Western New Mexico University held a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony in honor of the university’s newest and largest public sculpture, Dec. 12, 2024. The event celebrated Professor Emeritus Michael Metcalf’s newly installed work, Collaboration: The Student’s Journey. WNMU President Joseph Shepard opened the dedication by addressing why public art is so important to the university. “The arts,” said Shepard, “are what make us human. … The arts are about moving beyond your current generation.” Shepard noted that Metcalf had made a profound difference to WNMU intellectually, artistically, and as a colleague. “Today,” he said, Metcalf “gets to make an indelible difference for generations to come with his artwork.” After thanking all the people that helped bring about the sculpture, Metcalf spoke about his inspiration for creating it, the university’s Applied Liberal Arts and Sciences program. “I was curriculum chair at the beginning of it, so I...

Students in the WNMU School of Business are outpacing their peers at other institutions according to the results of standardized testing. Students in the bachelor’s degree program in Business Administration are given an examination administered by Peregrine Global Services that assesses their understanding of a variety of business subjects, including economics, marketing, human resource management and business ethics. Their knowledge of these topics is tested first when they begin their academic study and again when they complete the program. In recent years, WNMU students have consistently outperformed students at other universities both nationally and regionally. On the most recent outbound exam, WNMU students averaged 77.96% on the subject matter tests, while their peers at other southwestern universities averaged 64.03%. WNMU students scored especially highly in economics, marketing, human resource management and the global dimensions of business, and they outperformed...

When Western New Mexico University graduates Megan Custer and Itzela Darkenwald walked across the Commencement stage in December, their journeys were already part of a larger story. The two were among ten students featured on The College Tour this year, a nationally broadcast program that showcased the unique experiences of WNMU students. Now, as they embark on new chapters, their stories are a testament to the vibrant campus community that helped shape their paths to success. Custer, who played volleyball for WNMU and earned a BAS in Kinesiology in 2022, received her BSN this fall with plans to enter the nursing field in her hometown of El Paso. Her immediate goal is to pass the NCLEX, the licensure test required of all nurses, and then she will seek work close to family and friends in Texas. While Custer has been interested in health care for a long time, she credits the WNMU School of Nursing and Kinesiology for helping her to better identify and hone her interests....

Western New Mexico University will be on Winter Break, December 23, 2024 to January 1, 2025. Many offices will be closed during this time. The following offices will be open December 23, 26, 27 and 30, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: University Advising Center Office of Financial Aid Office of the Registrar Office of Admissions & Recruitment Office of Graduate Admissions &...

The Western New Mexico University Board of Regents held a special meeting December 20, 2024 for the purpose of discussing the contract of university President Dr. Joseph Shepard. In the public portion of the meeting, Shepard read from a prepared statement announcing that he will be stepping away from his role as president on January 15, 2025. Shepard noted that media coverage of the university, centered on its handling of financial matters, has proved a distraction from the significant accomplishments WNMU has achieved under his 13-year leadership. His decision to step away from the presidency, he said, was in the best interest of the university’s students and faculty, who could proceed to focus on academic excellence without distraction. Reading from a prepared statement, Shepard said that he was most proud of how the university transforms students’ lives through their education journey. “At every graduation ceremony I witness a fundamental educational process of...

Representatives from the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) visited the Western New Mexico University campus on Dec. 5, 2024, to present the university with a $100,000 rebate check for installing four electric vehicle (EV) fast chargers. WNMU installed the EV fast chargers earlier this year with the assistance of Freeport-McMoRan. The chargers are in the Fine Arts Center Theatre parking lot, near Ben Altamirano Field and the solar array. By offering free access to EV chargers, WNMU and Freeport-McMoRan aim to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles and reduce reliance on traditional fossil-fuel-powered transportation. This initiative not only benefits the university community but also contributes to the overall reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the region. The rebate was awarded as part of PNM’s Transportation Electrification Program (2022-2023), which provided up to $25,000 per charging station to offset the make-ready costs to install the EV...

This fall, 387 students earned degrees or certificates from Western New Mexico University, and the Mustang community celebrated their achievement through a hybrid commencement ceremony that allowed for the participation of both graduates on campus and those living and attending WNMU at a distance. Of the graduates who received diplomas from WNMU this fall, 213 chose to participate in this year’s fall graduation ceremony on December 13, 2024, with 165 walking across the Fine Arts Center Theatre stage and 48 participating over Zoom. WNMU awarded 79 associate degrees, 114 bachelor’s degrees, 107 master’s degrees, 58 graduate certificates, 7 undergraduate certificates and 22 fast track certificates. Additionally, 62 WNMU undergraduates across all programs graduated with honors, including members of the WNMU Honors Program. To achieve the distinction, students must earn a 3.5 GPA or higher. WNMU President Joseph Shepard, who presided over the ceremony, thanked the families...

The Western New Mexico University Board of Regents approved the development of new programs as part of the university’s five-year plan and heard from faculty, staff and student leadership representatives during their meeting, conducted in a hybrid manner, Thursday, December 12, 2024. Regent President Dr. Mary E. Hotvedt presided over the meeting from the Seminar Room located in the university’s Student Memorial Center along with Student Regent Trent Jones, with Regents Dr. Lyndon Haviland, Dal Moellenberg and Dr. Daniel Lopez joining virtually. Due to the large number of community members attending the meeting, the board began by amending the agenda to allow public comments at the beginning of meeting. Comments were largely focused on the recent special report from the state auditor’s office. With no old business to consider, the regents spent a portion of the meeting hearing updates from across campus as presented by WNMU President Joseph Shepard, Faculty Senate...

WNMU Social Work major Madeleine Trevino started her social work studies at Eastern New Mexico University in her hometown of Roswell, NM. But during her second year in the program, her father died, and she found a need to take some time away from school. Because the ENMU social work program uses a cohort system, meaning that students move through the courses in a set order, Trevino knew she would not be able to just resume her program when she was ready to return to school; she would have to wait for the next cohort. Instead, she said, she started looking at other options and found that she could complete her degree online through WNMU. Now in the final semester of her program, Trevino, who is a NM Opportunity Scholarship recipient, said she was inspired to go into social work by her mother. “I am a second-generation social worker,” she said. “My mother worked for CYFD for 20-some years. I saw the work that she did, the children she helped, the connections she was able to...

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the WNMU Student Symposium, which was held Wednesday, December 4 and Thursday, December 5, 2024. The symposium, which provides a showcase for student academic and creative achievement, took place in the J. Cloyd Miller Library. Occurring in conjunction with the symposium was a Career Expo that brought to campus a number of area employers. Students had an opportunity to learn about working for the various employers and about openings available. The format for the symposium resembles an academic conference, with individual oral presentations, group presentations and panels, and a poster session, where students have a chance to talk with visitors about their projects. The keynote speakers for this year’s symposium were Anais Orantez Middleton, president of MEChA, and Juanwon Anderson-Verdell, WNMU graduate student and Director of Student Life and Success. Students presented on a wide variety of topics, ranging from...