Author Archives: Abe Villarreal

Western New Mexico University students are ready to impress one last time before finals week at the Academic/Research Symposium and Career Fair on Tuesday, May 5. The 10th annual event will feature projects from WNMU students represented through posters, oral presentations, artwork and video entries. A career fair is also scheduled as part of the all day event. Employers scheduled to attend include Gila Regional Medical Center, Wells Fargo, US Forest Service, Cobre Consolidated School District and Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold. Student presentations and exhibits will be featured from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Miller Library. Employers will be located in the Student Memorial Center third floor...

For Sky Klaus, a photo is more than just an image full of colors. There are stories told through a camera lens, and this summer Klaus will help tell the stories of the acclaimed photographers at National Geographic. Klaus was recently chosen to participate in a summer internship with National Geographic, at their headquarters in Washington D.C. It is a dream come true for Klaus, a 20-year old sophomore studying Fine Arts. “I do a little bit of everything but my main focus are people,” explained Klaus about her photography focus. “I’ve always liked to take photos of people, every day life.” National Geographic was looking for students with a photography background who had experience in photo editing. Klaus has taken editing courses at WNMU and feels ready for the experience. “I had confidence that I was going to be selected,” said Klaus. She was chosen among hundreds of candidates. “This is a great stepping stone to a career working with...

Western New Mexico University professor Dr. Miguel Narvaez will be joining a handful of professors in the region this summer to study the effects of injury among collegiate athletes. Dr. Narvaez has been awarded fellowship in the first class of faculty to participate in the BUILDing SCHOLARS summer sabbatical program. He is one of five professors in the region to participate in the program. The first class of faculty awardees is composed of participants from WNMU, Texas Southern University, Northern New Mexico College and University of Texas El Paso. They will be conducting research and receiving mentorship from an experienced researcher at their host institutions. Dr. Narvaez will conduct his research at the University of Arizona in Tucson. “I am looking at doing research with jumping mechanics and basketball players,” said Dr. Narvaez. “We will be evaluating stress in joints and health related issues to sports medicine.” Dr. Narvaez is an assistant professor of...

The Gila Economic Development Alliance is partnering with Western New Mexico University to host a special roundtable presentation educating the public of the services offered by Boutique Air. The presentation will take place on Tuesday, April 28 at 10:00 a.m. in Light Hall Auditorium. The airline service is new to Grant County, recently replacing Great Lakes Airlines, as the sole airline provider at the Grant County Airport. Mat Butcher, Director of Operations for Boutique Air will be available for a presentation about the service followed by a Q&A period with attendees. Boutique Air offers daily flights from Silver City to Albuquerque. Mr. Butcher oversees the operations of the airline to insure safe operation. Prior to joining Boutique Air, Butcher served as the Director of Training for Surf Air. His Pilatus career began with SeaPort Airlines as a Flight Instructor and Assistant Director of Safety. Mr. Butcher graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in...

The Outdoor Program at Western New Mexico University has recently initiated a bike rental program, hoping to increase outdoor recreational opportunities. WNMU partnered with local bike shop Gila Hike & Bike to purchase 10 Trek 3500 mountain bikes in a variety of sizes. The new equipment is housed at The Outpost, a campus rental office for students and community members. In addition to the bikes, equipment available for rental includes backpacks, climbing shoes, tents and other outdoor gear. The bikes can be rented for a day, weekend or week. Prices vary from $10 to $50. WNMU students can rent equipment at a discounted rate. To see an inventory of rental equipment, visit www.wnmuoutdoors.org. For more information, contact...

Western New Mexico University students are preparing for the return of the university’s biggest event – The Great Race. The 48th annual event will include a week of races and other activities culminating with the final, campus-wide race on Saturday, April 18. Community members planning to attend to watch teams compete for the final race, should arrive before the start time of 12:00 p.m. Parking will be available in several campus areas; however, the streets will be closed slightly before the race time. The race is set to take off in front of the Fine Arts Center Theater steps. The race route will include three laps around the main campus. Street closures will affect 12th Street, West Street and College Avenue. Following the race will be an awards ceremony at Light Hall from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and the Mustang Festival from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in Old James Stadium. Community members are encouraged to bring their children to the Mustang Festival, as the event will...

A brave, first class of students participated in the first offering of a new Spanish language class offered through the Language Institute at Western New Mexico University. The Deming-based hospital reached out to WNMU in an effort to increase the Spanish proficiency of its employees, some employees who are often facing life and death situations with patients whom only speak Spanish. “Our employees will be able to communicate more effectively with our patients and the patient experience will become more personal,” said Johanna Gramer, Mimbres Memorial Hospital Human Resources Director. The first class of students included nurses and administrative level employees. The Level 1 Course was taught over several weeks covering 15 hours of class time. Students learned basic phrases helping them better understand patients whom often speak through a translator provided by the hospital. Frank Gramer, Therapy Director at the hospital, has worked in Deming for eight years. He was...

The Natural Sciences Department at Western New Mexico University is looking for applicants to its upcoming summer programs. For the second consecutive year, the department is hosting a MCAT+ Program and a Health Careers Academy. The MCAT+ Program is an intense six-week summer camp held in Harlan Hall. The program is open to junior and senior college students and graduate students from June 15 to July 24. Students in the program receive a stipend of up to $1500 and over 50 hours of in-class test prep instruction covering the four sections of the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test). MCAT+ is designed to help strengthen MCAT test scores and train pre-medical students to become competitive to enter medical school. Highlights of the program include tours of the healthcare teaching facilities at the UNM Health Science Center and at Hidalgo Medical Services, and mock interviews and applications workshops on medical school admission process. Deadline to apply for the program is May...

Central New Mexico has introduced a new online liberal arts degree for students seeking an associate degree and Western New Mexico University has partnered with the community college to accept students that successfully complete the program. The full-time intensive degree program is completely online and can be completed in only 16 months. WNMU will accept the 60 credits earned by the CNM students. After earning the Associate Degree in Liberal Arts, the students can transfer directly to WNMU’s Interdisciplinary Bachelor Degree program, which is also online. The Interdisciplinary Studies program, offered at both the bachelor and master degree level, is designed for students who want to create their own degree focusing on two or three disciplines. At the bachelor degree level, WNMU offers online degrees in Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Education, English, Human Services, Interdisciplinary Studies, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Psychology, Rehabilitation Services...