to set up a process and watch it mature. Four or five years later, landscapes develop their own personality. They take off on their own,” he said. Morrow is a Fellow in the American Society of Landscape Architects, the first UNM graduate and first native New Mexican to receive this honor.
Victoria Jacobson, historic architect for the National Park Service, submitted Morrow’s name for the award. Morrow has conducted research on historic landscapes – often for the NPS – since the 1980s. Morrow has served as the director of the Registry of Historic Landscapes for the New Mexico NPS since 1980.
“There are files of some 300 archaic landscapes in the state, each one of which could be a thesis project,” Morrow said.
Morrow said that although much of New Mexico’s history has been outlined, much of the knowledge to be gained in Central New Mexico is yet to be discovered. “There are some 300 Pueblos in Chupadera Mesa,” he said, of the Socorro landmark.
Morrow also sowed the seeds that established the landscape architecture program at UNM. He started teaching at UNM in 1975 and by 1977 the seeds of the landscape architecture program first sprang up in the form of undergraduate coursework in the field. In 2003 the Landscape Architecture Accrediting Board reviewed the program and granted formal accreditation for a full six-year term.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
ITS will provide limited customer support to UNM and UNMH during the break between Dec. 24 and Jan. 5. The schedule of coverage is outlined below.
ITS CS Support Center
505-277-4848
• Staff on-site answering telephone calls, FastInfo Chat and “Ask a Question” 7 a.m. - 10 p.m. on Dec. 23.
• Staff will check the CS Support Center voice mail, return calls and
FastInfo “Ask a Question” every two hours as follows:
10 a.m - 6 p.m., Dec. 24, 25, 31 and Jan 1
8 a.m - 1 a.m, Dec. 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, Jan. 2, 3 and 4.
ITS CNS Customer Care
505-277-1111
• Staff and technicians on site answering telephone calls, responding to FastInfo and assisting walk-ins Dec. 26, and Dec. 29 - 31 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• On-call and after hours coverage for alarms and telephone services via Campus Police Dec. 24 - 25 and Jan. 1 - 2.
• Auto Attendant recording will inform callers of staff availability and direct callers to contact Campus Police in case of an emergency.
Visit: Information Technology Services for additional information on computer pod hours and other ITS information.
Media Contact: Vanessa Baca, (505) 277-0987; e-mail: vjbaca1@unm.edu
Dr. Robert Valdez and Dr. Nina Wallerstein of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy at the University of New Mexico are presenting at the largest national summit on health disparities ever convened. Sponsored by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the 27 institutes and centers at the National Institute of Health, the two day Summit on the Science of Eliminating Health Disparities examines the intersection of science, practice and policy.
Valdez, executive director of the RWJF Center for Health Policy, joined author Maya Angelou as keynote speaker in the opening plenary session.
“Health disparities really mean that many American Indians die young, African Americans die five years earlier than Whites, and Latinos often die after painful and disabling disease,” Valdez said. “These premature deaths largely are the result of the social and economic inequalities in our society ─ the social determents of health. Progressive social policies can reduce these inequities and improve the health of the (re)public.”
Scheduled for December 16-18, the Summit highlights many complex biological and non-biological factors that influence health outcomes and brings together nearly 4,000 of the nation's leading health disparity experts across disciplines. In addition to the keynote, Valdez is participating in a breakout session focused on showcasing best-practice models in graduate education and training.
Wallerstein, director of the UNM Center for Participatory Research - Institute of Public Health, participates on a panel focused on community participatory research methods, set during the second plenary session on Health Disparities and the Intersection of Science and Practice.
The RWJF Center for Health Policy is the only health policy center dedicated to increasing the number of leaders from Latino and American Indian communities helping to shape the future of our nation's health and health care. A collaboration of the University of New Mexico and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the RWJF Center for Health Policy focuses on inserting the voices of Latino, American Indian and other “underrepresented” groups into the most pressing health policy debates today. Visit RWJF Center for Health Policy for further information.
For additional information contact the RWJF Center for Health Policy at (505) 277-0130 or e-mail, rwjf@unm.edu.
Media contacts: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu or Victor E. Cornejo, (202) 276-9342; e-mail: victor@cornejocommunications.com
The "Briefcase" tab, currently available to students and other users on MyUNM portal, will be removed at the end of January. The Briefcase enables files to be uploaded and saved to a user account on a UNM server. Students and other My UNM users who have stored files on the Briefcase are asked to remove their files before Jan. 30.
After that date, these files will still be available but users must show their Lobo ID at the ITS Support Center to access the files and have them transferred to their flash drives.
Media Contact: Vanessa Baca, (505) 277-0987; e-mail: vjbaca1@unm.edu
For the fourth year, the University of New Mexico is offering a slate of classes during winter intersession, giving students a chance to catch up or get ahead. Intersession courses allow students to increase their credit hours for the fall semester, helping them maintain credit hour and grade point average requirements for their grants and scholarships. Students can also use intersession courses to get ahead in their studies, decreasing time to degree completion.
“Intersession enrollments have nearly tripled since we started the program in December 2005,” said Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Wynn Goering. “That tells us we’re meeting a significant academic need.”
This winter, UNM’s main campus offers nearly 60 courses in 14 academic areas, ranging from introductory courses satisfying core requirements to advanced upper division classes. Several branch campuses also offer intersession courses.
Intersession classes run Friday, Dec. 19-Friday, Jan. 16. Students must register by 5 p.m., Dec. 19. For a complete schedule, visit http://schedule.unm.edu/ and click “Fall 08 Late Starting Courses.”
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy invites proposals for seed grants to conduct research on U.S. health and health care issues, especially those affecting Latino and American Indian communities. The deadline for submissions is Friday, Feb. 6, 2009 at 5 p.m. to rwjf@unm.edu.
Applications with a focus on applied social science research with implications for improving health policy are encouraged. The objective of these grants is to stimulate research and encourage faculty across UNM departments with interests in these areas to collect pilot data that will result in applications for extramural funding.
There are two pools for funding available under this call, for a total of $100,000 in this round:
* $10,000 for individual PIs
* $20,000 for interdisciplinary projects with co-PIs from at least two departments/disciplines
The RWJF Center for Health Policy was established to transform national debate on health policy by increasing the number of Latinos, American Indians, and other minority PhD graduates in social science disciplines who are prepared to be leaders in guiding the direction of national health policy.
The Research Grants Program of the Center seeks to further this mission by providing faculty grants to promote research on a wide range of issues and serve as an opportunity to supplement training of RWJF Graduate Fellows. Preference will be given to proposals that clearly indicate how the research will advance the mission of the Center.
For more information, contact Charlene Porsild, 277-0128, or cporsild@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico recently opened its new Student Marketing Center. The state-of-the-art center, that serves as a lab, studio, and collaborative learning space for students enrolled in upper-division marketing courses at Anderson, opened on Nov. 24. The facility also houses the UNM student chapter of the American Marketing Association.
Photo: A portion of the new Student Marketing Center at the Anderson School of Management.
“The completion of the two-month construction project is especially rewarding because I have seen time and again how talented, hardworking and deserving these students are,” said Interim Dean Amy Wohlert.
Amenities in the 500 square-foot facility include four workstations with specialized creative and marketing research software, wireless Internet connectivity for laptops, video teleconferencing capabilities, and a LCD presentation system.
The Student Marketing Center’s much-anticipated opening comes one year after the project’s early planning and design stages, which involved input from students and faculty.
“Every square foot of the center was carefully planned with students’ needs in mind,” said Marketing Professor John Benavidez. Chris Fortson, a senior marketing student from Los Alamos, N.M., added, “The center is amazing and I plan to use it regularly. I used to work on school projects from home on a personal computer with limited capabilities, but not anymore.”
The facility was proposed initially by school officials after MBA marketing students won the 2005 and 2006 Cadillac National Case Study Competition organized by EdVenture Partners (EVP). Anderson has partnered with Orinda, Calif. based EVP since 2005 to provide students the opportunity to apply academic theory to real-world marketing challenges faced by organizations such as General Motors, Subaru of America, and the U.S. Department of State.
“It's a credit to the administration at UNM to invest further in its already talented group of marketing students through the funding and opening of this new marketing center,” EVP President Tony Sgro said. “When we work with clients in identifying best-fit campuses for their campaigns and programs, we always strongly encourage them to choose UNM for a coveted spot.
"The UNM Anderson School of Management has always been considered a top-tier program nationally and now, the bar has been raised even further with this new, impressive facility.”
The fine efforts of Anderson marketing students also benefit the local business community. Students in Professor Catherine Roster’s marketing research classes develop and conduct marketing research studies for local businesses. Student teams have conducted over 100 projects within the last five years.
“The specialized research software in the center is the same used by blue-chip multinational corporations, advertising agencies and media companies to conduct in-depth analysis of markets,” said Roster. “Access to these tools gives students experience using them while providing local businesses with information they might not otherwise be able to gather.”
Marketing is among the most popular areas of concentration at the Anderson School with nearly 200 students enrolled.
For more about the center or client opportunities, contact John Benavidez at (505) 277-1263 or Dr. Catherine Roster at (505) 277-7109. To learn more about the Anderson School visit: Anderson School of Management.
Crystal Frantz has been appointed executive director of Care Management at the University of New Mexico Hospitals (UNMH), while Doris Tinagero has been named the executive director of Carrie Tingley Hospital.
Frantz has held numerous leadership positions at UNMH and takes on her new role after serving as the Executive Director of Carrie Tingley Hospital since 2005. Frantz received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UNM and a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix.
Tinagero has worked at UNMH since 1993. She first started as a staff nurse in the pediatric clinic and then moved on to serve as the unit director for 13 years. Tinagero earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at UNM and recently completed her Master of Science in Nursing at UNM.
The Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico (UNM) opened the new Student Marketing Center on Nov. 24. The state-of-the-art center serves as a lab, studio, and collaborative learning space for students enrolled in upper-division marketing courses at Anderson. The facility also houses the UNM student chapter of the American Marketing Association.
“The completion of the two-month construction project is especially rewarding because I have seen time and again how talented, hardworking, and deserving these students are,” said Interim Dean Amy Wohlert.
Amenities in the 500 square-foot facility include four workstations with specialized creative and marketing research software, wireless Internet connectivity for laptops, video teleconferencing capabilities, and a LCD presentation system.
The Student Marketing Center’s much-anticipated opening comes one year after the project’s early planning and design stages, which involved input from students and faculty.
“Every square foot of the center was carefully planned with students’ needs in mind,” said Marketing Professor John Benavidez. Chris Fortson, a senior marketing student from Los Alamos, N.M., added, “The center is amazing and I plan to use it regularly. I used to work on school projects from home on a personal computer with limited capabilities, but not anymore.”
The facility was first proposed by school officials after MBA marketing students won the 2005 and 2006 Cadillac National Case Study Competition organized by EdVenture Partners (EVP). Anderson has partnered with Orinda, Calif. based EVP since 2005 to provide students the opportunity to apply academic theory to real-world marketing challenges faced by organizations such as General Motors, Subaru of America, and the U.S. Department of State.
EVP President Tony Sgro said “It's a credit to the administration at UNM to invest further in its already talented group of marketing students through the funding and opening of this new marketing center. When we work with clients in identifying best-fit campuses for their campaigns and programs, we always strongly encourage them to choose UNM for a coveted spot.
"The UNM Anderson School of Management has always been considered a top-tier program nationally and now, the bar has been raised even further with this new, impressive facility.”
The fine efforts of Anderson marketing students also benefit the local business community. Students in Catherine Roster’s marketing research classes develop and conduct marketing research studies for local businesses. Student teams have conducted over 100 projects within the last five years.
“The specialized research software in the center is the same used by blue-chip multinational corporations, advertising agencies and media companies to conduct in-depth analysis of markets,” said Roster. “Access to these tools gives students experience using them while providing local businesses with information they might not otherwise be able to gather.”
Marketing is among the most popular areas of concentration at the Anderson School with nearly 200 students enrolled.
For more about the center or client opportunities, contact John Benavidez at (505) 277-1263 or Dr. Catherine Roster at (505) 277-7109. To learn more about the UNM Anderson School go to http://www.mgt.unm.edu/
The University of New Mexico will open on Tuesday, December 16, 2008, at 10 a.m. due to weather/travel conditions. Unless faculty have made prior arrangements, students scheduled to take the 7:30 a.m. final (for Tuesday-Thursday class being held 9:30 - 10:45 a.m. throughout the semester), that final is RESCHEDULED to 3 - 5 p.m., TUESDAY, December 16, 2008. All finals will take place in the same room originally scheduled per information provided by the instructor of record.
The 10 a.m. final for the class period of Tuesday/Thursday at 2 - 3:15 p.m. will begin as originally planned in the same room originally scheduled per information provided by the instructor of record.
For questions please contact: Kathleen Sena, Registrar, ksena@unm.edu.
Due to weather conditions, classes {finals} scheduled to meet before 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16, will not be held. All other classes {finals} scheduled to begin after 10 a.m. will meet as usual.
In addition, UNM employees in non-critical areas will not be expected to report to work until 10 a.m., unless otherwise specified by their respective supervisors.
However, UNM employees in previously designated critical areas - including the Health Sciences Center faculty, staff and students involved in delivering clinical care, Campus Police and the Physical Plant - will be expected to report to work as usual.
Stay tuned for further details and for any finals that need to be rescheduled due to the delay.
Thank you.
The Provost’s Committee for Staff is seeking scholarship applicants for its Staff Academic Support Scholarship for the Spring 2009 semester. The scholarship, in its fourth year, is designed to help support staff who utilizes their tuition remission benefit. This is an opportunity for UNM staff to apply for limited financial support to be used to help cover the cost of academic books, course fees and supplies. Three $250 scholarships will be awarded. The deadline for applications is Friday, Jan. 9, 2009 at 5 p.m.
Eligibility requirements include: course(s) must be used toward degree or certificate completion or professional development; passed UNM Employment Probationary Status; Be at least a .50 FTE UNM employee; Must have a “Meet expectations” or better on most recent Performance Review.
Application guidelines include a completed application form, available online, and a statement outlining academic path and benefit of these funds towards your academic degree. Applications for the Spring 2009 Staff Scholarship are now being accepted. For more information visit: Spring 2009 Staff Scholarship.
A fund to help support the scholarship has been established through an account at the UNM Foundation. UNM employees interested in contributing to this fund will have the option to do so through payroll deductions. The goal is to grow the fund and provide increased financial support to our staff.
The United Way is another avenue in which you may give to the scholarship award by designating your donation to the UNM Provost Support Scholarship fund, which will continue to increase the number of awardees per semester.
For more information contact Lina Sandve at 277-1326 or via e-mail at: lsandve@unm.edu.
A number of communication methods are available for notification to faculty, staff and students in the event of inclement weather. Among the notification methods that will be utilized include the UNM home page, the All University list serve, UNM News Minute, open/closure notice, the Snow Hotline and the TextMe emergency notification system for those subscribed.
For complete inclement weather information pertaining to work and class schedules, information will be posted on UNM's home page as the lead story at: http://www.unm.edu.
Interested individuals may also visit: Open/Closure Notice.
Additionally, for added convenience, users may also call the Snow Hotline, 277-SNOW (277-7669) for information on closures due to inclement weather.
To signup for the emergency notification system visit: TextMe.
For more information visit: UNM’s Inclement Weather Policy.
The University of New Mexico Foundation is sponsoring a grant-writing workshop January 26-30, 2009 conducted by the The Grantsmanship Center (TGCI). The workshop will be held at UNM’s Continuing Education Conference Center, Room G.
The workshop is designed for both novice and experienced grant seekers. The workshop will cover all aspects of searching for grants, writing grant proposals, strategies for securing government and foundation grants, corporate contributions and negotiating with funding sources.
The Grantsmanship Center (TGCI) is the world’s oldest, largest and most respected fund development training organization. Since 1972, TGCI has trained more than 100,000 staff members of nonprofit, government, and academic institutions around the world.
Registration is limited to a total of 30 participants per session, and a limited number of seats have been reserved for UNM employees. The program fee is $895. Early enrollment is encouraged as TGCI workshops often fill to capacity. UNM faculty and staff are eligible to use UNM’s tuition remission benefit to attend.
To register for the workshop contact Marie McGhee in the Continuing Education office at (505) 277-0723 or via e-mail mmcghee@unm.edu.
About 1,550 University of New Mexico students will graduate on Friday, Dec. 19. Before the graduates gather at the Pit for the 6 p.m. ceremony, however, the ROTC programs host a commissioning ceremony for their graduates. Among those graduating from the Army ROTC program is Luis Cadet Luis Sanchez, who, will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Infantry, Friday, Dec. 19 at 9:30 a.m. in UNM Continuing Education.
Photo: Cadet Luis Sanchez, a participant in the Rio Grande Rivalry Football Run, hands off the football to Lt. Col. Erik Sevigny.
He will attend training at Ft. Benning and then be assigned to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. He is graduating with a degree in Criminology with a 4.0 GPA. He finished 15th in the nation on the Army ROTC national order of merit. He is an exceptional athlete as well. He graduated from West Mesa High School and is an ABQ native.
“He served as a soldier in the NM Army National Guard throughout college. He accomplished all of this even with the adversity of his father’s death early in his college career,” said Lt Erik Sevigny.
After graduation, Sanchez will continue to work for Army ROTC for a few months. For more information, contact Erik Sevigny, Lieutenant Colonel, US Army, Professor of Military Science, University of New Mexico, Office: (505) 277-2274, rsevigny@unm.edu.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The New Mexico Rail Runner Express’ route to Santa Fe finally opens later in December. This week on “New Mexico in Focus,” Lawrence Rael, Executive Director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments, the organization who manages the train service on behalf of the New Mexico Department of Transportation, sits down with David Alire Garcia on the train to Santa Fe to discuss the Rail Runner. “New Mexico in Focus,” KNME-TV, channel 5’s weekly one-hour news show, will air on Friday, Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. Please note, there will be no Sunday repeat of this week’s episode of “New Mexico in Focus.”
Also this week, the “New Mexico in Focus” panel debates the bailout efforts on behalf of Ford, Chrysler and GM, with a close look at the effect of current financial difficulties on schools, look at the pros and cons of lower gas prices, find out some good news about New Mexico’s health ranking, and talk about New Mexico mourning the loss of former first lady Alice King.
Joining panel moderator Gene Grant are regular panelists Margaret Montoya, a professor with the University of New Mexico School of Law and School of Medicine, political consultant Whitney Cheshire, and Jim Scarantino, a columnist with the Albuquerque Journal and moderator for NewMexicoLiberty.com, and guest panelist Lonnie Talbert, former chairman with the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce.
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) 277-1812; e-mail: etodd@knme.org
It can almost be guaranteed that a lithography workshop anywhere around the world will have a dog-eared copy of “The Tamarind Book of Lithography: Art & Techniques.” This book has been considered the bible of lithography since its publication in 1971. Now the Tamarind Institute announces the release of its new book, “Tamarind Techniques for Fine Art Lithography.”
This exhaustive technical resource is written by Tamarind Director Marjorie Devon with Master Printer Bill Lagattuta and Education Director Rodney Hamon. Everything a printer or print collector needs to know is contained within the 301 pages published by Harry Abrams, one of the most important publishers of fine art books in the country.
“Tamarind Techniques for Fine Art Lithography” is a technical manual, but with a visual feast of color reproductions of Tamarind lithographs and color images depicting the often complicated processes of lithography. In addition to step-by-step directions for all processes used at Tamarind, the book includes guidance for establishing a print studio and advice about maintaining quality, documenting editions and caring for works of art on paper.
For the Tamarind enthusiast, a special edition of the book is available. One hundred books have been specially packaged in a cloth slipcase and signed by the authors. The special edition includes a hand-printed lithograph by Jim Dine depicting lithographic tools. For a limited time the special edition is available for $1,500.
“Tamarind Techniques for Fine Art Lithography” can be purchased at the Tamarind Institute for $85. The Tamarind Institute is located at 110 Cornell Dr. SE and is open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday-Friday.
Tamarind Institute is a world renowned fine art lithography workshop and gallery and is a division of the UNM College of Fine Arts. For more information, visit Tamarind Institute or call 277-3901.
Story by Shelly Smith
As the end of 2008 rapidly approaches, it is a natural time to reflect and start planning for the future. Take a moment to review goals. This reflection will prepare you not only for performance reviews, but to start setting goals for 2009.
Some of the questions to ask are:
1. What did I learn?
2. What did I accomplish?
3. What would I have done differently?
4. What portions of my job were the most satisfying?
5. What were my biggest challenges?
Another helpful tool to evaluate the past and plan for the future is LoboWeb. Take a moment to review benefits and deductions, leave balances and payment information. LoboWeb, found on the Employee Life or Faculty Life tab after logging into my.unm.edu, allows users to view this information.
Here are a few examples:
Benefits and Deductions
· View retirement and supplemental retirement (i.e. 403b and 457b) contributions
· Review benefit enrollment, contributions and other available benefits
Pay Information
· Select date ranges for earning and/or deduction history
· View pay stubs
Leave Balances
· Determine available annual and sick leave
Be sure personal information is current for 2009. LoboWeb offers the ability to update the following information:
· Demographic information (i.e. home address)
· Emergency contacts
· Annuities and donations
· W4 forms
· Direct deposit information
It is important to review and update this information yearly. Emergency contacts, found under Personal Information, are often the most overlooked. For questions regarding LoboWeb, call the HRPR Support Center at 277-HRPR (277-4777).
As the holiday season is upon us, we hope that you have a safe and joyful holiday. As these are challenging times, reflect on the positive benefits and opportunities that surround you. Happy holidays to you and yours.
Story by Helen Gonzales, vice president, Human Resources
It’s that time of year again, and the Department of Safety and Risk Services wants to help the university community be safe this holiday season. Decorating can be fun and make the environment festive and lively, but there are some safety issues to keep in mind.
Fire is a major issue during the holiday season, and although we may love the look and scent of candles, they are not allowed inside any UNM building. Electric luminarias are fine for both outdoor and indoor use, but candle types are only allowed outdoors. Make sure to have at least two inches of sand in the luminaria bag, and keep them at least five feet away from any combustible material. Don’t forget to blow out the candles at the end of the evening.
Another item of concern is trees. Do not bring cut Christmas trees, branches, pine cones or mistletoe into any UNM facility. Artificial trees and decorations are allowed inside, as long as they are flame retardant and labeled with a UL (Underwriters Laboratory) or FM (Factory Mutual) sticker.
Be extra careful when hanging lights or decorations. Don’t hang them from fire sprinklers or light fixtures, and make sure not to block doorways, exits, fire extinguishers or exit signs. Use flame or fire retardant lights that have the UL/FM sticker. Use only newer extension cords, and never string extension cords together. And of course, don’t leave them in a place where anyone can trip over them.
SRS designed these guidelines to keep the community safe this holiday season and to help with planning. To view a list of comprehensive guidelines for holiday decorations, luminaria and safe cooking practices, go to srs.unm.edu and click “UNM Holiday Decoration Guidelines” or call SRS at 277-2753.
Story by Serena Pearson
UNM is developing a new scholarship program to attract the nation’s top American Indian students. The proposed National American Indian Scholars Program, scheduled to launch in fall 2009, is the first national scholarship or recognition program of its kind focused on American Indian students.
UNM is working in partnership with the American College Testing program, or ACT. The program would be open to students whose ACT score is within the 95th percentile for their region, and would admit approximately five to 10 students each year.
Special Assistant to the President for American Indian Affairs Pamela Agoyo first suggested the program five years ago, and she worked with Associate Vice President Terry Babbitt to begin planning over the past two years. Provost Suzanne Ortega and Vice President for Enrollment Management Carmen Alvarez Brown made this venture a reality soon after joining UNM.
“We are absolutely delighted that UNM is playing a leadership role in recognizing the outstanding academic accomplishments of the next generation of American Indian students and scholars,” Ortega said.
Brown said that the ACT was chosen as the qualifying test because most American Indians live in a state where the ACT is the primary college entrance exam. The Division of Enrollment Management is already working to identify potential applicants.
Agoyo said that UNM has great wealth in its American Indian student population and understands that improving graduation rates is of paramount importance.
She said this scholarship program, combined with support services like UNM’s American Indian Student Services and academic programs including Native American Studies, can help students learn early on in their collegiate experience what it means to become scholars and successfully attain degree status.
“The university has a commitment to advancing opportunities for American Indian students and this is part of that commitment,” she said.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
It takes many people to make a major event like UNM’s commencement ceremony run smoothly. Among those people are 15 commencement marshals who work with University Secretary and Chief Marshal Vivian Valencia to keep the spotlight on the graduates while the complex machinery of the ceremony runs invisibly in the background.
Photo: Randy Boeglin, dean of Students
Dean of Students Randy Boeglin has served as a commencement marshal for 12 years, almost as long as he’s been dean. He has been at UNM for 35 years.
Boeglin is one of the marshals that have the mammoth task of coordinating the student processional. He said the marshals play a multiplicity of roles to make a seamless event for graduates and their families and friends.
“It’s a moment of tremendous celebration for students and families,” he said. “Marshals need to exude that sense of celebration.”
The experience can also help marshals renew their sense of purpose at the university. “It reminds me that students are the essence of what we do,” Boeglin said, adding that one can lose sight of that in the grind of daily tasks. “The university is an opportunity factory. We’re here to unleash students’ potential.”
The UNM Health Sciences Center has been smoke-free since August 2007, and the HSC community’s response has been positive. As the only health sciences center in New Mexico operating the state’s only teaching hospital, HSC became smoke-free to remain a leading example of health and healthcare.
To learn how the smoke-free policy has been received since its implementation, the UNM Prevention Center conducted a survey with more than 1,000 HSC faculty, staff and students responding – nonsmokers and smokers alike.
The survey results were positive, with 98 percent of survey participants saying they knew about the smoke-free policy and highly supported it.
Of the smokers who responded, a third said that since the policy was implemented, they reduced the number of cigarettes smoked in a day, and 18 percent said the policy gave them an incentive to try to quit smoking.
Second-year UNM School of Medicine student Adam Forshaw thinks the survey supports the HSC’s decision to go smoke-free and shows progress for those smokers trying to quit.
As a former smoker for 10 years, Forshaw said the first big step for smokers is cutting back on cigarettes.
“If the policy has helped smokers cut back while at work or school, I think that’s great progress,” Forshaw said. “Smokers should utilize this policy and make it a good excuse to finally quit. If it’s not as easy to smoke on campus anymore, then I would think the natural step for smokers is to cut back and then eventually quit.”
Before the HSC implemented the policy, campus leaders offered support to students, employees and patients wanting to quit smoking.
Smoking cessation resources and counseling are available through the UNM Employee Health Promotion Program, and UNM Hospital offers programs for its employees and patients. In the survey, a quarter of smokers who responded said they have used the cessation programs.
For the first time last spring, the National Survey of Student Engagement introduced an addendum that will help colleges understand how writing can increase student engagement. Chuck Paine, UNM associate professor of English, is a lead researcher on the project, along with Robert Gonyea, Indiana University-Bloomington, Chris Anson, North Carolina State University, and Paul Anderson, Miami University.
Photo: Chuck Paine
Though further study is necessary to determine causal relationships, the recently released data, collected from 23,000 students at 82 campuses, affirms that students can benefit from writing more in all courses.
Former UNM Provost and current New Mexico Secretary of Higher Education Reed Dasenbrock sparked the idea for the survey when he asked whether any data supported the claim that writing makes a difference in learning and critical thinking – the underlying premise of Writing Across the Curriculum, or WAC, an approach to higher education teaching that maintains writing in all courses enhances learning and helps students master the cognitive and writing conventions of their disciplines.
Surprised to find how little data was available, Paine began working with NSSE and the Council of Writing Program Administrators to develop a supplemental survey that would give a deeper picture of how writing affects learning.
Paine said students who are more engaged devote more time and energy to their coursework, tend to have higher grade point averages and are more likely to stay in college. The survey showed that the more students wrote, the more they engaged in active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching experiences and deep learning. That may mean that writing can also improve grades and retention.
The emphasis on student engagement, Paine said, is part of a larger movement in higher education that focuses less on how incoming students rate and more on what students learn during college and what they know and can do when they finish college.
Gary Smith, director of the Office of Support for Effective Teaching, said that academically engaging experiences not only help students in general, but have a greater impact on Hispanic students.
OSET offers workshops and other resources to help teachers effectively use active learning practices. A writing workshop will be offered in the spring.
Increasing writing assignments may seem like more work for both students and teachers, but Paine said, “doing little assignments throughout the semester helps keep both students and teachers from getting buried in paperwork.”
Paine said this study is just the beginning. He said it will be interesting to see if writing is more or less useful for certain major groups. According to the survey results, seniors majoring in the social sciences, arts and humanities wrote considerably more than many of their peers. Students studying the physical and biological sciences wrote less.
This spring, UNM will be participating for the first time in both the NSSE writing addendum for students and NSSE’s companion survey for faculty.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Department of Pediatrics, division of nephrology, had a study published in the December 2008 edition of the American Journal of Transplantation that demonstrated the life-saving benefit of kidney transplants among children with kidney failure.
Craig Wong, medical director for pediatric kidney transplantation at UNM, was the senior author and worked with several experts around the country to measure survival advantages of pediatric recipients of a first kidney transplant among children awaiting kidney transplantation.
The study analyzed the risk of dying among 5,961 patients under the age of 19 who were placed on the kidney transplant waiting list between 1990 and 2003. During this time, 5,270 of the patients received their first kidney transplant.
Within the first six months of transplantation, there was no significant risk for death compared to patients remaining on the waiting list. However, after six months, the risk of death was significantly lower. Children who received a kidney transplant had a lower mortality rate compared to the patients on the waiting list.
The study concluded that children who receive a transplant compared to the children who remain on the waiting list, have a long-term survival advantage.
Kidney transplantation is widely accepted as the optimal treatment modality for children with chronic kidney disease. In the U.S., children awaiting a kidney transplant are given priority over adults for organ allocation in an effort to reduce the time to transplantation, improve access of pediatric patients to high-quality allografts and mitigate the suboptimal growth and development caused by kidney failure.
For the complete study visit: American Journal of Transplantation.
Dennis Herrick, Communication and Journalism lecturer, has been designated a fellow by the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism for its inaugural Business Journalism Professors Seminar. Only 15 fellows were selected nationally and internationally.
Photo: Dennis Herrick (left) and former Albuquerque Tribune editor Phill Casaus.
Herrick and the others will spend a week in a training program conducted by top business journalism professors and business journalists to be held at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in early January. The intent is that they teach business journalism courses upon their return to their universities.
“Business journalism is a crucial field of coverage that requires much greater emphasis at the university level,” said Andrew Leckey, Director of the Reynolds Center. “These quality professors and their universities should be commended for showing a strong commitment to offering such coursework in the future.”
More than 4,600 working journalists have taken part in daylong business journalism workshops and online seminars of the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism since its inception in 2003. Now headquartered at the Cronkite School, it also runs the BusinessJournalism.org Web site, provides internships and presents awards in the field.
The Center is funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, a national philanthropic organization founded in 1954 by the late media entrepreneur for whom it is named. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, it is one of the largest private foundations in the United States.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
UNM’s fall commencement ceremony will be held Friday, Dec. 19 at 6 p.m. in the University Arena (The Pit). About 1,551 students are projected to receive degrees, as follows: 1,140 bachelor’s degrees, 325 master’s degrees, 2 post-master’s, 63 doctorates, 12 juris doctorates, 2 medical doctorates, 6 pharmacy doctorates and 1 education specialist. An official degree count is determined following commencement.
Congressman Joe Baca will be the keynote speaker. Baca has represented the 43rd District of California in Congress since 1999 and currently serves as chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. He was born in Belen, N.M., in 1947. He served in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper from 1966-68 and received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from California State University-Los Angeles.
Graduates will be greeted by UNM Regent John “Mel” Eaves, Associated Students of UNM President Ashley Fate and Alumni Association President Judith Zanotti.
UNM President David Schmidly will be the master of ceremonies. He will offer congratulatory remarks, confer degrees and recognize honors graduates.
The University Brass Ensemble with Zane Meek, conductor, will play a selection of music for the ceremony’s prelude and processional. Jessica Taylor, graduate student in music, will sing the national anthem and the alma mater.
Several schools, colleges and departments have scheduled convocations for Friday and Saturday, Dec. 19 and 20. For more information, visit 2008 Fall Commencement.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Saying the best and most qualified person for the job is the person currently holding it, University of New Mexico Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Suzanne Ortega has appointed Julia Fulghum as UNM’s Vice President for Research. Fulghum has served as interim in that position since May of 2008. The previous vice president, Terry L. Yates, passed away in December 2007.
Photo: Vice President for Research Julia Fulghum
“Julia has brought the many facets of the research enterprise together in a short period of time, and with assuredness and sensitivity, has enabled them to work together to make significant progress,” said Provost Ortega. “She is an outstanding teacher and researcher who has now shown her great leadership skills.”
Fulghum joined UNM in August 2002 as professor and chair of the Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering. As chair, she has hired nine faculty members as part of departmental efforts to develop interdisciplinary research and educational programs in biomedical engineering, emerging energy technologies and nuclear non-proliferation science.
“We are very pleased and very fortunate to have such a strong and proven research leader as a research partner,” said Dr. Richard Larson, Vice President for Translational Research at the UNM Health Sciences Center. “Dr. Fulghum and I will continue to work hand in hand to advance the research mission for the University of New Mexico, focusing on improving our overall infrastructure and coordinating our research efforts. She will be a talented and dedicated partner in our search for cures and innovations to benefit our state and nation.”
Carlton Caves, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, chaired the faculty/staff Research Study Group commissioned by the Provost to evaluate and make recommendations for research administration at the university.
“It will take some time to implement needed changes in research, and this in my view requires the attention of a permanent VPR,” said Caves. “We are fortunate that Julia Fulghum is doing the job of putting the Office of the Vice President for Research on a sound footing.”
Interim Dean Dick Howell, College of Education, said, “We are all very pleased that Julia Fulghum has been asked to serve as the Vice President for Research for the University of New Mexico. One of the key findings of the Research Study Group was to re-engineer the pre- and post-award processes so that faculty are better served.
"Julia has already accomplished that critical change and is well on her way to developing a faculty-responsive research office that will invigorate and energize our campus. We are looking forward to ever-increasing progress as she instills a sense of purpose and new direction for the research community at UNM.”
“As a former department chair and now an outstanding interim vice president for research, Julia Fulghum has both valuable experience and excellent credentials. She is very capable and qualified for this position,” said UNM Professor of History Jane Slaughter, who added that UNM can only benefit from continuity and experience in our leadership during these challenging times. “Normally I would want to see a national search,” said Slaughter, “but in these circumstances, I support waiving a search and hiring Dr. Fulghum immediately.”
Fulghum received her Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, her Master of Science in Analytical Chemistry from Cornell University and her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from UNC. Her research interests include materials characterization with an emphasis on multi-technique correlation and multivariate data analysis.
Fulghum serves on the Board of Directors of the Science and Technology Corporation (STC.UNM), as chair of the Board of the New Mexico Consortium and on the boards of the New Mexico Computer Applications Center and New Mexico Lambda Rail.
She is also a director on the Governing Board of the Council for Chemical Research and serves as chair of the Professional Leadership and Outreach Committee of the American Vacuum Society (AVS). In October 2008, she was named a Fellow of the Society by the AVS in recognition of both her research accomplishments and her professional service.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
University of New Mexico President David J. Schmidly recently traveled to Mexico to meet with former Mexican President Vicente Fox at the new “Centro Fox” de Estudios, Biblioteca y Museo Vicente Fox Quesada (Education Center, Library and Museum), a non-profit, civic organization located in Guanajuato state, just outside the city of Leon.
Photo: UNM President David J. Schmidly with Mexican President Vicente Fox
During his visit, Schmidly spent time with Fox and former first lady, Marta Sahagun de Fox discussing plans and purpose of the center as well as a possible collaboration with UNM.
“Because of our ranking as a Carnegie Very High Research Hispanic-Serving Institution, the opportunities for UNM students and faculty to do research and exchange classes at the center will enhance the mission of UNM,” Schmidly said.
The new center, slated for completion in January 2009, includes the first Mexican Presidential Library in honor of Fox, and will allow students, faculty and researchers the opportunity to study many areas related to Latin American studies and programs.
Once completed, it will feature the latest technology and provide collaborative opportunities with universities from throughout Latin America and the United States. According to Fox, the center’s focus will be on cultural values in economic, human, and social development, as well as politics, public administration and foreign affairs. The center features four strategic units: Analysis and Research Institute, Educational and Consultant Center, Informative and Documentation Center and Cultural and Museum Center.
Before he left, Schmidly also extended an invitation to Fox and the former first lady to spend a week at UNM speaking to students and community groups about his experiences as president of Mexico and reform policies he implemented during his tenure.
Schmidly and Fox plan to sign an agreement sealing the deal on their collaboration efforts.
For more information contact Dorene DiNaro, 277-5299.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Brian Bunnett has accepted a position as director, Library and Education Services, a position he started Dec. 1. Bunnett will oversee a program that includes reference and user support, resource access and delivery, special collections (including the Hall of Discovery and the Sculpture Garden of Healing), distance services (including Native health information services), and the Learning Design Center that supports online course delivery for the Health Sciences Center.
“The Health Sciences Library at the University of New Mexico has an excellent, and entirely deserved, national reputation for innovation, for the high quality of its programs, and for the abilities of its staff,” Bunnett says. “I look forward to leading such a library and to overseeing its further integration into the clinical, educational, research, and community missions of the university.”
Bunnett’s experience includes deputy director of Libraries at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, as well as director of the Beck Library at the Guthrie Healthcare System, Sayre, Pa.
He was a fellow in the joint National Library of Medicine/Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries year-long leadership development program; has credentialing by the Medical Library Association at the highest level; was a fellow at the National Library of Medicine's Medical Informatics Course at Woods Hole; and recently served as President of the South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association. He received his MLS at UCLA and holds a MA in European History.
The Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center improves and enhances human health through support, innovation, and leadership in the organization, delivery and use of quality information.
Mike Locksley is the 29th head coach for New Mexico football, which began competition in 1892. UNM Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs said Locksley has agreed to a six-year contract worth $750,000 annually. Locksley, who will turn 39 on Christmas Day, is a 17-year veteran of collegiate coaching. He recently completed his fourth season as the University of Illinois' offensive coordinator and third year as quarterbacks coach.
Photo: New UNM Head Football Coach Mike Locksley
He also spent two seasons (2003-04) at the University of Florida as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator under current Illinois head coach Ron Zook, and six seasons (1997-2002) in the same role at the University of Maryland for head coaches Ron Vanderlinden and Ralph Friedgen.
Locksley takes over at UNM for Rocky Long, who resigned on Nov. 17 after 11 seasons at his alma mater.
"We are elated to have Mike Locksley accept the position of head football coach at the University of New Mexico," said Krebs. "He is the total package; a mentor to young men who stresses the importance of being a student and an athlete. He is a coach who has been recognized nationally for being a top recruiter. Although Mike has yet to reach his 40th birthday, he brings a wealth of experience to our program from some top-tier institutions."
"It is a great privilege for me to represent the University of New Mexico," said Locksley, a native of Washington, D.C. "I am proud to lead the Lobo football family and I will be very passionate about this position. I want to provide a culture that takes our guys where they can't take themselves academically, athletically and socially. That's the responsibility of our coaching staff."
Throughout his career, Locksley has been praised as one of the top recruiters in the country. He was listed among the top-20 recruiters in the nation by Sports Illustrated and was named a top-25 recruiter by Rivals.com while at Illinois. In 2003, he helped Florida assemble the seventh-best recruiting class in the country according to Rivals.com.
Locksley turned Illinois into one of the nation's top offenses. The Illini led the Big Ten in rushing in 2006 and 2007, and passing in 2008. The team ranked second in the Big Ten and 19th nationally in total offense in 2008, averaging 439.4 yards per game. Illinois topped 5,000 yards of total offense for the second straight season in 2008 - a feat that hasn't been achieved at New Mexico since 2003 and just twice since 1986.
Four members of the 2008 Illinois offense earned postseason honors. Sophomore receiver Arrelious Benn was named first-team All-Big Ten after leading the conference in receiving yards (1,055). Quarterback Juice Williams and offensive linemen Xavier Fulton and Ryan McDonald earned second-team honors.
Williams, under direct guidance from Locksley, has become one of the school's most productive quarterbacks. In three years, Williams has passed for more than 6,000 yards and rushed for more than 2,000. He currently holds school records for rushing yards by a quarterback and single-season total offense. Williams led the Big Ten in passing (3,173 yards) and total offense (3,892 yards) in 2008 and was third in passing efficiency (136.15 rating). He has thrown 44 touchdowns and scored 14 on the ground during his career. Williams also has tossed four touchdowns over 68 yards, which is the most ever by an Illini quarterback.
The 2007 Illinois offense became the third in school history to surpass the 5,000-yard mark and first to top 3,000 yards rushing. Led by Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Rashard Mendenhall, the Illini led the Big Ten in rushing for the second straight year and finished fifth nationally at 256.7 yards a game. Mendenhall, who averaged 129 yards, was a first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008. Quarterback Juice Williams showed incredible improvement, becoming the first Illini QB to rush for over 1,000 yards in his career and increasing his completion percentage by 17.4 percent from his sophomore season. Illinois played Southern Cal in the 2008 Rose Bowl and finished the season 18th in the nation in the the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll and 20th in the Associated Press rankings.
Locksley was a big force behind the Illini's recruiting efforts, being named the No. 5 recruiter in the Big Ten and among the top-20 in the nation by Sports Illustrated. In 2005, Rivals.com named him a top-25 recruiter.
In 2006, Locksley led an Illinois offense that led the Big Ten and ranked 10th in the nation in rushing, averaging 188.8 yards. He tutored versatile running back Pierre Thomas, a two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten pick, who wrapped up his career as the sixth-best rusher all-time at Illinois and is currently the New Orleans Saints' leading rusher.
Prior to his arrival at Illinois, Locksley worked two seasons for Ron Zook at the University of Florida as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator, following six years on the University of Maryland staff.
Locksley was praised for his recruiting abilities, which earned him the recognition of one of the nation's top-25 recruiters when Rivals.com rated the 2003 Florida class seventh in the nation.
In 2004, UF running back Ciatrick Fason led the SEC and was 19th in the NCAA in rushing at 105.6 yards a game, earning second-team All-SEC honors. The Florida offense ranked first in the SEC in passing offense (271 yards a game) and total offense (426.9 yards a game) and was second in scoring offense (31.8 points a game). Quarterback Chris Leak led the conference in total offense at 273 yards a game.
In 2003, three Gator rushers logged over 500 yards on the ground and each averaged 5.5 yards per carry.
Locksley worked as the Maryland running backs coach for six seasons, including five years as recruiting coordinator. Three different running backs - Chris Downs, Bruce Perry and Lamont Jordan - rushed for more than 1,000 yards and were named first-team All-ACC. In 1999, Jordan spearheaded a Terps' rushing attack that led the ACC (234.1 yards a game) and ranked 12th in the nation. In his career, Jordan was the ACC's runner-up for 1997 Rookie of the Year and finished as a Doak Walker semifinalist. An eight-year NFL veteran, Jordan was selected in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. Perry was the 2001 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, a first for a Terp running back, and first sophomore to win the award. Both Perry and Jordan earned All-America honors under Locksley.
Locksley began his coaching career on the defensive side of the ball with stops at his alma mater, Towson University, as the defensive backs coach (1992), at the U.S. Navy Prep School (1993-94), at University of the Pacific (1995) and at Army (1996).
A three-year starter at Towson, Locksley played safety and was named the team's defensive Most Valuable Player in 1991 as a senior. He finished his career ranked 19th on the school's all-time tackles list. Locksley graduated from Towson in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in business administration and marketing.
Locksley and his wife, Kia, have four children; three sons, Mike, Jr., Meiko and Kai, and a daughter, Kori.
Media Contact: Greg Remington, (505) 925-5520; e-mail: gregrem@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico has entered into an agreement with MDRC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research firm, to test an innovative strategy to increase student persistence and completion rates at UNM. MDRC will provide more than $1.7 million to fund a three-year pilot scholarship program at UNM and at other sites. Overall funding for MDRC’s multi-site investigation is being provided in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The principal investigators in the project include Vanessa Harris, director, University College Advising Center, Associate Professors of Economics Melissa Binder and Kate Krause and Cynthia Miller of MDRC.
The program, called VISTA at the UNM demonstration site (for Vision Inspired Scholarship Toward Academic Achievement), targets low-income students with high financial need, and provides up to $1000 per semester for four semesters to students who meet enrollment and grade criteria. A total of 500 freshmen will become VISTA scholars this academic year and next.
“The Division of Enrollment Management at UNM helped bring together a diverse team of university administrators necessary to execute a project of this scope,” said Krause. “For many low-income college students, one of the biggest barriers to college attendance is cost. The VISTA scholarship demonstration will test whether additional aid delivered for achieving academic milestones will help students overcome cost-related barriers.”
In a similar pilot program conducted by MDRC at two Louisiana community colleges, students who received the scholarship were more likely to enroll in college full time, exhibited higher rates of semester-to-semester retention and earned more college credits than did students who did not receive the funding. The VISTA demonstration will test whether the same successes can be obtained at UNM.
“The research design calls for the random assignment of eligible students to either a treatment group or a control group,” said Krause. “Control group students will receive the same financial aid and support services for which they would otherwise be eligible; treatment group students will receive VISTA scholarships in addition to all other financial aid for which they are eligible. This design will allow us to isolate and evaluate the effects of the VISTA scholarship.”
Continued eligibility for the VISTA scholarships depends on a student's enrolling in a minimum number of credit hours and maintaining a minimum 2.0 GPA. The performance-based scholarships are paid directly to students, rather than to the university, in order to reward students for their progress and to allow them to make choices of how best to support their schooling.
For some, this may mean buying books or paying for transportation to campus; for others, it may mean cutting back on work hours or hiring a babysitter for their children during finals week.
“Our goal is to identify policies that help students succeed at UNM. The VISTA scholarship program contributes to that inquiry.”
About the MDRC...
In 1974, MDRC was founded as the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation. However, in 2003, the organization became "MDRC," its registered corporate identity, thereby formally adopting the name by which the organization become best known to its professional colleagues and the general public.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez recently presented $85,000 to the University of New Mexico Center for Development and Disability (UNM CDD) to benefit a future autism center. The proceeds were raised at the Mayor’s 2008 Charity Ball held this past July.
Photo: Dr. Cate McClain, director of UNM Center for Development and Disability, Maryellen Missik-Tow, UNM Foundation development specialist, and Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez.
Cate McClain, director, UNM CDD, accepted the donation along with Maryellen Missik-Tow, UNM Foundation development specialist. Both thanked Mayor Chavez and the city of Albuquerque for their generosity and commitment to the many families living with autism in New Mexico.
The UNM CDD, a University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service, is part of the UNM School of Medicine at the UNM Health Sciences Center. It provides various programs to help families in New Mexico living with disabilities including autism.
The CDD is in the process of creating an autism center where research, training, diagnosis and services will be provided to the New Mexico autism community. For years, the CDD has worked to diagnose and provide families with early intervention programs for children with autism. The need for autism services in the state has grown and the CDD wants to provide New Mexico families with more options for care through an autism center.
For more information visit: UNM Center for for Development and Disability.
Media Contact: Lauren Cruse, (505) 272-3690; e-mail: lcruse@salud.unm.edu
Two recent articles about the state of the economy and President-Elect Barack Obama's proposal for economic stimulus through infrastructure quote Jason Scott Smith, UNM assistant professor of history. In the Christian Science Monitor, Alexandra Marks’ article, “Was the New Deal too small?” says that during the Great Depression, Roosevelt didn’t spend enough to jolt the economy into recovery. Marks notes that the depression had been in full swing for three years when Roosevelt took office.
Marks quotes Smith, "This time we're trying to have the bailout and rescue as the crisis is unfolding before our eyes; there's a sense that 'Can we prevent this before it really gets rolling?' “says Smith, author of "Building New Deal Liberalism."
"The Roosevelt administration was experimenting – they were kind of operating blindfolded and in the dark – they didn't have the kind of economic expertise that's available to us today."
For the full article visit: Was the New Deal too small?
Smith is also quoted by Russ Britt in his MarketWatch article “Can an infrastructure overhaul boost the economy?,” where Britt notes that “New Deal-esque” programs may aid the nation’s recovery, but times have changed.
Britt writes that Obama “says revitalizing the nation's transportation network and waterways not only will improve the U.S. infrastructure, it could give a lift to the nation's sagging economy."
Britt writes, “If infrastructure dollars are deemed unlikely to provide a quick injection, it's because there's historical precedent from that time. Roosevelt failed to realize quick benefits when he established the Public Works program upon taking office in 1933, historians say. Most workers were hired by private contractors, and the program didn't make enough of a dent in the jobless rate, even though it was responsible for 1.2 million direct and indirect jobs a year, says Jason Scott Smith, a University of New Mexico history professor and author of ‘Building New Deal Liberalism."
The latter WPA program was created in 1935 to bring more of a jolt to the jobs picture. It involved the government directly hiring a total of 8.5 million workers throughout its eight-year lifespan to build roads, bridges, sewer systems and such airports as LaGuardia and National Airport in Washington.
'[The programs] did make a huge dent in unemployment," Smith said. "They worked slower than New Dealers would have liked.'
Compared with today's standards, however, those entities were created in short order and public works projects were ushered through at lightning speed, scholars say. No environmental impact reports were required, and controls on spending weren't as rigorous. “
For the full article visit: Can an infrastructure overhaul boost the economy?
Smith received the American Public Works Association Abel Wolman Award, presented annually to recognize the best new book published in the field of public works history, for his book is “Building New Deal Liberalism: The Political Economy of Public Works, 1933-1956” (Cambridge University Press, 2006), which covers the history of New Deal public policy regarding construction of public works projects.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The UNM School of Medicine recently announced its annual La Tierra Sagrada Society Awards to further support and advance health care issues with community health research grants distinctive to Albuquerque and New Mexico.
This year’s La Tierra Sagrada project recipients are:
PROJECT
Fit Is Fun: The Tijeras Healthy Lifestyle Program
DESCRIPTION
This after-school health and fitness program conducted at Roosevelt Middle School in Tijeras Canyon will address the childhood obesity epidemic at the community level.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Roosevelt Middle School, Tijeras, NM
AWARD & RECIPIENT
$7,841 - S. Yvonne Ellington, MPA, PA-C, UNM Department of Family and Community Medicine.
PROJECT
Formative Assessment of Rural High Schools in Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Type II Diabetes
DESCRIPTION
This study will investigate rural key stakeholders’ perspectives of feasible and sustainable changes that might be acceptable within the school environment to support high school students in achieving a healthier lifestyle.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
NM Department of Health; Belen and Socorro high schools
AWARD & RECIPIENT
$5,290 - Alberta Kong, M.D., MPH, UNM Department of Pediatrics
PROJECT
Metropolitan Homeless Project: An Opportunity for UNM Homeless Patients
DESCRIPTION
This project increases the number of respite beds for hospital inpatients that are homeless and too ill or frail to recover from a physical illness or injury on the streets but not ill enough to require hospitalization.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Metropolitan Homeless Project
AWARD & RECIPIENT
$13,805 - Lily Velarde, Ph.D., MPA, UNM Department of Family & Community Medicine
PROJECT
Centralized Resources to Assist Rural EMS - The Rapid Sequence Airway Demonstration Project
DESCRIPTION
The project team will implement a Rapid Sequence Airway program for Espanola Valley Emergency Medical Service and demonstrate centralized medical direction, education and quality assurance resources.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Espanola Valley Emergency Medical Services
AWARD & RECIPIENT
$15,188 - Darren Braude, MD, UNM Department of Emergency Medicine
La Tierra Sagrada, Spanish for “The Sacred Earth,” was established in 1996 by Paul Roth, M.D., UNM Executive Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean of the UNM School of Medicine. Since 2003, the society has awarded $325,000 in medical student scholarship and community based grants since its inception.
“A significant part of our mission at the UNM Health Sciences Center is to advance health care in our communities, addressing health issues that impact New Mexicans specifically,” explains Roth. “La Tierra Sagrada is a mechanism through which we can raise funds to establish research projects with real dividends for our own relatives and neighbors.”
La Tierra Sagrada Society is a member-driven organization dedicated to medical education, research and healing. Its membership is comprised of corporate and private entities. One hundred percent of annual membership donations directly benefit the School of Medicine through medical student scholarships and seed money for community research partnership grants.
For more information call (505) 272-8413 or visit: La Tierra Sagrada.
The Board of Trustees for the Mind Research Network (MRN) has elected Barry Baumel, M.D. and Laurie Flynn as co-chairs. Baumel, a neurologist, is cofounder of the Baumel-Eisner Neuromedical Institute in South Florida; and Flynn is director of the Carmel Hill Center for Early Diagnosis and Treatment, Columbia University, and executive director of the TeenScreen Program.
The Baumel-Eisner Neuromedical Institute served as a private clinical drug trial facility for over two decades. The Institute specialized in testing new treatments for Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, major depressive disorders, panic disorder and other neurological and psychiatric conditions. Baumel was instrumental in its inception and development as a leading mental and behavioral health research site. Baumel joined the MRN Board in 2003 and served as chair of the Finance Committee from 2006 – 2008.
“The MRN applies the most sophisticated tools available to study and understand brain function in ways that were previously not possible,” said Baumel. “Our areas of interest are conditions that affect all of society. These include the study of the biologic reasons for mental illness and addiction, as well as the biology of criminal behavior. Our other research interest studies the application of neuroscience for national security and defense. I am proud to be able to help grow this important research organization into a position of national recognition.”
As executive director, Flynn oversees national implementation of the TeenScreen Program. This research based initiative aims to offer voluntary mental health checkups to every American adolescent. The goal is to detect early signs of risk for mental disorders and suicide. TeenScreen is based in the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry and is active in more than 525 sites in 43 states. TeenScreen operates in middle and high schools, community youth centers, clinics and physicians offices, residential centers and hospitals.
Prior to joining Columbia in 2001, Flynn served 16 years as national executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI is the nations largest grassroots advocacy organization in mental health. Flynn has family experience with serious mental illness and has been deeply involved in mental health policy for 25 years.
"As a family member and advocate for people who struggle with serious mental illnesses, I believe in the power of science," Flynn said. "I am excited about the wonderful research underway at MRN. Our talented scientists are working to bring new knowledge and new treatments to millions of individuals like my daughter. It's a privilege to be a part of the MRN leadership on our journey of hope and discovery.
“MRN has been very successful over the last few years in winning competitive grants from the National Institutes of Health and other organizations,” added MRN CEO John Rasure. “With over $30 million in new grants, three times growth in personnel and ambitious long-term goals, private fund raising has become critical for the organization. Dr. Baumel and Ms. Flynn have demonstrated their ability to build and grow national organizations and are committed to do the same for MRN. I look forward to working with them as we further MRN’s mission.”
Proceeds benefit the UNM Parent Association
The University of New Mexico's first official ornament is now available to one and all. The dated ornament will be a campus treasure for students to collect during their college years and also makes a great gift for parents and family. The 2008 ornament features UNM’s oldest tradition, the Hanging of the Greens, which began in the 1930s. The event was held this year Dec. 5.
History is told that students would travel to the Sandia Mountains to gather greens to decorate the Student Union. They also sang carols, a key part of the tradition that continues to this day. Now more than two dozen student organizations create 10,000 luminarias to decorate the campus on the day of the event.
Students, families, faculty and staff join carolers near Popejoy Hall and take a tour of the luminaria lit campus, winding back to University House where the president is presented with a wreath.
The ornament features a painting of University House aglow with luminarias. The painting and ornate frame are designed by New Mexico artist Jana Fothergill. It sells for $18.89 in honor of UNM’s founding year, and is available at the UNM Bookstore.
Mike Locksley is the 29th head coach for New Mexico football, which began competition in 1892. UNM Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs said Locksley has agreed to a six-year contract worth $750,000 annually. Locksley, who will turn 39 on Christmas Day, is a 17-year veteran of collegiate coaching. He recently completed his fourth season as the University of Illinois' offensive coordinator and third year as quarterbacks coach.
He also spent two seasons (2003-04) at the University of Florida as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator under current Illinois head coach Ron Zook, and six seasons (1997-2002) in the same role at the University of Maryland for head coaches Ron Vanderlinden and Ralph Friedgen.
Locksley takes over at UNM for Rocky Long, who resigned on Nov. 17 after 11 seasons at his alma mater.
"We are elated to have Mike Locksley accept the position of head football coach at the University of New Mexico," said Krebs. "He is the total package; a mentor to young men who stresses the importance of being a student and an athlete. He is a coach who has been recognized nationally for being a top recruiter. Although Mike has yet to reach his 40th birthday, he brings a wealth of experience to our program from some top-tier institutions."
"It is a great privilege for me to represent the University of New Mexico," said Locksley, a native of Washington, D.C. "I am proud to lead the Lobo football family and I will be very passionate about this position. I want to provide a culture that takes our guys where they can't take themselves academically, athletically and socially. That's the responsibility of our coaching staff."
Throughout his career, Locksley has been praised as one of the top recruiters in the country. He was listed among the top-20 recruiters in the nation by Sports Illustrated and was named a top-25 recruiter by Rivals.com while at Illinois. In 2003, he helped Florida assemble the seventh-best recruiting class in the country according to Rivals.com.
Locksley turned Illinois into one of the nation's top offenses. The Illini led the Big Ten in rushing in 2006 and 2007, and passing in 2008. The team ranked second in the Big Ten and 19th nationally in total offense in 2008, averaging 439.4 yards per game. Illinois topped 5,000 yards of total offense for the second straight season in 2008 - a feat that hasn't been achieved at New Mexico since 2003 and just twice since 1986.
Four members of the 2008 Illinois offense earned postseason honors. Sophomore receiver Arrelious Benn was named first-team All-Big Ten after leading the conference in receiving yards (1,055). Quarterback Juice Williams and offensive linemen Xavier Fulton and Ryan McDonald earned second-team honors.
Williams, under direct guidance from Locksley, has become one of the school's most productive quarterbacks. In three years, Williams has passed for more than 6,000 yards and rushed for more than 2,000. He currently holds school records for rushing yards by a quarterback and single-season total offense. Williams led the Big Ten in passing (3,173 yards) and total offense (3,892 yards) in 2008 and was third in passing efficiency (136.15 rating). He has thrown 44 touchdowns and scored 14 on the ground during his career. Williams also has tossed four touchdowns over 68 yards, which is the most ever by an Illini quarterback.
The 2007 Illinois offense became the third in school history to surpass the 5,000-yard mark and first to top 3,000 yards rushing. Led by Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Rashard Mendenhall, the Illini led the Big Ten in rushing for the second straight year and finished fifth nationally at 256.7 yards a game. Mendenhall, who averaged 129 yards, was a first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008. Quarterback Juice Williams showed incredible improvement, becoming the first Illini QB to rush for over 1,000 yards in his career and increasing his completion percentage by 17.4 percent from his sophomore season. Illinois played Southern Cal in the 2008 Rose Bowl and finished the season 18th in the nation in the the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll and 20th in the Associated Press rankings.
Locksley was a big force behind the Illini's recruiting efforts, being named the No. 5 recruiter in the Big Ten and among the top-20 in the nation by Sports Illustrated. In 2005, Rivals.com named him a top-25 recruiter.
In 2006, Locksley led an Illinois offense that led the Big Ten and ranked 10th in the nation in rushing, averaging 188.8 yards. He tutored versatile running back Pierre Thomas, a two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten pick, who wrapped up his career as the sixth-best rusher all-time at Illinois and is currently the New Orleans Saints' leading rusher.
Prior to his arrival at Illinois, Locksley worked two seasons for Ron Zook at the University of Florida as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator, following six years on the University of Maryland staff.
Locksley was praised for his recruiting abilities, which earned him the recognition of one of the nation's top-25 recruiters when Rivals.com rated the 2003 Florida class seventh in the nation.
In 2004, UF running back Ciatrick Fason led the SEC and was 19th in the NCAA in rushing at 105.6 yards a game, earning second-team All-SEC honors. The Florida offense ranked first in the SEC in passing offense (271 yards a game) and total offense (426.9 yards a game) and was second in scoring offense (31.8 points a game). Quarterback Chris Leak led the conference in total offense at 273 yards a game.
In 2003, three Gator rushers logged over 500 yards on the ground and each averaged 5.5 yards per carry.
Locksley worked as the Maryland running backs coach for six seasons, including five years as recruiting coordinator. Three different running backs - Chris Downs, Bruce Perry and Lamont Jordan - rushed for more than 1,000 yards and were named first-team All-ACC. In 1999, Jordan spearheaded a Terps' rushing attack that led the ACC (234.1 yards a game) and ranked 12th in the nation. In his career, Jordan was the ACC's runner-up for 1997 Rookie of the Year and finished as a Doak Walker semifinalist. An eight-year NFL veteran, Jordan was selected in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. Perry was the 2001 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, a first for a Terp running back, and first sophomore to win the award. Both Perry and Jordan earned All-America honors under Locksley.
Locksley began his coaching career on the defensive side of the ball with stops at his alma mater, Towson University, as the defensive backs coach (1992), at the U.S. Navy Prep School (1993-94), at University of the Pacific (1995) and at Army (1996).
A three-year starter at Towson, Locksley played safety and was named the team's defensive Most Valuable Player in 1991 as a senior. He finished his career ranked 19th on the school's all-time tackles list. Locksley graduated from Towson in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in business administration and marketing.
Locksley and his wife, Kia, have four children; three sons, Mike, Jr., Meiko and Kai, and a daughter, Kori.
University of New Mexico and Central New Mexico Community College students are now eligible for a 50 percent discount on Rail Runner commuter fares between Albuquerque and the new Santa Fe stations. The discount reduces the one-way fare from $8 to $4, and represents an incentive to persuade UNM students to consider the Rail Runner as a mode of alternative transportation when travelling to the university.
“Getting on the train to Albuquerque for $4 and getting on the Rapid Ride for free all over the city, that's a heck of a good savings,” said Lawrence Rael, director of the Council of Governments for the Rail Runner. “That’s specifically put in place so that people don’t have to pay twice for two different forms of public transportation. We're trying to make it as seamless as possible.”
When used with the free ABQ Ride but passes currently available to members of the UNM community, students commuting from as far as Santa Fe can now reach campus without the need of a single-occupancy vehicle.
In other transportation news, the New Mexico Rail Runner will be offering free transportation for everyone travelling between Santa Fe and Albuquerque on weekends from Dec. 20, 2008 through Jan. 4, 2009.
For further information contact Parking and Transportation Services at 277-1938, via e-mail at parktran@unm.edu or visit: Parking and Transportation Services.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
The Organization for Alternative Transportation Systems (OATS), a student organization dedicated to promoting alternative transit, hosts an open house Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 7-8:30 p.m. in room 108 of George Pearl Hall, corner of Central and Cornell NE, to present information on the New Mexico Rail Runner Express and the extension of service to Santa Fe.
Representatives from the Mid Region Council of Government (MRCOG), the entity responsible for planning, implementing and operating the Rail Runner, will do a short presentation on the system and discuss how the Rail Runner can address travel needs of UNM students, faculty and staff. Information will also be available on UNM shuttle and ABQ Ride bus connections from the station to campus. The MRCOG representative will have schedules, route maps and fare information.
“This forum is a great opportunity for students, faculty and staff not only to learn about Rail Runner services, but also to make suggestions about how Rail Runner can better serve the UNM community and make alternative transportation more accessible,” said Cynthia Martin, program planning manager for UNM Parking & Transportation Services.
About the New Mexico Rail Runner Express:
On July 14, 2006, the New Mexico Rail Runner Express began serving commuters between Albuquerque and Bernalillo. Today, the 50-mile corridor between Bernalillo and Belen averages 3,000 commuters daily and has seen more than 1.3 million riders in the last two years.
On Monday, Dec. 15, 2008 New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson will be joined by state, local and tribal officials, and several members of the public for the first inaugural train ride from Albuquerque into Santa Fe.
“This is a historic event that will bring long-term economic benefits to New Mexico and change the way we travel along the Middle Rio Grande Corridor,” Governor Richardson said. “During these tough economic times, the Rail Runner Express will provide thousands of commuters a much-needed savings while offering them a safe, viable and efficient transportation alternative.”
Commuter service into Santa Fe is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Dec. 17. On opening day, the South Capitol Complex Station at the State Government Complex north of Alta Vista Street and the Santa Fe Depot at the Railyard north of Paseo de Peralta, will be open to the public. Two additional stations, one at Zia Road and St. Francis Drive, and a stop in southern Santa Fe at I-25 and N.M. 599 are scheduled to open in the future.
For more information visit: Parking and Transportation Services or contact Danielle Gilliam at dgilliam@parking.unm.edu
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
The Anderson School of Management, at the University of New Mexico has announced a new Accelerated Master of Business Administration (MBA) program designed for those with an undergraduate degree in business. The announcement comes as reports surface that universities across the country are seeing significant increases in the number of MBA applications.
“It’s not surprising that enrollments in MBA programs increased during previous economic declines,” said Dean Amy Wohlert. “Heading back to school now for a graduate degree is the right choice for anyone wanting to have the right skills when the job market and economy rebound. Anderson is pleased to offer an accelerated degree option for those who already have strong knowledge in specific core management areas.”
In contrast to Anderson’s full-time MBA, the Accelerated MBA is specifically designed for those who have completed an undergraduate business degree from an accredited institution within the last five years. Eligible students may waive up to 24 credit hours of core management classes and complete their degree within 12 months.
This program allows students to further develop their management skills through concentration and elective coursework mentored by the school’s highly regarded faculty. Anderson offers MBA concentrations in Accounting, Finance, Human Resources/Organizational Management, Information Assurance, International Management, Management Information Systems, Management of Technology, Marketing, Operations Management, and Policy and Planning.
The Anderson School is well recognized for delivering first-rate graduate education at an affordable cost. The school has the distinction of being the only business school in the greater Albuquerque area to be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
The Accelerated MBA is one of six graduate management education programs offered by the Anderson School.
For more information or to apply visit: MBA or call 277-3290.
What if there was a convenient, one-stop location to view all open positions at UNM? What if individuals could manage their application material in a central, online system and have it at their fingertips when that perfect position comes along? What if prospective faculty, staff and student employees could attach their cover letter, curriculum vitae, résumé and other supporting documents directly to their online request for consideration, preserving all the formatting and professionalism of the original documents?
Soon these questions, and numerous others, will no longer exist. As the result of a partnership between UNM and PeopleAdmin, an online application system that is used by more than 450 colleges and universities across the country will be implemented.
Key departmental representatives and central employment offices at UNM participated in configuring the system, branded UNMJobs, to meet the specific needs of our institution. The outcome is a system that balances recruitment, hiring and compliance needs with an intuitive and easy to use process for applicants.
The system will go live for staff postings on Dec. 15 and for faculty and student postings on Jan. 5.
The UNMJobs system will enable users to:
· Submit position and posting requests for electronic approval.
· Distribute and screen applications electronically.
· Enhance communications, internally and with applicants.
· Track all aspects of the hiring process.
· Integrate new hire information with the Banner Human Resources system.
· Improve reporting capabilities.
The UNMJobs system is effective for faculty, staff and students alike because it provides for differences in employment practices. For example, a short profile is provided in the online system for faculty/executive prospects while a more detailed application is established for staff and student applicants. This is just one of the subtleties that allows for a common process to address unique business needs.
For more information, including resources and training for both departments and applicants, visit UNMJobs or e-mail UNMJobs@unm.edu.
STC.UNM has awarded gap funding to four UNM research groups to advance their projects from early-stage to proof-of-concept status. STC’s Gap Fund @ UNM program is designed to prepare university technology to attract corporate/investment capital that will grow the research into a product ready for commercialization. Each group received approximately $25,000 toward development.
Diagnostic technology for Pregnancy Testing
Assistant Professor of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology Bryce Chackerian and Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Laurence A. Cole are collaborating on a project to develop tests for a number of pregnancy-related concerns.
This project combines two separate technologies to generate a new antibody to hyperglycosylated hCG (hCG-H) for use in pregnancy-related diagnostic testing.
The investigators will isolate a specific part of the hCG-H protein and attach it to a virus-like particle that causes a high immune response and the generation of antibodies to hCG-H when injected into mice.
Some of the applications include a serum pregnancy test for in-vitro fertilization, a pregnancy failure and preeclampsia screening test, and multiple tumor marker tests for diseases and malignancies.
Development of a Compound for Treatment of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
Associate Professor in the College of Pharmacy Graham Timmons has developed the NM031 compound by substituting specific isotopes in the existing drug compound Isoniazid. The initial tests show the new proprietary compound is 10 times more effective than Isoniazid in the treatment of tuberculosis infection.
Timmon’s goal for this project will be to establish NM031’s greater efficacy over Isoniazid in treating drug-resistant tuberculosis and to develop an investigational new drug application for NM031 along with application for FDA fast-track consideration.
Using New Chemistry to Improve Drug Manufacturing Process
Associate Professor of Chemistry & Chemical Biology Wei Wang is working on a project to use new chemistry to produce two drugs in a faster, greener and less expensive way. One of the drugs is used to treat nerve pain and seizures and is a top selling drug worldwide. It is also the lead compound for the design of GABA agonists and antagonist, which are the gateway to developing new drugs for the central nervous system.
This new chemical process is needed because existing processes are time consuming and require the use of rare chemicals, which limit large-scale synthesis. Development of this technology will lead to a cheaper and faster synthesis of new drugs for treatment of a variety of conditions such as epilepsy, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s disease, pain and anxiety.
Heat Switches for Energy Generation and Cooling
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Kevin J. Malloy and Research Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy Richard Epstein are developing thin-film liquid-crystal thermal switches to regulate the flow of heat for refrigeration and energy generation.
These films can be incorporated into compact, efficient heat engines for cooling and energy scavenging applications in refrigerators and generators. Possible applications include automobiles energy generation from coolant heat, automobile air conditioning, residential air conditioning and individual cooling.
This technology could eliminate the need for radiators and generators in vehicles or provide cooling systems in hazmat suits worn in warm environments. Malloy and Epstein will build and evaluate single stage heat engines and analyze the economic and practical potential for multistage and large-scale devices.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Strategies and mechanics for writing a successful NIH grant
A 10-week seminar intended to provide prospective investigators with the necessary skills to submit a successful NIH application will begin Jan. 22, 2009 at 4 p.m. The weekly course will be co-taught by seasoned NIH investigators at the Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions (CASAA) and will cover such topics as identifying potential funding mechanisms, preparing an NIH budget, and the writing of specific aims, preliminary studies and research design sections.
The grant writing seminar wil be held at CASAA located at 2650 Yale SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106. For registration information visit: http://casaa.unm.edu or by contacting Rossela Martinez at, 925-2358.
The University of New Mexico Foundation is sponsoring a grant writing workshop Jan. 26-30, 2009 at UNM’s Continuing Education Conference Center. The Grantsmanship Center, Inc. (TGCI), the world’s oldest and largest training organization for the nonprofit sector, will conduct the five-day workshop.
New grants make it possible for cash-strapped agencies to bring important services into the community and get innovative ideas off the ground. Yet applying for and receiving grants is a very competitive process.
“Designed for both novice and experienced grant seekers, the workshops will cover all aspects of searching for grants, writing grant proposals, strategies for securing government and foundation grants, corporate contributions and negotiating with funding sources,” said UNM Development’s Betsy Till, Director of CFR Operations.
Registration for each session is limited to 30 participants. The program fee is $895 and includes workshop tuition and one year of TGCI membership benefits and services. Partial scholarships may be available for organizations with annual operating budgets under $300,000.
To register for the workshops, or to apply for a scholarship, contact The Grantsmanship Center at (800) 421-9512. Betsy Till, 277-1589, can provide local information.
Sandra Ortiz and Gloria Manzanares are the 2008 recipients of the Gerald W. May Award for distinguished service and dedication to the University of New Mexico. They will be recognized at an award ceremony and reception on Monday, Dec. 8, 4-5 p.m. in Student Union Building ballroom C.
UNM President David Schmidly and former UNM Presidents Gerald W. May and F. Chris Garcia will participate in the event. Refreshments and harp music will be provided.
The UNM Staff Council Rewards and Recognition Committee organizes the annual awards. The final award selections are made by the UNM president.
Ortiz, supervisor, administrative support, has stayed with UNM’s Department of Physics and Astronomy for more than 20 years.
“For many years Sandra has been the rock that holds this place together,” said Bernd Bassalleck, chair, Department of Physics and Astronomy, in his nomination. “Even when we’re understaffed, she always stays calm and sees to it that the remaining staff provide optimum service to all of us.”
Several nominators said Ortiz has improved many processes to make the office function more effectively. Gary Harrison, facilities services manager in the department, said she recently made a change in how information is entered into Banner so that equipment isn’t paid for until it has been inspected. “It takes some time to determine if expensive lasers have been damaged before arrival to our department. Often there are no outward signs of damage,” he said.
Manzanares, associate director of admissions, Office of Admissions, serves as an ambassador for UNM.
Linda Johansen, manager, Banner Shared Components Team, said in her nomination, “Gloria has often been the first contact that applicants and their families have with UNM. Her calm and cheerful demeanor and extensive knowledge of university offices, policies and systems have helped hundreds, maybe even thousands, of students and families over the year get their questions answered and leave the encounter feeling that someone at UNM cares about them and their situation. Gloria has worked with entire families over the years, as word of mouth spread and people sent their brothers, sisters, cousins and friends to work with ‘that nice lady at UNM.’”
All nominees will be recognized during the award ceremony. They are: John Bach, David Binder, Trevor Blimes, Pug Burge, Barbara Busch, Roberta Chavez, Maria Daw, Bonita Ferus, Pam Hurd-Knief, Mary Jacintha, Maggie June, Sterling Kennedy, LeeAnn Lloyd, Cheryl Mann, Ignacia Fernando Maresma, Hollie Medina, Veroncia Mendez-Cruz, Mary Montano, John-Paul Montoya, Christine Nelson, Bob Notary, Heidi Perea, Cynthia Perez-Chavez, Susan Quintana, Carol Renfro, Naomi Schmierer, Carla Sarracino, Lex Snyder, Lisa Stewart, Clancy Tarbox, Leslie Trickey, Derlene Trujillo, Sue VanCleve, Cynthia Wooten and Acela Yerba.
Citing the positive economic impact of going forward with big building projects and saying that this is a remarkably opportune time to move ahead with construction, the University of New Mexico Board of Regents has given the green light to nearly $40 million in capital projects.
Six of the seven projects directly benefit UNM’s educational mission and student success. The seventh project begins the early utility and information technology construction at University Arena, The Pit – the first step in the renovation and expansion of the entire basketball arena.
Regents’ President Jamie Koch said people have to understand why the Regents want the projects to go forward at this time.
“The money comes from many different sources, including significant amounts from the state. If we don’t use that money, we lose it,” said Koch. He added that the funds can only be used for the designated capital projects and cannot legally be diverted to salaries or programs.
Several Regents remarked that during tough economic times, going ahead with major capital projects creates jobs and is a boon to the local and state economies. “Now is the time to invest in the economy. This is not the time to pull back,” said Regent Mel Eaves.
Staff from the UNM Office of Capital Projects said that the number of bids for projects was increasing and they were coming in under projected amounts. In addition, the cost of building materials like steel and concrete was currently down approximately 27 percent, making each project more economically feasible.
The approved projects include:
* $3.6 million for the renovation of the Lockheed Martin building for the Student Success Center;
* $1.8 million to renovate the former Architecture School Building to house film and digital media and theatre programs;
* $1.7 million to upgrade 93 classrooms in seven different departments and 28 different buildings;
* $4.9 million to relocate the Tamarind Institute into the old Architectural Annex building;
* $23 million to build the new Science and Mathematics Learning Center;
* $3.3 million to complete the UNM Taos Classroom Office building;
* and $1.3 million to begin early work at University Arena.
The projects now go forward for approval by the New Mexico Higher Education Department and the State Board of Finance.
In another action, UNM Regents reallocated $17 million from UNM institutional bonds, originally designated for a cogeneration unit and University Stadium renovation, to complete the funding package for the Pit expansion and renovation.
Class allows graduate students to teach students at local schools about protecting their identity
It’s a different world with the information superhighway at our fingertips. Not only is the technology beneficial in many ways, it can also be detrimental, especially when it comes to your identity. You’ve read the news. Tweens and teens upload personal information on myspace or facebook. That information is now permanently available and could end up in the wrong hands.
Photo: Anderson School of Management graduate student John Jorgensen gives a presentation to 5th grade students at Placitas Elementary School.
Last spring, University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management Professor and Center for Information Assurance Research and Education (CIARE) Director Alex Seazzu began taking graduate students in Information Assurance to local schools where the student interest was encouraging.
The Information Assurance (IA) program at the Anderson School is an interdisciplinary concentration combining specialized aspects of information systems, management, accounting and user behaviors.
The goal of the presentations was to educate students on what they need to think about before posting personal information. The Anderson group discussed the dangers of identity theft and talked with the students about how they can protect their information online. The students they spoke to were very interested and curious about Information Assurance topics and practices.
This fall, Seazzu again took ASM graduate students to several local schools to help raise awareness on protecting their personal information and identity. The class, MGMT 636, made presentations to students in New Mexico high schools including Eldorado High School, Valencia High School, Hope Christian School, Manzano High School, West Mesa High School. Middle and elementary schools including Van Buren, Hobbs Highland and Placitas also participated for the first time.
Seazzu says reaching out to young computer users before they encounter problems on the Internet is vital.
"One of the most worthwhile efforts we must support in protecting our information - national, corporate and personal - is educating our young users and raising their awareness of the dangers they face online,” he said.
Students Luis Brown and Tina Briggs gave a presentation to students at Valencia High School titled, “Crossing the Information Superhighway: Look Both Ways!” The presentation touched on several topics including e-mail practices and security as well as social networking web sites.
They also talked about social networking stalkers and how ID theft can occur and they defined private identity information which reveals who you are or where you can be found and clarified the difference between that type of information and personal information which includes information about yourself, your family and friends that cannot be used to identify you or them.
As part of the presentation, students then broke into groups of 4-5 to evaluate personal web pages and the selection of photos used. Using a list of personal and private information listed on a board in the classroom, students were asked how they could modify the page and photos.
“It’s never too early to get young people involved in thinking about information,” said Seazzu. “This is a great opportunity for our students, Anderson and UNM to step into this community role and raise awareness.”
Seazzu says the demand for information assurance skills is strong due to the need of organizations to secure their information systems and data. For more information on this growing career field visit: Information Assurance.
Bill Richardson’s appointment to become President-elect Barack Obama’s Secretary of Commerce and its ramifications throughout New Mexico have been the talk of the state this week. And on Friday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m., it will also be the talk of “New Mexico in Focus,” KNME-TV, channel 5’s weekly one-hour news show. Please note, there will be no Sunday repeat of this week’s episode of “New Mexico in Focus.”
Co-host David Alire Garcia sits down with Dr. Jeanne Logsdon with the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management, Alice Loy, founder of the Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship, and Tim Nisly with the South Valley Economic Development Center to discuss the idea of social entrepreneurship and how the impact is can have on New Mexico’s economy.
Then co-host Gene Grant and regular panelists Margaret Montoya, a professor with the UNM School of Law and School of Medicine, and Jim Scarantino, a columnist with the Albuquerque Journal and moderator for NewMexicoLiberty.com will be joined by guest panelists Colin Hunter, former legislative director for Heather Wilson, and Mike Peter, the president of St. John’s College in Santa Fe.
Among the topics up for discussion are Governor Richardson’s appointment to Barack Obama’s cabinet and what’s in store for Lt. Governor Diane Denish, Albuquerque residents getting national kudos for multi-tasking, the state’s finishing grade on November’s elections, and the national recession, now that it’s officially a recession.
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) 277-1812; e-mail: etodd@knme.org
Two-time Grammy Award winner Robert Mirabal will read from his first novel, “Running Alone in Photographs,” at the University of New Mexico, Student Union Building Lobo room, on Thursday, Dec. 11, noon-1:30 p.m. The reading will be followed by a reception and book signing at American Indian Student Services, 1119 Mesa Vista Hall, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Photo: Robert Mirabal
For the past 10 years, Mirabal has dominated the Native American music category like no one else. In that time he has created more than a dozen traditional flute, rock and spoken word CDs that have earned him almost every honor awarded in the genre, including two Grammy Awards for best Native American Albums of the Year (2006 and 2008). His 2001 PBS special, “Music from a Painted Cave,” remains one of public television’s most popular fundraisers of all time.
But using music to connect with his audience is only one of Mirabal’s gifts, and his new novel, “Running Alone in Photographs,” promises to open a window onto contemporary American Indian life not seen before.
Written in a style that blends memoir and historical fiction, Mirabal’s tale is set in Saint Teresa Pueblo in northern New Mexico. It is the coming-of-age story of Reyes Wind, a young musician who returns to her ancestral home for her grandmother’s funeral.
Dealing with themes of personal responsibility and empowerment, the novel focuses on worlds in transition – the struggle between tribal identity and life in modern society – and the courage and grace required to live fully in each.
For more information, contact American Indian Student Services at (505) 277-6343.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
UNM students are working through the night at Parish Library. This fall University Libraries opened Parish 24/5. It is open from Sunday morning through Friday evening and between 50 and 60 students each night take advantage of the extra hours. Last spring Associated Students of New Mexico asked University Libraries to add the overnight service for students who needed the extra study time.
Students are also using Library Express, a service in which they email a request for journal articles, which are then scanned and emailed back to them.
At the last regents meeting ASUNM President Ashley Fate presented Library Dean Martha Bedard with an official resolution from student government expressing their appreciation for the changes.
Fate said, “I would just like to reiterate our gratitude to the University Libraries. Dean Bedard and her team have really gone above and beyond expectations when it comes to working with the students and helping us reach our academic goals. Truly, the library system is integral in student success, and we greatly appreciate the extended hours of service as well as the new programs they have implemented, for example the “Ask a Librarian” program.”
Tom Sanders, vice president/president elect of the American Nuclear Society, presents “The Global Nuclear Future: Realities and Opportunities,” Thursday, Dec. 4 at 1 p.m. Farris Engineering, 2nd floor in the Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Lounge.
Photo: ANS President-Elect Tom Sanders visits with UNM ANS Student Chapter President Jackie Tonigan at a recent meeting in Santa Fe.
Sanders notes that the end of the Cold War, the events of September 11, 2001, and almost global support for the resurgence of nuclear energy have created a new opportunity to reinvigorate our commitment to peace and prosperity built around a new “Global Nuclear Future.”
For the U.S. to return to its former position as a visionary leader in the beneficial use of nuclear technology and materials on a global scale, it is imperative that steps be taken to reverse the conditions and decisions that led to the present situation—for the most part, the U.S. nuclear supply industry has moved offshore. This will require an integrated or holistic view of the global nuclear enterprise, from the cradle-to-the grave. Some of the realities of the global nuclear state will be outlined in the presentation.
Sanders, manager/integrator of Sandia National Laboratories Global Nuclear Materials Management and Global Nuclear Futures Initiatives since 1997, has organized numerous focus meetings with senior government policy officials on the need for a second nuclear era, from a national security perspective. As the leader of the Global Nuclear Futures vision, he led the development of topical meetings, policy papers, news articles, partnership events with other countries and non-government organizations, and caucus events on Capitol Hill to articulate that a healthy and thriving U.S. nuclear energy infrastructure (from education to labs, suppliers, operators, and NGOs) is key to global proliferation risk management in the future.
Sanders developed a complementary partnership initiative between seven U.S. and nine Russian lab directors. This message has been delivered at Presidential summits, White House and Congressional briefings, and to numerous champions throughout government, industry, labor, and academia.
Sanders is co-founder and former vice president of the American Council on Global Nuclear Competitiveness. He has contributed to and managed several technical groups and programs at Sandia since joining the American Nuclear Society in 1984. He is author of more than 100 journal articles, conference papers, magazine articles, and white papers covering all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle, from fusion and fast fission breeder reactor systems to criticality safety of spent fuel transport, storage, and disposal systems.
He earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Texas, Austin. His Ph.D. is in mechanical/nuclear engineering, and, while at UT, he licensed as a senior reactor operator at the University of Texas by the NRC. He also served as a nuclear operator and supervisor on U.S. Navy Nuclear Submarines for several years, completing several patrols on the USS Kamehameha and the USS Shark.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
President-Elect Barack Obama has selected Louis Caldera, a tenured professor with the University of New Mexico School of Law and former UNM president, to head the White House Military Office. The Director of the White House Military Office is responsible for the various White House military operations. This includes Marine One, Air Force One, Camp David, and all overseas presidential visits. Caldera will replace President Bush’s current director, Rear Admiral Raymond Spicer, USN.
Photo: Louis Caldera
“Louis has served his country with distinction in uniform and in government, and his pedigree is second-to-none. I know he’ll bring to the White House the same dedication and integrity that have earned him the highest praise in every post, from Secretary of the Army to university president,” Obama said in a press release.
Caldera has been on a leave of absence from UNM since early November to serve with the Department of Defense Agency Review Team for President-Elect Obama’s White House transition team.
“We congratulate Professor Caldera on his appointment and thank him for his service to the law school,” UNM School of Law Dean Leo Romero said.
Caldera graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and served as an officer in the U.S. Army. He received degrees in law and business from Harvard University in 1987 before practicing in Los Angeles. His expertise is in the areas of corporate, banking and public finance law.
Caldera has served on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards and commissions. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Trustees of Claremont McKenna College, the National World War II Museum, and serves a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He has also served as a vice chancellor for the California State University System.
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: bhendrix@unm.edu
Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis” will be performed by the UNM Symphony Orchestra, University Chorus and Concert Choir on Thursday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in Popejoy Hall. Bradley Ellingboe, professor of music, will conduct the nearly 300 performers on stage.
Photo: Bradley Ellingboe
Soloists are Leslie Umphrey, soprano; Jacqueline Zander-Wall, mezzo-soprano; Sam Shepperson, tenor; and James Demler, bass.
Demler is a graduate of the UNM music program who now teaches music at Boston University. He said, “I'm extremely honored to come back to UNM to sing and present a master class. I never imagined when I was working on my degree many years ago that I would ever get an opportunity to give a little something back. I'm also thrilled to reconnect with Professor Ellingboe and to sing Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, which is truly a masterpiece of choral literature.”
Beethoven composed the Missa Solemnis from 1819-1823. It is generally considered to be one of his supreme achievements, composed at the height of his creativity, although it never achieved the popularity of some of his symphonies and sonatas.
Tickets are $10/$8/$6 and are available at all UNM ticket outlets, online at, UNM Tickets and also at the door.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
The University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management Foundation Board is pleased to announce its 2009 Hall of Fame inductees. The include Amy Susan Boule (MBA, 1983), Leonard Sanchez (BBA, 1968) and George Stanfield, (BBA, 1977).
“These candidates are selected for their professional success, contribution to community involvement and an ongoing commitment to continuing education,” said Anderson Foundation Board Advancement Committee Chair, Sheri Milone. “This year we received nominations for an extremely talented pool of business leaders that made the selection process very difficult. They were all very deserving, but these three candidates came to the top of the committee’s list.”
The Anderson Foundation Board also recognizes three young alumni under the age of 40. Raul Anaya (BBA, 2003); Jason Burns (BBA, 2006 and MBA, 2008) and Victor Garcia (BBA, 1992) have already distinguished themselves early in their careers and show promise of continued growth in the years ahead.
“This annual tradition allows us to celebrate the very best the Anderson School of Management has to offer,” says Anderson Foundation Board Chair Carol Cochran. “And it confirms what we already know, that Anderson graduates are making a difference in New Mexico and beyond.”
Professor Rich Brody is the recipient of the 2009 Faculty Community Leadership Award. All full-time faculty members are eligible, with the exception of Deans, Sr. Associate, Associate and Assistant Deans. Faculty must have demonstrated leadership in enhancing the Anderson School of Management’s visibility and relations with the business community by creating connections, providing leadership and being actively involved.
“Our faculty create the foundation for our students’ success, and some achieve a very high standard for community engagement, too. This award is an important way to recognize those multi-talented faculty leaders,” said Anderson Interim Dean Amy Wohlert.
The Anderson Hall of Fame honorees will be recognized at the 20th Anniversary Hall of Fame reception and dinner awards presentation on March 12, 2009 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Student Union Building on the UNM main campus.
Corporate sponsorship opportunities are available ranging from lead sponsorship level of $5000 to table sponsors at $700. Individual tickets are $75.
To make reservations or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, call the Anderson School of Management Development Office at (505) 277-6413 or e-mail, armijo@mgt.unm.edu by Friday, Feb. 27, 2009.
The University of New Mexico Latin American and Iberian Institute presents “Strengthening Our Borders: Promising New Developments in U.S.-Mexico Trade,” Friday, Dec. 12 beginning at 8 a.m. at Continuing Education, 1634 University Blvd. NE.
The conference will address the economic rise of China and the impact it will have on U.S.-Mexico trade relations, particularly the North American Free Trade Agreement and the impact on New Mexico. The conference also considers the future of NAFTA and president-elect Barack Obama’s vision of Latin America.
Guest presenters include Juan Massey, director of New Mexico Economic Development Department Office of Mexican Affairs; Jerry Pacheco, executive director of International Business Accelerator; and Sanford Gaines, director of UNM’s Utton Transboundary Resources Center.
The day’s events include a continental breakfast at 8 a.m. and lunch at noon. Participants must RSVP by Monday, Dec. 8, to confirm their attendance.
The Latin American and Iberian Institute, the center for UNM’s interdisciplinary programs in Latin American studies, provides a university-wide support for Latin American and Iberian activities and outreach to New Mexico, the nation and international communities.
For more information or to RSVP, contact Aracely Chapa at achapa@unm.edu or (505) 277-7047.
The UNM Art Department hosts a student run Print Sale Thursday, Dec. 11 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday, Dec. 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Art Building, room 142, the printmaking lab. The Art Building is just west of the Center for the Arts.
All varieties of prints – lithographs, etchings, monoprints, silkscreens – as well as photographs, cards and more will be available at reasonable prices. This annual tradition has provided the campus community with the opportunity to buy great gifts with proceeds benefiting students in their pursuit of their art.
For more information call Virginia Yen, 277-5359.
A growing number of pet owners struggling to make ends meet during this economic downturn are surrendering their domestic animals to local and state agencies. The Staff Council’s Work+Life Committee is collecting items for the Animal Humane Association of New Mexico and City of Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department through Tuesday, Dec. 16.
“Pets help bring balance to our lives and these agencies are so grateful. No other group has ever offered to do this for them,” said Kathy Meadows, UNM staff. “Our committee recognizes that many families are in desperate need and there are groups on campus collecting food and necessities for local food banks and charities. We are supporting yet another unmet need during this season of giving.”
Moist dog and cat food, cat litter, milk bone treats, brushes, used clean blankets and towels and washable pet toys are among the items being collected.
Departments accepting donations include: the VP for Student Affairs/Scholes Hall, Dean of Students/Student Services Center, Faculty Staff Club, Lobo Business Center/HR, UNM West Campus, Staff Council Office, Center for Disaster Medicine, Johnson Center, Anderson School Advisement office and 15 other sites all over campus!
For complete details call the Staff Council Office, 277-1532 or e-mail: scouncil@unm.edu.