Press Releases

Donors who contribute to the Western New Mexico University Foundation’s new President’s Society fund before the end of this fiscal year will get lifetime recognition as supporters and also help WNMU meet the needs of its students and faculty even in bleak economic times. Anyone who gives within this first fiscal year will be an inaugural member of the President’s Society. Donors who contribute a cumulative unrestricted gift of $1,000 or more by June 30, 2018, will have their names on the recognition piece forever. After the founding year, members who meet the $1,000 unrestricted gift minimum will be recognized within their membership year. The Foundation created the President’s Society to recognize and honor those who demonstrate commitment to the university through annual unrestricted gifts. “Participation in the President’s Society will allow the Foundation to further support WNMU students and campus, facilitating a vital culture of caring and philanthropy,”...

More Grant County families enjoyed bountiful Thanksgiving dinners thanks to the Western New Mexico University Student Nurses Association, which assembled baskets of seasonal food and distributed turkey vouchers to residents in need. “Each basket held an entire Thanksgiving meal — turkey included,” said Annabelle Evans, a member of the WNMU Student Nurses Association. While the club has served Silver City in this way for several years, last year was the first they were able to provide turkey vouchers. And this year, they’re making an even bigger impact. They gathered enough food for more baskets than they ever had previously. With the help of small businesses in the community, the WNMU Student Nurses Association was able to reach its goal of providing nearly $900 worth of assistance. “We are very proud of what we have accomplished and grateful for all of the help we received,” Evans said, noting that 10 businesses gave monetary donations toward turkey...

The community is invited to help shape WNMU’s 2018-2021 strategic plan. Western New Mexico University is reviewing its three-year strategic plan and forming a new one for 2018-2021. The leadership is looking for input about the university’s mission, vision and goals. “During the past three years, we have started several new initiatives that influence our future and identity,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. William Crocker. Among those enterprises, he listed the applied liberal arts and sciences designation; emphases on rural health and education; developing external funding; growing enrollment and retaining students; broadening programs to support workforce needs; expanding international connections; involving the Gila in curricula and activities; strengthening WNMU’s role as a cultural center; and continuing to provide quality education with a commitment to inclusion and diversity. “In an atmosphere of sustainable challenges, these...

Katia Ibarra reported on the first Emerging Technologies and Creative Commerce lecture, which occurred on campus Monday, Nov. 13. Here’s an abbreviated version of her article. Read the full piece on The Mustang. After receiving a $10,000 grant from Power Company of New Mexico (PNM), the College of Arts and Sciences launched a series of Emerging Technologies and Creative Commerce lectures for the area’s artistic entrepreneurs. This first lecture was given by Dr. Alice Loy, a co-founder of the non-profit Santa-Fe organization, Creative Startups. Michael Metcalf, Chair of Expressive Arts, introduced the presentation by asking some of the questions many artists and dreamers ask themselves: “How do I dream and how do I my dream reality? Most importantly, where does the money come in?” The podium was then turned over to Tim Castillo, an associate professor of architecture at the University of New Mexico, who spoke about the possibility of having a permanent Makers Lab in...

Reporter Katia Ibarra covered the Office of Admissions and Recruitment’s Fall Open House for The Mustang. Here’s the scoop on WNMU’s best-attended open house in recent memory. On Saturday, Nov. 4, Western New Mexico University hosted a fall open house, welcoming 350 guests—187 of them being high school students and potential Mustangs—to campus. Attendees hailed from each corner of New Mexico and also from southeastern Arizona. The event began in a festooned Old James Stadium where complimentary coffee and donuts were on-hand. Mariachi Plata kicked off the Open House, and Vice President of Student Affairs, Dr. Isaac Brundage, led the crowd in his signature greeting, in which the participants called themselves “outstanding” right after raising each of their hands and clapping. While the students were at an academic fair in the gym, parents explored Mustang Village via bus. Animas high schooler Heather Clump, who plans on pursuing a Bachelor of Science in...

The 13th WNMU Academic Symposium will take place in conjunction with the Career Fair at Western New Mexico University on Nov. 30, 2017. The events last from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will be on the third floor of the Student Memorial Building. Keynote speaker ASNMU President Tim Stillman will present at 9:10 a.m. “Many students don’t have opportunity to travel off campus, so we’re bringing a symposium to them,” said organizer Dr. Bill Norris, a biology professor who helped found this event and still heads the unofficial steering committee. “This way, they get to practice at communicating what they’re doing in class, a skill that is key in the real world. They will eventually be communicating professionally with stakeholders, clients, and even employers, so need to be able to summarize what they’ve done.” The symposium, which gives WNMU students opportunity to present their work, has existed as a grassroots event for 13 years. It is organized by a committee of...

Western New Mexico University will celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week on Tuesday, Nov. 14, and Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017. An initiative created in 2008, Global Entrepreneurship Week is a chance for countries, universities, mentors, investors and other collaborators to engage in and promote entrepreneurial activity. This is WNMU’s third time participating. The 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Week is themed social entrepreneurship, a relatively new but quickly growing field within entrepreneurship. “While a typical entrepreneur’s ultimate goal is to create economic wealth, a social entrepreneur’s priority is to fulfill an explicit sustainable social mission. Therefore, social entrepreneurs design their revenue-generating strategies and operational activities with an aim to deliver social value,” said Dr. Francisca Reyes, Assistant Professor of Economics in the WNMU School of Business, who is one of the organizers. “Our community can greatly benefit from the work of...

Katia Ibarra of The Mustang student newspaper reported on Dia de los Muertos happenings on campus. Here’s a snippet of her article, but a link to the full story is at the bottom of this post. On Wednesday, the once quiet and tranquil Miller Library was filled with the rich sounds of Mariachi Plata in commemoration of the Day of the Dead. The event at WNMU began with a short film created by MEChA to illustrate the significance of the tradition and how it is celebrated in Mexico. Soon after, Mariachi Plata took over the floor and played a set of joyful songs. Miller Library was also home to altars done by The Center for Gender Equity and Social Justice and the library staff and work studies. ASWNMU helped pay for some Mexican treats offered at the event and for the sugar skulls for the public to decorate. Read the full story on The...

The West Shore Piano Trio continues the second annual President’s Chamber Music Series at Light Hall Theater on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. Founded on the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay in 2008 and based in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, the West Shore Piano Trio has been praised for “fluid” and “sultry” playing. Made up of Jay DeWire (piano), Heather Haughn (violin) and Diana Flesner (cello), the trio has performed all across the nation at places like the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Chautauqua Institution. The group plays with colorful passion and also provides insight to the works on the program through commentary and interaction with their audiences. Because they believe that “education and live performance enhance each other,” the trio provides biographical details about the composer, frames the work in the context of its time, and highlights the piece’s thematic and compositional elements—all in jargon-free language accessible to...

Co-founder of Creative Startups Tom Aageson will speak at Western New Mexico University on Monday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. in the Parotti Building next to the Fine Arts Center Theater. The first in a series of four Emerging Technologies and Creative Commerce lectures sponsored by PNM, Aageson’s presentation on Creative Startups is meant to engage the community in crafting a creative economy. He is an authority on this subject, as his Santa Fe-based Creative Startups reaches a global audience with its workshops and seminars as well as the Creative Startups Accelerator, which helps entrepreneurs grow their ventures “beyond the launch stage to profitability and growth,” according to creativestartups.org. Aageson has also launched several successful startups including New Mexico Creates, an initiative that links artists and entrepreneurs to the global marketplace. The former director of Aid to Artisans holds degrees from Columbia University and the Thunderbird School of Global...