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The WNMU campus office of Manda Jost seems reflective of the mind of the biology professor who occupies it. There are specimens floating in glass jars on the desk, nineteenth-century natural history texts on the bookshelves, and curious and colorful works of art that reflect diverse, wide-ranging travels. In this eclectic space, where the boundaries between art and science blur, Jost's multifaceted background shapes her approach to biology as she encourages a new generation of students to explore the natural world. “I am a first-generation American on my mother’s side,” said Jost, reflecting on her diverse heritage that spans continents and cultures, including her mother’s home country of Chile. Her family’s background has shaped her worldview and fueled her passion for exploration. Jost’s upbringing in Houston, TX, was a blend of cultural diversity and the avant-garde, with roots extending from Ukrainian and Belorussian Jews to Chilean and Mennonite heritage....

With just weeks to go until commencement, Mustangs can be sure spring has arrived on...

Each year, students at Jose Barrios Elementary School run a community-wide food collection campaign, benefiting residents experiencing food insecurity. The focus of this year’s five-week drive, which was facilitated by fourth-grade teacher Ben Duran, was dedicated to stocking the shelves of the WNMU food pantry, the One Stop. ⁠ ⁠ Each donation earned a special reward, from extra recess time to the chance to win an epic class pizza party.  The effort was part of K-Kids (Kiwanis Kids), which has locally benefitted a number of Grant County non-profits, according to Duran⁠. WNMU Student Services Coordinator Kim Woodward, who runs the One Stop, commended Duran and his students, noting how food donations are central to addressing food insecurity. “Food donations,” she said, “play a crucial role in addressing food security in several ways:  donations provide essential food items to individuals and families facing food insecurity, ensuring they have access to nutritious...

WNMU recently announced that it had earned the 2024-2025 Military Friendly® School Designation. The university has been honored with the silver award, indicating that it is surpassing the criteria for Military Friendly® Schools. Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2024-2025 survey with 537 earning special awards for going above the standard. The 2024-2025 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May and October issues of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com. Methodology, criteria and weightings were determined by Viqtory, a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business that connects the military community to civilian employment, educational and entrepreneurial opportunities. Viqtory also had input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the...

Complex and delicious aromas wafted through the second floor of WNMU Harlan Hall on a recent Monday afternoon. But the seven students in Associate Professor Shiva Kyasa’s organic chemistry laboratory were not cooking up dinner; instead, they were working to identify the molecular composition of a variety of spices. Kyasa described the project as a “Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience” (CURE). The project is one of five at WNMU that is being sponsored by the NM IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence this year. At the beginning of the course, each student chose a spice that would be the focus of their research throughout the semester. The assignment was succinct but in no way simple: to identify the molecules that make the spice unique. “Many people know that foods have carbohydrates and proteins and fatty acids, but food is not just those three things,” said Kyasa, “There are organic molecules. Any time you smell some aroma, it is not from...

Mary O. Parker has worn a lot of hats in her professional life—as a teacher, a marketing researcher, a writer, and a business owner—but none have fit her quite as perfectly as her current position as the Executive Director of the Western Institute of Lifelong Learning (WILL). “I was already a member of WILL and loved the organization,” explained Parker. “When the Executive Director position came up, I could have pinched myself.” Reflecting on her previous career experiences, especially her many years in the business field, Parker said, “It is as if everything I did in the past prepared me for this position.” Before taking the position as Executive Director of WILL, Parker most recently worked with her husband, a nature photographer, to run their business, Explore in Focus, which offers nature photography tours. “We have taken people all over the world to photograph wildlife and natural scenery,” said Parker. In recent years, however, Parker began to...

The Western New Mexico University Board of Regents met on Thursday, March 28 on campus in Silver City. Present at the meeting were Regent President Dr. Mary Hotvedt, Vice President Dr. Lyndon Haviland, Student Regent and Secretary Treasurer Trent Jones and Regent Dal Moellenberg. WNMU President Dr. Joseph Shepard ceded some of his time to Faculty Senate President Scott Smith, who reported that currently 70% of university classes are taught online, while 20% are taught face-to-face, and 10% are taught in a hybrid format. The faculty are forming a committee to assess whether the number and kind of face-to-face classes are appropriately meeting student needs. Staff Senate President Adele Springer and Associated Students of WNMU President Elizabeth Gonzales also reported on recent activities in their areas. In his report to the board, President Shepard noted that the university is up 24% in applications over the same time last year. The regents heard an update on the policy...

Western New Mexico University hosted the premiere of a special, WNMU-focused episode of the Amazon Prime TV series “The College Tour” on Thursday, March 21, 2024. The episode was filmed entirely in southwestern New Mexico and showcases WNMU students, the campus, the town of Silver City, and the Gila National Forest. WNMU is the first university in New Mexico to be featured on the series. The half-hour episode was the result of a months-long planning and production process that occurred last fall. It features the stories of ten WNMU students and alumni: Oscar Arteaga Romero, Stacey Bernstein, Megan Custer, Itzela Darkenwald, Natalee Drissell, Logan Eastman, Antonio Guerrero Ramos, Violeta “Blanca” Jaure, Brooke Rodgers and Ethan Sanchez. The episode also had three understudies: Dorrie Dennison, Keana Huerta and Ariana Medina. Each of the students and alumni featured in the episode shared their WNMU stories, highlighting a variety of academic majors as well as student life...

Dorrie Dennison had been working in food service for many years when she heard about the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship, a scholarship that allows college students pursuing their first degree to attend tuition-free. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to work in food service my whole life,” she said, “I wanted something more.” So at the age of thirty-six, Dennison, who is originally from Austin, Texas, decided to enroll at Western New Mexico University. “I honestly never thought I would attend college,” she said, “but then I learned about the Opportunity Scholarship . . . and decided that I was ready to have a professional career.” An accounting major, Dennison said she is enjoying both her major and the other classes she has taken. “There is kind of a cliché about accounting being boring,” she said, “but really it can take you in all sorts of directions. Most every business you can imagine needs accounting, and then there are a range of non-profits one could...

For the first time, Western New Mexico University will be hosting a free, day-long song writing workshop for active and retired military, veterans and their spouses. The event, which will take place on April 13, is sponsored by WNMU Cultural Affairs and New Mexico Arts, and it is brought to campus by the Center for American Military Music Opportunities (CAMMO), a Washington, DC, area non-profit organization dedicated to providing music-based therapeutic programming for service members, veterans and their families. CAMMO also provides training and education in music industry career opportunities. Cathie Lechareas, the co-founder and executive director of CAMMO, said that the organization’s mission is especially needed in today’s world. “In a world of wars that last decades,” she said, “hundreds of thousands of military men and women who serve our country make sacrifices for our security and endure injuries to both their bodies and their spirits. Additionally, many delay...