President’s Blog: September 2016

Dear faculty and staff, At Tuesday’s Board of Regents meeting, I was honored with a very favorable evaluation. I truly believe that this is a reflection not of me, but of each of you and how you have made this university a better place. Over the last several years we have become a more community-focused institution that is moving in the direction of embracing our uniqueness and caring for both our students and our community. We are being progressive with confronting the realities of higher education and preparing for our future by challenging the status quo and identifying what it means to be distinctive. It has not been an easy journey as we struggle with the financial realities of the present moment. But each of you, in your own individual way, has contributed positively to the overall well-being of this wonderful institution where people can transform their lives through education. Unfortunately, in spite of our tremendous progress, the financial crisis facing the State of...

President’s Blog: August 2016

I often get asked what makes Western New Mexico University unique. Though we have excellent degree programs that can compete against any university, the answer is not our degree offerings. Western New Mexico University is known for our people and what we do for people. We are more like a private university, but at a public price. We are the university that is known for the first, second and third chances. The place where babies can begin their first developmental moments in our nationally accredited early childhood learning lab, and the place where senior citizens can continue enriching the mind through lifelong learning. We are known for educating people from birth through death. A place where you can get your High School Equivalency Diploma, your Associates of Arts degree, your Bachelor’s degree or your Master’s degree. We are a place where we are first educators before anything else. There are thousands of universities tucked away in small foothills and beautiful parts of...

Accreditation and Bond C Success

Western New Mexico University continues in our successes.  A few days ago we received word that we have been reaffirmed in our Higher Learning Commission accreditation for another eight years.  Your efforts, diligence, perseverance and dedication are the reasons for this reaffirmation.  With no follow-up issues, you are to be commended for our collective achievement. Further success occurred last night when voters went to the polls and soundly passed the General Obligation bond that supports higher education capital outlay.  Our share of the bond proceeds will be $6 million.  This money will be used to complete the Light Hall renovation project whereupon we will have, upon completion, modern and well-equipped classrooms coupled with appropriate heating and cooling.  Additionally, our museum will now get climate control, enhanced security, and fire suppression systems.  Finally, we will also have funds to begin the planning for the renovation of Harlan Hall to bring...

GO Bond C: Our Region’s Future

This fall, voters in our region will go to the polls to cast their ballots for everything from who will be our governor to who will represent our community in the state Legislature. One of the most important questions facing our community this year will be the statewide higher education bond referendum -- General Obligation Bond C. This year’s General Obligation Bond C (also referred to as GO Bond C) will ask voters to set aside more than $139 million for nearly every public college and university in the state. If passed, this year’s GO Bond will allocate $6 million to Western New Mexico University which will be used to finish the renovation of Light Hall, add needed fire suppression and HVAC systems to the WNMU Museum, and provide planning money to begin the renovation of our science building, positively impacting our students and our region. Should the GO Bond C pass, it will NOT increase your property taxes. What it will do is create jobs and boost our local economy. The...