Press Releases

Western New Mexico University professor of sociology and Co-Director of the Center for Gender Equity and Social Justice, Dr. Emma Bailey, is currently a Fulbright Scholar and worked in Xalapa Veracruz, Mexico, for the spring 2018 semester. She formally taught two courses this past semester — U.S. Interventions in Central America and U.S. Cultural Regional Differences — and is teaching U.S. Latinos, a short course, in June. Dr. Bailey also gives presentations at the Universidad Veracruzana. Her speaking topics include “Donald Trump’s First Year of Government,” “Gender in Intercultural Communication” and “Being Feminist in the United States.” Dr. Bailey also participates in the International Relations Program and North American Studies at the university. International partnerships remain at the core of the Fulbright mission, and Dr. Bailey has worked with alongside Mexican students and faculty, not to mention the other Fulbright Scholars in Mexico. “I have...

In order to continue the progress being made on the campus underground utilities and College Avenue beautification project, College Avenue will be closed to all traffic just west of the Cooper Street intersection and just east of the D Street intersection. The closure begins Monday, June 11, and will remain in effect through the duration of the project. Traffic will be rerouted on 8th Street via Cooper Street (southbound) and Bayard Street (northbound) and via D Street, however the public should avoid the area while the project is underway. Access to the Student Memorial Building/Brancheau PE Complex/Light Hall/Castorena Hall/Felipe de Ortego y Gasca Cultural Center parking lot will be available through the west entrance, as the east entrance will remain closed until the project’s completion as well. The normally one-way exit will function as a two-way entrance and exit, so courtesy and caution should be exercised. During this road closure, the sidewalk is also closed to...

Western New Mexico University's artists-in-residence, Krissy Ramirez and Chelsea Boone, are opening their exhibit, "From Clay to Metal," with a reception on Wednesday, June 6. Both graduates of WNMU's Expressive Arts Department, they will discuss their work beginning at 5:30 p.m. The exhibit will hang through Friday, June 22. A clay artist, Ramirez' portion is a collection of 18- to 20-inch sculptural mannequins. "I call them my headless Barbies," she said. Raised in the border town of Douglas, Arizona, Ramirez struggled with body dysmorphia as a teen. "Making these unnatural-looking Barbies is a way to express how I felt about my experience and a way to raise awareness that many people go through that at some point. The bodies are headless so viewers can put their own faces on the sculptures," she said. "I thought that having this ideal body would help me be a better person so I could find a good male mate. Also, in the Mexican culture, appearance reigns. I'm trying to get away...

Western New Mexico University's second annual ¡Fiesta Latina! will run June 22 - 24, 2018, in Old James Stadium on campus. The mostly free event unites people and celebrates Latin culture through traditional activities, children's workshops, music and dance performances, a tequila tasting, and, for the first time ever this year, a film and discussion series, designed to give attendees a more in-depth understanding of the artisan process. "¡Fiesta Latina! gives people opportunities to explore new cultures and discover the beauty of ancient handcraft trades," said WNMU Assistant to the President for Cultural Affairs Faye McCalmont, who organizes the international festival. With Darren Cordova y Calor headlining the event and National Heritage Fellow Eva Ybarra, who is known as La Reina del Acordeón (The Queen of the Accordion), in the lineup, ¡Fiesta Latina! features ticketed evening concerts and several free live afternoon performances. ¡Fiesta Latina! also provides...

Western New Mexico University inducted four alumni into the School of Education's Hall of Fame this spring. Honored for their exceptional professional careers and for the care they showed their students, the 2018 recipients; were Daniel C. Castillo, '85, of Silver City; Shelby L. Alexander, '79, '81, of Grants; Arturo Perales, '74, '77, of El Paso, Texas; and Joe Edward Quintana, '85, '91, of Glendale, Ariz. "They exemplify dedication to something beyond self," WNMU President Dr. Joseph Shepard said of the inductees at the Hall of Fame luncheon on Friday, May 11. "This university has a long and proud tradition of preparing teachers, and this year's recipients represent the quality of educators WNMU produces," said Associate Dean of WNMU's School of Education Dr. Debra Dirksen. Castillo, a retired Silver High School math teacher, was recognized for 27 years of service, teaching, mentorship, leadership and advocacy. "In Mr. Castillo's classroom, students felt driven but...

The Western New Mexico University Board of Regents approved a number of changes to policy, promoted 20 faculty members, approved tenure for six faculty members, debated the methodology behind salary studies, granted emeritus status to six faculty and staff members, and also elected new officers during their meeting on campus Thursday, May 10, 2018. Regent Chair Jerry Walz; Regent Vice Chair Janice Baca-Argabright; Regents Dr. Dan Salzwedel and Dr. Carl Foster; and Student Regent Arlean Murillo were all in attendance in the seminar room of WNMU's Student Memorial Building. The regents heard the methodology behind and findings of the Faculty and Staff Salary and Benefits Committees' surveys and, in a four to 1 vote, approved their proposals, agreeing to use the committees' recommendations as guiding principles in the production and implementation of a revised salary process, scheduled to be enacted in 2019. Faculty salary advisor Dr. Steve Chavez said the Faculty Salary and...

Mario LaFragola, the Business Advisor at Western New Mexico University's Deming Small Business Development Center, was recognized last week as New Mexico's Financial Services Champion by the U.S. Small Business Administration New Mexico District Office. The award was presented at Albuquerque's Sandia Golf Club last week during a breakfast ceremony hosted by the Small Business Administration, the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce and the New Mexico Small Business Development Center Network. "I think that the award is reflective of the network working as a team. I try to take the knowledge I have and share it through the network to help everyone get money, and that's what most of our clients need," LaFragola said. "By working together, we can do so much." "The New Mexico Financial Services Champion Award is a well-deserved honor for Mario LaFragola, who provides financial advice to entrepreneurs and small business in this area," said Dr. Miguel A. Vicéns, Associate Dean...

Western New Mexico University President Dr. Joseph Shepard will meet with His Majesty Chitimukulu Sosala Kanyanta Manga II, the king of Zambia's largest ethnic group, on Wednesday, May 9, 2018, in Albuquerque. Along with Western New Mexico University's Board of Regents Chairperson, Jerry Walz, they will discuss international educational issues and the possibility of Western New Mexico University providing higher education to the 6 million Bemba-speaking people of the south-central African nation of Zambia. The meeting is a result of ongoing conversation between representatives of Manga II and WNMU, who have discussed WNMU's online offerings and are considering the potential for Zambian students to enroll in classes at the university's main campus in Silver City. "We are looking forward to a very productive meeting that, we envision, may benefit Western New Mexico University and provide higher educational opportunities to the people of Zambia," President Shepard said. Walz...

The 265 Western New Mexico University students who are walking in the Spring 2018 commencement ceremony on Friday, May 11, 2018, will hear from Antonia Coello Novello, who is a medical doctor and holds a master's in public health as well as a doctorate in public health, and who was the first female and first Hispanic U.S. Surgeon General. Graduation takes place in Old James Stadium starting at 2 p.m. It will also be live-streamed online. For guests who have limited mobility, a wheelchair-accessible area will be reserved at the top of the stairs in Old James Stadium. The Puerto Rico-born commencement speaker has a bachelor's and a medical doctorate from the University of Puerto Rico, and Dr. Novello served a pediatric internship and residency at the University of Michigan, completing her subspecialty training in pediatric nephrology at University of Michigan and Georgetown University. Dr. Novello also received both a master's and a doctorate in public health from Johns...

During their meeting in Albuquerque on Friday, April 27, 2018, the Western New Mexico University Board of Regents voted to grant New Mexico Lt. Governor John Sanchez an Honorary Doctorate degree at this spring's commencement ceremony. They also unanimously approved the 2018-2019 Budget, the Final Budget Adjustment Request and the Quarter 3 Financial Actions Report and revised both the 2018-19 Tuition document and the Capital Projects Transmittal for Underground Utilities that were presented at the last meeting. Regent Chair Jerry Walz and Student Regent Arlean Murillo were joined by regents Janice Baca-Argabright, Dan Salzwedel and Carl Foster at Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town, while others phoned in from campus in Silver City. When the regents voted to give Lt. Governor Sanchez an honorary doctorate degree, Western New Mexico University President Dr. Joseph Shepard said, "This degree is equally an honor for Western as it is for him." Shepard described instances when Lt....