Press Releases

Grant County’s only movie theater is experiencing growing support by the local community and region with donations and regular event bookings. Chuck Johnson, a Silver City based State Farm Insurance agent, recently visited the newly renovated historic Light Hall Auditorium and subsequently donated to the University Foundation as a sign off support for the use of Light Hall as the only movie theater in the community. “I support Light Hall Theater and wanted to show that with this contribution to the University Foundation,” said Mr. Johnson. Renovations to Light Hall Auditorium, erected in 1927, were completed in October 2014. The space is used each weekend as a movie theater, and is also used during the week as a lecture hall and special events space. “Each weekend we are excited to see the support by our local community and our student body as they come out to spend their time with us at the movies,” said Abe Villarreal, WNMU Director of Communications. Local...

Community members with disabilities in the Silver City area will be participating in Hoops 4 Hope, an afternoon of indoor games hosted by Western New Mexico University, on Tuesday, March 24 at 6:00 p.m. in the Intramural Gym. The third annual event is open to any member of the community with a learning or physical disability. Those wishing to attend will receive a free t-shirt and a pizza dinner. “This is one of our favorite events to host on campus,” said Abe Villarreal, WNMU Director of Communications. “It is important for our student body to interact with this special community of people that teach us so much about themselves and ourselves.” The goal of the annual event is to accomplish four hopes: a hope to bring students together to learn about people with disabilities, a hope to build common ground among different people through athletics, a hope to have students feel comfortable with people of different backgrounds, and a hope to learn more about how we...

Western New Mexico University continues its efforts in strengthening relations with higher education institutions in Mexico and the Americas with the recent signing of agreements with two Mexican universities. A visit by members of the WNMU administration to Universidad De Occidente (UDEO) in the city of Culiacan, Mexico, during the first week of March culminated with the signing of a memorandum of understanding by both university presidents, opening the door to opportunities of faculty and student exchanges. “With the very positive experience we had this past summer, hosting more than 150 Mexican students, we know that WNMU is a great fit for faculty and students from Mexican universities,” said Dr. Magdaleno Manzanarez, WNMU Vice President for External Affairs. Dr. Manzanarez traveled with President Joseph Shepard and Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Jack Crocker during the visit to Culiacan. UDEO administrators expressed their interest in having WNMU professors...

The Office of Admissions and Recruitment has announced a list of new freshman scholarships that will be available to the incoming freshman class for the fall 2015 semester. The scholarships each have their own set of requirements for students based on their state of residency and grade point average. Administered by the Office of Admissions, the scholarships are new opportunities for students who may also qualify for FAFSA based or University Foundation based awards. “We expect to award up to $300,000 in new scholarships to incoming freshmen,” said Matthew Lara, Director of Admissions. “It is exciting to have the opportunity to provide additional financial assistance to our new students.” The new scholarships include awards for valedictorian and salutatorians in New Mexico, regional science fair winners, national merit scholars and national Hispanic scholarships. “Additional scholarships will be given to students that demonstrate leadership in their school and...

Western New Mexico University is partnering with community organizations to host Sex Week, during the first week of March, to educate the student body community about sexual practices and behaviors. Part of the event is learning how to express oneself sexually through many means. There are quite a handful of establishments today such as Plug Lust that let you choose sex toys that fit you or your partners personality. Sex Week is common among college campuses, and WNMU’s week is scheduled just prior to the university’s spring break. “We want our students to engage in conversations and to be thinking about how they value themselves and their bodies during this week,” said Jessica Morales, Director of Student Life. “Sex Week provides our students with an opportunity to have open dialogue with each other and we are encouraging our students to have a sense of pride in safety, responsibility and respect.” Sex Week activities begin Monday, March 2 and some events are...

High school students and community college students looking to enroll at Western New Mexico University in the upcoming fall semester are invited to attend Mustang Showcase on Saturday, March 21. The event will give prospective students a preview of life on campus and connect them with their programs of interest. Scholarships will be awarded to attendees who qualify. “We are rolling out a new set of scholarships for incoming students,” said Matthew Lara, Director of Admissions. “High school students that have performed well academically or that have shown leadership in their communities may qualify for these awards.” The new tuition guarantee program will also be highlighted. The program will be initiated for the incoming freshman class promising them a static tuition rate for four years if they maintain a 2.0 G.P.A. and enroll continuously for four years. “The best way to decide what university to attend is to visit the campus,” added Lara. “Students will see...

The premier of TRUTH, a movie shot in and around Silver City, will premier at Light Hall Theater on Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7. The movie’s director Michael J. Cramer, along with producers and cast members, will attend the premier and be available for a Q&A session following the screening. The movie includes scenes filmed at Fort Bayard Medical Center and on the Western New Mexico University main campus, including classroom scenes inside Harlan Hall. WNMU students and community members appear as extras in the film. TRUTH follows a diverse group of college students who stumble into a top-secret facility hidden in plain sight somewhere deep in the mountains of the Gila wilderness. Unbeknownst to them, the hospital was ground zero for a large-scale test of truth serum based on an inert virus ten years earlier; a test that went disastrously wrong, forcing the closure of the facility. The students fight against time to prevent the deadly virus from affecting...

The recent controversies on policing in New Mexico and racial profiling throughout the country will be the topics of discussion at a forum titled Guilty Until Proven Innocent on Tuesday, February 24 at 5:30 p.m. in the Miller Library. The panel will include members of the community representing different facets of the law enforcement perspective. Panelists include Isaac Brundage, WNMU Vice President of Student Affairs; Francesca Estevez, District Attorney of the sixth judicial district; Dr. Andrew Warren, professor of criminal justice; and Waldo Winborn, WNMU campus police officer. Estevez’ experience includes a 17-year career as a prosecutor. She served as a deputy district attorney before being elected to District Attorney in 2012. Prior to being a WNMU patrolman, Winborn retired as a sergeant with the New Mexico State Police. His experience includes a 24-year law enforcement career. The event includes refreshments and light food following the panel...

Social workers are all about helping others and in 2012 an institute was created to help extend the reach and impact of the social work community in Grant County. The Institute for Rural Social Work (IRSR) was created by Dr. Bob Rickle, professor of Social Work at Western New Mexico University. Since its inception, the institute has partnered with several organizations to provide training and to gather information on local communities. Last summer, IRSR was a major sponsor of the 39th annual National Institute for Social Work and Human Services, which took place in July at the Silver City campus. “IRSR is dedicated to providing research, evaluation and technical assistance to rural social service agencies to build and sustain community capacity,” said Rickle. “An important aspect of the IRSR mission is to give back to the communities serviced by the organization in the form of student scholarships.” Scholarships were awarded in Lordsburg and Deming earlier this...