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Silver City native Ethan Sanchez did not always know that he would become a welder. “I started the CNA program. I wanted to be a nurse first of all,” he explained. Once he entered into direct care, though, he realized that it was not for him. While looking for an alternative career path, Sanchez met James Ortiz, Director of Community and Workforce Development at WNMU, who suggested he consider welding. “I tried it, and I fell in love with it,” said Sanchez. He noted that creativity and job security were the main reasons he was so attracted to welding. “You can always put your own touch to it,” he said, “I like to make personal.” He also enjoys having a career that will always be in demand and pays well. Since completing his welding certificate at WNMU in 2023, Sanchez has been working for a local construction company and has been surprised by where his new career has taken him. Most recently, he traveled to the San Diego area for a project, and he will soon...

Anyone who has recently needed home maintenance or repair knows that New Mexico needs more skilled workers.  According to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, that need is only expected to grow.  The statewide need for workers in construction and extraction industries is expected to grow by 11% between 2020 and 2030, and in that same period, the labor market in installation, maintenance and repair is expected to grow almost 13%. The need for health care support workers is expected to grow 22.6%. Western New Mexico University is already addressing these shortages by training skilled workers through its Community and Workforce Development programs—including programs in welding, electrical, construction technology and industrial mechanics—but the university has plans to significantly expand its capacity through a new Career Technical Education Center. The new facility would offer trade training programs that tie directly to employment opportunities in Western New...

Even before he set foot in a classroom on campus, first year student Antonio Guerrero was immersed in Mariachi Plata de WNMU. A graduate of Atrisco Heritage Academy High School in Albuquerque, Guerrero was in Silver City last June for El Son de la Gila, a mariachi conference sponsored by WNMU, and for ¡Fiesta Latina!, the annual celebration of New Mexico’s connection with its Mexican heritage, customs and traditions. “We hit the ground running when I came here because even before I started classes, we had a two-week camp for ¡Fiesta Latina!” and the conference, said Guerrero. Mariachi Plata de WNMU is central to Guerrero’s attendance at the university. He learned about the group when members visited and performed at his high school with WNMU Music Instructor and Director of Mariachi Plata de WNMU Bryant Chaffino. “They are the biggest reason why I came here,” said Guerrero. Since this summer, Guerrero, who plays the vihuela for the group, has traveled...

The Western New Mexico University Board of Regents voted to review the university’s policies and procedures, reaffirmed the importance of the university’s international partnerships and heard from faculty, staff and student leadership representatives during their meeting, conducted in a hybrid manner, Friday, January 19, 2024. They also allowed substantial time for public comment. With no old business to consider, the regents spent a portion of the meeting hearing updates from across campus as presented by WNMU President Dr. Joseph Shepard, Vice President of External Affairs Dr. Magdaleno Manzanarez, Faculty Senate President Dr. Scott Smith, Staff Senate President Adele Springer and Associated Students of WNMU President Elizabeth Gonzales. Regent Chair Dr. Mary Hotvedt presided over the meeting from Miller Library along with Student Regent Trent Jones, with Regents Dr. Lyndon Haviland and Dal Moellenberg joining virtually. During his report, President Dr. Joseph Shepard...

 WNMU is requesting $14,000,000 of capital outlay funding for Phase I of construction of a new building complex to house the New Mexico Center of Excellence in Early Childhood Education, which is dedicated to educating and training New Mexico’s early childhood educators. The new facility will be built on university-owned land off of N. Alabama St., behind the St. Mary’s Academy building in Silver City. At 12,500 square feet, it will house five classrooms, a kitchen, administrative offices and a reception area, and it will be powered by rooftop photovoltaic cells in keeping with the university’s plan to be carbon-neutral by 2030. Outside on the property will be a toddler playground, a school-age playground, an amphitheater and an outdoor classroom, and nearby is situated the Guadalupe Montessori School. “The current Child Development Center is facing capacity constraints,” said Dr. Cindy Martinez, Dean of the College of Education, “These constraints will continue to...

Attending WNMU is a family affair for first-year student Stacey Bernstein. Her mother is also a student at the university, earning her Master’s of Social Work, and her younger sister, who is a senior in high school, is a dual-enrollment student at WNMU. The family of six lives on 26 acres near Silver City with a bevy of animals: donkeys, a cow, chicken, geese, cats, a sugar glider and Saint Bernards, including a recent litter of puppies. Whether surrounded by animals or humans, community is very important to Bernstein and one of the things she appreciates most about WNMU. “It is very community oriented,” she said of the university campus, “Every day I see friends that I went to high school with. It is nice to see familiar faces.” Another reason for her to choose WNMU is that it is so close to home. Born in California, Bernstein and her family moved from Idaho to New Mexico just a few years ago, and she was ready to stay put. “I feel like I just had a big move,”...

With the New Mexico Legislature beginning its 2024 session this week, WNMU leadership is gearing up to advocate on behalf of the university by requesting the state budget include funding for a number of projects. The focus of the university’s advocacy efforts will occur on January 24, which is Grant County Day at the Legislature.  On this day, not only is the WNMU leadership team in Santa Fe, but members of student government will have a chance to meet with legislators, and Mariachi Plata de WNMU will perform in the statehouse. Heading the list of capital projects for which the university seeks funding is a new Career Technical Education Center to be built in Grant County’s mining district. WNMU is requesting $30,000,000 for this project. The new center would allow the university to expand its vocational programming to more fully address the education and workforce needs of the region. Assistant Vice President of Facilities and Operations Kevin Matthes noted that “There...

Big changes are afoot at the WNMU Campus Recreation Center, including pool improvements and the addition of a climbing wall. The campus swimming pool will be undergoing substantial improvements, including replacement of the filtration system, which had become obsolete and was no longer functioning properly, and salt chlorination system. Because the filtration and salt chlorination systems are not in-stock items, the entire project is expected to take several months. The university is taking advantage of this down-time to resurface the pool as well. Campus Recreation Coordinator Breya Brown said she was excited about the pool renovations. “I know it would help with some issues we were previously having with the pool,” she said, “and it will also enhance the look and feel of our pool, which I am sure our members would enjoy.” The university expects the pool to reopen by midsummer. Another big change in campus recreation has been the installation of a new indoor climbing...

 When she was considering her college options, nursing major Ariana Medina (BAS ’22) did not just stumble upon WNMU; both of her parents are alumni of the university, and her mother works for WNMU.  Medina said she was inspired by her parents’ experiences.  “They both said they were very fortunate to have as they were going through their educational journey,” said Medina, “so that was more or less my inspiration for wanting to attend Western New Mexico University.” Since starting at the university, she has seen that kind of strong support first-hand. Said Medina of WNMU, “There are smaller class sizes, and you are not identified as a number here. You are an actual person and your professors know you, and you can seek that interaction with them when needed.” The support network extends beyond the classroom, Medina said. “There is no shortage of opportunities” at WNMU, she said, “You have resources at every corner within your staff and faculty that are...

While academic opportunities are what brought first-year student Logan Eastman to WNMU, the Gila is what has made him feel at home. Brought up in Tijeras, NM, east of Albuquerque, Eastman has lived his entire life close to nature. “Growing up, I was living in the Cibola National Forest,” said Eastman, “so I have always lived in a location where I had these huge, beautiful trees around me that were protected. And so for me is another nice backyard to have.” But the Gila is also serving as a laboratory for Eastman, a Zoology major. He described a recent field trip to Cherry Creek in the Gila National Forest with Professors Eric Casler and Bill Norris. “We drove in vans and we went into Cherry Creek for one of our assignments in one of our labs,” he said. The class collected samples of leaves from different trees to study. While all of nature interests Eastman, he has a particular passion for insects, and for ants especially. Ants, he said “are just fascinating when...