News

The Lone Star Conference announced their Academic Excellence Awards and Individual Sport Academic Champions List. Topping the latter list with three individual men’s sports champions were the Mustangs of Western New Mexico University. The Mustangs earned top GPAs in football (2.780), men’s outdoor track and field (3.356) and men's golf (3.815). “Achieving top GPAs across multiple sports is a testament to our student-athletes’ commitment to excellence both on and off the field.” said Executive Director of Athletics, Scott Noble. “Our student-athletes taking advantage of resources, such as academic advising, tutoring, and study facilities, allow them to thrive academically and demonstrates that academic success and athletic excellence are not mutually exclusive, but rather, they complement and reinforce each other.” “Additionally, our coaches’ dedication to recruiting individuals who embody the values of our university has been crucial. They seek out...

Western New Mexico University celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of its Law Enforcement Academy on September 11, 2024 at the Besse-Forward Global Resource Center. Those in attendance were welcomed by Director of the Law Enforcement Training Academy Gil Najar and Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Jack Crocker. Crocker emphasized how the academy has not just contributed significantly to public safety in southwest New Mexico but to the state as a whole. “Many have gone on to be leaders in law enforcement and are keeping our communities safe,” he said. “We are continuing to serve the community and the state well trained officers who move into the community and serve in leadership positions as well as protect us.” The keynote speaker for the event was Fred Radosevich, a member of the first graduating class who served as chief of police for multiple New Mexico communities. Radosevich reminisced about his time at the academy and how regimented the...

The Western New Mexico University (WNMU) Board of Regents approved updates to university handbooks, accepted a financial certification, approved an adjustment to the student textbook fee and discussed performance goals for WNMU President Joseph Shepard, during their meeting of September 12, 2024. Regent Chair Dr. Mary E. Hotvedt presided over the meeting from the Thomas B. McDonald Student Memorial Building with Regents Dr. Lyndon Haviland, Dal Moellenberg and Student Regent Trent Jones joining virtually while Regent Dr. Dan Lopez was absent. In his report to the board, President Shepard noted the university’s enrollment numbers remain steady, reflecting similar figures to last fall’s enrollment, while highlighting university housing sits at 98% occupancy for the fall semester. Additionally, President Shepard briefed the Regents about the shooting incident that occurred near the Silver City campus, which led to a campuswide shelter-in-place order. “During this incident, no...

September 15 marks the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which recognizes the contributions of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. What began as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 has since been expanded into a month-long celebration of all things Hispanic and Latino. WNMU, an Hispanic Serving Institution and a charter member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, has several activities planned in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month. On Thursday, September 19, there will be an Hispanic Heritage Month Fiesta on the pool patio from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Grant County native, WNMU Nursing major and singer Keana Huerta will be performing, and there will be food and dancing. Also on September 19, Brasil-based Argentine composer, accordionist, and researcher Alejandro Brittes will perform in concert at Light Hall. Brittes explores the music and dance tradition of northeastern Argentina, chamamé,...

Voters in New Mexico have overwhelmingly supported General Obligation (GO) bonds in recent years, making possible crucial capital improvements to the state’s universities, colleges and specialty schools. On the WNMU campus, successful projects have ranged from the remodeling of existing structures to construction of new facilities that expand the university’s educational reach. One project funded by previous GO bonds is the WNMU John Arthur and Janette Smith Educational Center, an 8,697 square foot building that houses the university’s Deming health sciences offerings, including its nursing, phlebotomy, pharmacy technician, and Certified Nursing Assistant programs. Completed in 2023, the new center cost $10,765,000, partly paid for by GO bonds in 2018 and 2022. The new facility in Deming expands educational opportunities for people throughout Luna and Hidalgo Counties, who have traditionally been underserved. The new John Arthur and Janette Smith Educational Center, said...

The WNMU Francis McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art is featuring a new installation by Assistant Professor of Sculpture Erin Monet Wheary. The exhibition includes a large-scale collaborative drawing as well as corresponding photographs and cyanotypes. The works have their origin in Santa Cruz de Mompox, Colombia, where Wheary was invited to an artist’s residency last winter. Wheary was inspired by the Magdalena River, which flows through Mompox and has changed course over the years. “This installation is an homage to the intrinsic power of the river, a celebration of its ability to carve and shape the very foundations of our existence,” said Wheary in her artist’s statement. “Water, an elemental force, serves as the sculptor of landscapes,” noted Wheary, “etching its passage through the earth, leaving behind a tapestry of layered memories in the form of riverbanks.” Meandro, she said, “encapsulates the essence of this dynamic relationship.” Expressive...

Thirty-two nursing student took part in a Purple Coat Ceremony to mark the start of their clinical education and commit themselves to compassionate care, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. The ceremony was modeled on the White Coat Ceremony, which was initiated in 1993 at Columbia University. Today, nearly every medical school in the United States, hundreds of nursing schools, and many other health profession schools participate in the tradition. The ceremony is designed as a rite of passage to emphasize the importance of compassionate patient care at the very start of training. Students recite an oath, dedicating themselves to providing the highest quality care and services. In addition to the oath, students come forward to be “cloaked” before family and friends. While a white coat is usually symbolic of the health care field, at WNMU, students receive a purple scrub jacket, consistent with the university’s colors. According to Professor of Nursing Krista Wood, who opened the...

Western New Mexico University President Joseph Shepard spoke to the Rotary Club of Silver City on Tuesday, September 3, 2024. The event was held in the Sunset Room of the WNMU Student Memorial Building. Shepard provided an overview of General Obligation Bond 3, which will be on the ballot this November, and he described the university’s plans to use $9 million in funding from the GO Bond to design, construct and furnish a new Child Development Center, which will be part of the New Mexico Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Education. “If we receive , that will be the beginning of building a new Child Development Center out behind St. Mary’s Church,” said Shepard. The new facility will increase the current center’s infant and toddler program capacity by 45% and include indoor and outdoor learning spaces, offices and space for future growth. In addition to this initial bond-funded project, the university also has longer-term goals for the site off Alabama...

Students in the Western New Mexico University School of Business Entrepreneurship II class created pop-up start-up businesses to begin the fall semester. For this assignment, Adjunct Professor Doug Fletcher’s students worked in small groups, and each was provided with $20 in start-up funding. Their task was to come up with a money-making business that could turn a profit in two hours. Fletcher said that the assignment is a common one in courses on entrepreneurship. “It was started about 20 years ago at Stanford,” he explained, “and became hugely popular just because of its craziness.” At the heart of the assignment is the question, “What can we do with $20 to create a product or service that people would willingly pay us for?” said Fletcher. Students had unlimited time to brainstorm their project, but they could only be open for business for two hours. “With those constraints, it forces you to be creative.” The start-up businesses they created ranged from a...

WNMU will be closed in observance of Labor Day, Monday, September 2,...