Author Archives: Abe Villarreal

The Adult Education Services office is presenting a series of technology workshops free to the community at the Silver City Public Library. The workshops will cover the basics on how to use Microsoft programs including Word, Excel and PowerPoint. For more information, contact Adult Education Services at 575-574-5101. Friday, October 14, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Microsoft Word: How to use templates and ribbon functions Thursday, October 20, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Microsoft Excel: How to use Excel for personal and business accounting Thursday, November 10, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Microsoft PowerPoint: How to make a slideshow or presentation Tuesday, November 18, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Online employability skills: How to use the internet for job searching and application completion The Adult Education Services offers free employment and adult learning classes at Watts Hall. Course offerings available online at...

As part of the annual Glam Week festivities at Western New Mexico University, Las Cafeteras will be performing at Light Hall Theater on Thursday, October 13 at 7:00 p.m. The Los Angeles-based group is known for its fusion of music and political messages. The six band members are children of immigrants who are using traditional music to tell modern day stories. Named by LA Weekly as the Best Alternative Band of 2013, Las Cafeteres is currently touring the country producing distinctive sounds through unique instruments including jaranas, a wooden platform called a tarima, and a donkey jawbone. Formed in 2008 with the purpose of musically documenting the histories of their neighbors, the group originated as students at the Eastside Café, a Zapatista inspired community space in East Los Angeles. Opening for Las Cafeteras is Summer Osborne, an award-winning American singer-songwriter currently touring the country. Admission is $10 per person and free to WNMU students with...

Four Western New Mexico University nursing students are the recipients of scholarships awarded by the Martin Family who has been supporting WNMU for over 15 years. WNMU nursing student Timothy Des Jardins is the recipient of the Robert and Ione Martin Scholarship; Alicia Hernandez received the Frank & Bernice Parrish Scholarship; Bala (Michael) Wambebe was awarded the Frank and Bernice Parrish State Match Scholarship; and Sarah Atilano received the Robert and Ione Martin State Match scholarship. All scholarships were created and awarded by the Martin Family. Bob Martin, owner of Western Bank, together with a committee of WNMU nursing faculty, family members, and the WNMU Foundation scholarship coordinator, worked together in the process of selection and awards. Recipients are chosen through a competitive application process based on academic progress, dedication to the nursing profession, and financial need among other application requirements. “The WNMU...

The Center for Gender Equity at Western New Mexico University is hosting its second annual Glam Week beginning Monday, October 10 with several campus events. The week of events will include informative panels, a drag show and live music by recoding artists Las Cafeteras, Summer Osbourne and Crys Matthews. The Center for Gender Equity is partnering with community organizations including Burgers, Brownies & Beers, Oh My!, and PFLAG to help bring awareness about gender issues. All events are free to the public. Monday, October 10 Glam Your Brand event, 12:00 p.m., The Circle at WNMU. Students are encouraged to ask questions about the LGBTQ community and what it means to be an ally. Tuesday, October 11 National Coming Out Day “Break Free March”, 5:00 p.m. March begins at Old James Stadium and ends at the Center for Gender Equity located at 1211 N. Mississippi Street. Information panel, 6:00 p.m., Center for Gender Equity. Panel speakers include Wendy Spurgeon,...

Acclaimed artist Tina Mion will be featured in the upcoming Edwina and Charles Milner Women in the Arts lecture series on Thursday, October 6 at Light Hall Auditorium. A Meet the Artist Reception begins at 5:30 p.m. in Light Hall Patio followed by the lecture at 6:30 p.m. in Light Hall Auditorium. Tina Mion is primarily a self-taught artist with a long celebrated history of art and travel. She is an American contemporary artist, working in oil paint and pastels. In 1996, she completed All The Presidents, and the first Object drawings that opened in Los Angeles and traveled for years to various Presidential libraries and museums. Mion has exhibited three times at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, and is in collections all over the country including the Smithsonian, The Nelson Atkins Museum, and the Albrecht-Kemper Museum. She has given talks at distinguished art locations including the Phoenix Art Museum, University of Chicago and the LACMA. Mion and her...

Governor Susana Martinez held a press conference on Wednesday at Western New Mexico University to applaud the Silver City-based institution on leading efforts in achieving higher education goals. Governor Martinez was joined by Cabinet Secretary for Higher Education Barbara Damron who congratulated WNMU on achieving fast progress in meeting reform goals set by the Governor. “WNMU has been one of the leaders in getting programs to 120 hours,” said Damron. In 2015, Governor Martinez called upon university degree programs to shift from 128 to 120 credits. Among New Mexico universities, WNMU achieved updating nearly all degree programs to the 120-credit requirement. “Last year we challenged our colleges and universities to set their degree paths to 120 credit hours, and only 32% of degree programs in New Mexico where at 120 credits,” said Martinez. “This number has nearly doubled across the state and that is tremendous progress.” The goal of changing degree...

A select group of experts in various professions including social work was selected to participate in the recent ICF Consensus Conference, in Stockholm, Sweden. Western New Mexico University professor Patricia West-Okiri was one of the participants who shared her expertise on autism and the core features of the disorder. Organized by the Karolinksa Institute Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), the objective of the conference was to develop the first version of the ICF Core Sets for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The ICF is the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. “I participated in the conference as a professional who works in the area of autism,” said West-Okiri who teaches social work majors at WNMU. “The core features include what we would think of as the symptoms we have heard, like different social skills and behaviors, but also some that are common but not part of what doctors might look at, like sensory problems and...

The nationally accredited Early Childhood Programs at Western New Mexico University continues its successful track record of securing grants with a new award by the Thornburg Foundation for $75,000. The grant is funding the second phase of a program helping prepare classroom teachers through reflective supervision. Current teachers will be given stipends to participate in professional development trainings and apply techniques using reflective practices while mentoring students. “This new grant award is helping us train future early childhood educators,” said Shannon Rivera,” Early Childhood Programs Executive Director. “Reflective consultation will be available to our teachers on a regular basis.” Supervising teachers of the Child Development Center, the learning lab for the Early Childhood Programs, are required to mentor and train pre-service teachers participating in practicum courses within the lab site. These teachers do not have systematic training or...

The University Foundation office is inviting community members and Western New Mexico University supporters to go down the rabbit hole on Sunday, September 25 with the return of Hats In The Garden. The annual event will take place at the Alumni Garden beginning at 4:00 p.m. with entry to the event at $25 per person. Attendees are asked to wear adventurous hats, the theme this year being inspired by Alice In Wonderland. Light fare will be served and the best hat will win the People’s Choice Award. A fashion show will be presented by local apparel store Vintage Fantasies. A silent auction will also take place. For more information and to RSVP for the event, contact the University Foundation at...