Press Releases

WNMU To Offer Face-to-Face General Education Courses in T or C

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Western New Mexico University will offer general education classes in Truth or Consequences beginning Fall 2019. Classes will be held at the WNMU Adult Learning Center on Wednesday and Thursday evenings to accommodate working students. The courses being presented are Introduction to Philosophy and Introduction to Creative Writing. Both are open for enrollment now and will be taught by Professor John Gist, WNMU Humanities Department Chair and Interdisciplinary Studies Director. “Whether you are a high school student seeking college credit, a senior citizen who believes in lifelong learning, or an adult who is looking for college credit to advance in your career, these courses will help Sierra County build community through educated discourse among a variety of citizens,” Gist said. Dual-enrolled students are invited to attend. The classes are listed in the state’s new General Ed Core Course Transfer Curriculum so will transfer to any public college or university in...
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New School of Education Hall of Fame Inductees

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Four alumni were recently inducted into the Western New Mexico University School of Education Hall of Fame 2019 for their outstanding career achievements. The inductees Max G. Padilla, Emma V. Saucedo, Barney P. Brienza and Olivia L. Ogas. “To be considered for selection into the WNMU School of Education Hall of Fame, WNMU alumni must have demonstrated a primary interest in classroom teaching and devoted the major portion of their careers to classroom teaching at the primary, secondary or higher education levels. He or she must have inspired in students a willingness to learn, as reflected in their ability to impart knowledge, instill confidence, and demonstrate respect for learning and students,” WNMU School of Education Associate Dean Dr. Debra Dirksen said. Padilla received his Bachelor of Arts from WNMU in 1969. He is recognized for 38 years of dedicated teaching, mentoring and leadership. Padilla was also an assistant principal, school principal and coach.   He led...
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WNMU School of Education Requests Written Comments Ahead of Site Visit

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The School of Education at Western New Mexico University is hosting an accreditation visit by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) on April 7 – 9, 2019, and is requesting third-party comments to be submitted the site team. Please note that comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of professional education programs offered, and should specify the party’s relationship to the provider (i.e., graduate, present or former faculty member, employer of graduates). The WNMU School of Education invites members of the public to submit written testimony to: CAEP 1140 19th Street NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20036 or to: callforcomments@caepnet.org. Such comments must be within the specified period (Feb. 25 – March 25, 2019) and based on the core tenets of CAEP accreditation standards of excellence, which recognize that: -In CAEP’s performance-based system, accreditation is based on evidence that demonstrates that teacher...
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New Arrangement Gives Students Enhanced Access to Medical, Mental Health and Dental Care

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Western New Mexico University and Hidalgo Medical Services are teaming up to offer expanded student health services starting Friday, February 15, 2019. WNMU was previously able to offer students some medical services and mental health counseling but no dental care. Under this new agreement, students will be able to access medical, mental health and dental care at HMS sites around the region. “We felt we were limited in what we could provide our students, so we decided to partner with the people who can provide those services and more,” WNMU Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Isaac Brundage said. As WNMU student fees cover health service expenses, registered students who pay tuition and fees are eligible to receive five medical visits, 15 mental health visits and one dental visit to HMS annually. Additional visits or outside referrals and services will be seamlessly provided and billed according to the students’ insurance or income levels, as the students will have...
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“Hamilton” Expert Megan McQueen To Give Program at WNMU

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A scholar of Lin-Manuel Miranda and “Hamilton” in particular, musical theater lecturer Megan McQueen will give an educational program at Western New Mexico University in Silver City on Monday, February 18. She will discuss the musical elements of the production and lead musicians in presenting numbers from the musical. Megan is an avid Broadway musical aficionado and has followed composer Lin-Manuel Miranda since he released his first musical hit “In the Heights” more than a dozen years ago. She has attended “Hamilton” in New York City twice, also participating in workshops with original cast members. In her program, Megan touts “Hamilton’s” complexity and explains how the score holds up to intense scrutiny, pointing out its hip-hop origins and traditional musical influences — from motifs to key relationships. “I find Megan to be enthusiastic about Broadway musicals in general, and ‘Hamilton’ is a production she is passionately committed to. It’s...
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WNMU Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program Starts Feb. 11, 2019

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For the 37th year, Western New Mexico University students are offering tax help to seniors and low-income families in the southwest corner of the state. This free service, called the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program and supported by Tax Help NM, is for people whose household income is $56,000 or less and for those who are 65 years or older. The Tax Help NM volunteers — WNMU business and accounting students by day — are certified by the IRS and are trained to help taxpayers identify tax credits. “The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program offers our students a chance to participate in the community and also gives them real-life tax preparation filing experience,” said Ashley Montenegro, the adjunct WNMU instructor and certified public accountant who sponsors this program. “Students can walk out of here with their degrees saying that they’ve done 50 to 100 tax returns already. The community benefits because they don’t have to pay for this service as long as...
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WNMU To Celebrate Founders Day on Monday, February 11

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Western New Mexico University will commemorate the 126th anniversary of its founding on Monday, February 11, 2019, by hosting the community for birthday cake. The WNMU Founders Day celebration kicks off at 3 p.m. in the WNMU Museum in Fleming Hall. The J. Cloyd Miller Library will also both be open to Founders Day guests and will exhibit historic objects representing the university’s past that day. At a later date, WNMU and the Town of Silver City will perform a ribbon cutting to recognize completion of the construction that made the entrance to WNMU safer and more...
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WNMU Small Business Development Center Names Mitchel’s Auto Service and Repair, LLC, 2018 Star Client

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The Small Business Development Center hosted by Western New Mexico University selected Mitchel’s Auto Service and Repair, LLC, in Deming as its 2018 Star Client. Since opening his business, owner Mitchel Boomgaarn has used the advising services the WNMU Small Business Development Center provides to entrepreneurs in Grant, Luna, Hidalgo and Catron counties. He persevered in his endeavor as a small business owner even after getting severely burned in an accident just weeks after opening his shop. “Mario LaFragola, my Small Business Development Center advisor, didn’t just sit me down and say ‘I will fix that for you.’ He walked me through everything so that I could understand it,” Boomgaarn said. “Now I have more insight into what’s going on, and I have a better chance for this business to succeed.” Continuing to work with the WNMU Small Business Development Center, Boomgaarn’s business has expanded to include towing services, and plans are underway to open...
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WNMU Partners With HMS To Formally Train Community Health Workers

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After hearing that Western New Mexico University would offer a community health worker program, Hidalgo Medical Services requested that the training also be offered in Silver City so that HMS employees could participate. In response, WNMU offered an additional section of its brand-new program in fall 2018. “Though HMS has employed community health workers for several years, we felt it was important to support their continued education. Education is one of HMS’ core values, and we know that the knowledge gained in this program will benefit our patients and the community,” said Dan Otero, CEO at Hidalgo Medical Services. WNMU is the only university in southwest New Mexico providing this training. “Hidalgo Medical Service’s request demonstrates the demand for community health workers in southwest New Mexico and underscores the need for formal training of people already doing this type of work,” said Benjamin Jenkins, Ph.D., director of the community health worker...
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Western New Mexico University To Host Southwest Regional Science Olympiad Competition

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About 400 middle school and high school students from two dozen schools in southwest New Mexico will compete during the Southwest Regional Science Olympiad Competition at Western New Mexico University on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. The Southwest Regional Science Olympiad Competition runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in the Fine Arts Center Theatre at 4 p.m. All of the events are held on campus in the Intramural Gym, Harlan Hall and the Phelps/Dodge-Martinez building. “The active events in the gym are likely to be the most interesting, and the public is invited to spectate at any of them,” Southwest Regional Science Olympiad Tournament Director Eric Casler said. The Science Olympiad teams compete in categories such as Earth and Space Science; Physical Science; chemist online; Technology and Engineering; and Inquiry and Nature of Science. The individual events — 25 percent of which are new or different this year — have names like...
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