News

The WNMU humanities department presented an innovative instructional model dubbed “Fusion Courses” to other higher education leaders in the state last week at a conference (link to https://nmhear.nmsu.edu/) focused on assessment and retention. Four faculty members discussed how the university’s English, composition, communication, and philosophy programs have all integrated this pedagogical approach within their curriculum, bringing together online and face-to-face classes through the use of technology. “Fusion courses facilitate interaction between students in both media with each other,” says Associate Professor of Speech and Communication Dr. Benjamin Cline, who shared how he used a fusion course to teach Small Group Communication, promoting collaboration through zoom and lecture capture. This model combines the best practices from both online and face-to-face teaching. WNMU Humanities Chair Kate Oubre and past chair John Gist together birthed the model, which...

Twenty-seven years ago, WNMU Chief of Staff Julie Morales took a job as a media services specialist in Miller Library and headed up the Public Information Office and Alumni Affairs before accepting a position in the university president’s office. She grew into the role she fills today, which entails providing support to the president and the board of regents, leading special projects, working with legal counsel, overseeing Title IX, acting as the chief WNMU records custodian, obtaining governmental liquor licenses, plus “anything else that comes up — and it usually does,” Morales said. She attributes her success to her knack for following through, communicating well, paying attention to details, and asking questions. But Morales’ love for the work she does is the primary reason she has risen to the top at WNMU. “You get to see the students transform from the timid freshman into the confident senior ready to tackle the world,” she said. Western New Mexico University...

Western New Mexico University Freshman To Represent State, Nation at Championships A Western New Mexico University Mustang cross country runner will be representing Team USA at the 2020 Pan Am Cross Country Championships on Saturday, February 29, 2020. The Pan Am Cross Country Cup is in Victoria, Canada, where Daniel Beam and the five other Team USA runners in his category will navigate a hilly and sandy 8-kilometer course. Beam’s placement at the 2020 USATF Cross Country Championships in San Diego, California, a few weeks ago assured him the chance to race for the red, white and blue. “I’m really excited to be going. Obviously, I’d like to do well — run a smart race and maybe help Team USA bring home the gold for the men’s 8k race,” he said. Other U20 Team USATF runners include Evan Bishop of East Grand Rapids High School, Lucas Chung of St. Mary’s College, Alex Comerford of Syracuse University, Corey Gorgas of Northern Arizona University, and Jacob...

Kaissa Duran has worked as a pharmacy tech for nine years. She started as a delivery driver at Silver Rexall Drugstore, is now the lead tech at CVS Pharmacy, and has her sights set on pharmacy school. “I love science. All the classes I’ve taken at WNMU have taught me a lot and gotten me ready for the next step,” said the chemistry major and cell and molecular biology minor. Kaissa will graduate this spring and is giving herself a year to take the PCAT and get admitted to a program. In the meantime, she’s conducting research with WNMU faculty mentor Dr. Shiva Kyasa. She received funding from the New Mexico Alliance for Minority Participation to look into the decomposition of magic mouthwash, a solution prescribed to treat sores. “The rinse is a mixture of Benadryl, Maalox and lidocaine, which all have expiration dates of two years. Once it’s mixed, it can only be used for two weeks. I’m going to analyze it through GC-MS, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry,”she...

A Western New Mexico University Mustang cross country runner will be representing Team USA at the 2020 Pan Am Cross Country Championships on Saturday, February 29, 2020. The Pan Am Cross Country Cup is in Victoria, Canada, where Beam and the five other Team USA runners will navigate a hilly and sandy 8-kilometer course. KRQE News 13 in Albuquerque recently shared his story. Watch below and read the full piece here....

Public Invited To Campus for “Power Structures” Opening Reception on Thursday Evening Western New Mexico University artists in residence for ceramics Atziry A. Apodaca and Natalie Rae Good will show their work for a limited time at WNMU Francis McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art starting Thursday, February 13. “Power Structures” exhibits what the two have created throughout their residencies so far. While not strictly thematic, the show’s name nods to the overlaps of both physical structures and the structures of state, politics, and perspective, which they each highlight in their distinct artistic focuses. The exhibit opens with a reception at the WNMU McCray Gallery on Thursday, February 13, at 4:30 p.m. It will be on display during gallery hours Friday, February 14, from 12:15 to 3:15 p.m. and on Saturday by appointment. “‘Power Structures’ is a one-weekend show,” Apodaca said. Originally from El Paso, Texas, Apodaca lived in Cuidad Juarez for most of...

Starting Monday, February 10, Western New Mexico University students will offer tax help to low-income individuals and families in the southwest corner of the state. This is the 38th year WNMU students have run the local Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, which is supported by Tax Help NM. This free service is for people whose household income is $56,000 or less. The volunteers — WNMU business and accounting students by day — are certified by the IRS and are trained to help taxpayers identify tax credits. “Students get real-life tax preparation filing experience by participating in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program,” said Ashley Montenegro, the adjunct WNMU instructor and certified public accountant who sponsors this program. “Students finish their degrees having filed 50 to 100 tax returns already. The community benefits because, as long as they meet the requirements, they don’t have to pay for our students’ help.” The Volunteer Income Tax...

The Western New Mexico University Board of Regents approved the university president’s 2019-2020 evaluation form and performance goals, the 2018-2019 Fiscal Year Audit Report, the Fiscal Year 2020 Quarter 2 Financial Certification, the Revised Capital Projects Transmittal for Harlan Hall (Phase III), and the Capital Projects Transmittal for Altamirano Field Turf during a meeting at the New Mexico State Capitol in Santa Fe on Thursday, January 30, following Grant County Day at the legislature. “We’ve moved the president’s evaluation form to be connected with the strategic plan. At our last meeting, Dr. Shepard provided us with his performance goals in relation to the strategic plan. We left a category open for things outside the box, things we hadn’t thought of,” said WNMU regent Dr. Mary Hotvedt, who presented the university president’s 2019-2020 evaluation form and performance goals action item. Vice President for Business Affairs Kelley Riddle presented the...

About 400 middle school and high school students from two dozen schools in southwest New Mexico will compete during the Southwest Regional Science Olympiad Competition at Western New Mexico University on Saturday, January 25, 2020. The defending champions from Socorro High and Socorro’s Cottonwood Valley Charter School will be returning to defend their titles. The Southwest Regional Science Olympiad Competition runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in the Fine Arts Center Theatre at 4 p.m. All of the events are held on campus in the Intramural Gym, Harlan Hall and the Phelps/Dodge-Martinez building. “The active events in the gym are likely to be the most interesting, and the public is invited to spectate at any of them,” Southwest Regional Science Olympiad Tournament Director Eric Casler said. The Science Olympiad teams compete in categories such as Earth and Space Science; Physical Science and Chemistry; Technology and...

Dr. Alexandra Neves, WNMU Professor of Bilingual/TESOL Education, spent the fall 2019 semester on a faculty exchange program with Universidad de Oviedo (UNIOVI) in Spain. She and Dr. Mónica Herrera, a UNIOVI faculty member, co-taught a class that involved training student teachers in delivering science content to elementary children in English. Student teachers taught the lessons they created during that class in a local school. During this intervention, Dr. Neves and Dr. Herrera collected data that will be analyzed in further research. While in Europe, Dr. Neves also presented at two conferences: Congresso Internacional de Enseñanza Bilingüe in Granada and the International Association for Intercultural Education in Amsterdam, Holland....