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Western New Mexico University professor Dr. Jennifer Johnston, who studies the relationship between news coverage and mass shootings, addressed the federal commission on school safety in Washington, D.C., this summer. Dr. Johnston had the ears of U.S. Education Secretary and Commission Chair Betsy DeVos, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen while briefing the commission on her research, which points to a possible three-fold decrease in mass shootings if the media did not name shooters. “From 1950s to the year 2000, there were only about two incidents per year. Last year was a record of 30 mass shootings in 2017,” Dr. Johnston said. “In an examination of the usual suspects and potential causes of mass shootings, media contagion is the one potential cause that has a corresponding meteoric rise.” Eleven studies, including Dr. Johnston’s out of WNMU, have...

The Western New Mexico University Cultural Affairs fall season kicks off with a concert by Americana trio Red Molly on Thursday, September 13, 2018. The fall season is packed with seven concerts, two artist lectures and exhibits, a documentary film, and one exotic visual performance. WNMU Cultural Affairs will be continuing its President’s Chamber Music Series and the Edwina Milner Women in the Arts lecture series this fall through this spring. From throwback bands like Hotel California — A Salute to the Eagles and folksy vocalists like Red Molly to high-energy performances like SIRO A — Techno Circus, the WNMU Cultural Affairs fall lineup appeals to families and to university students. “We are very excited about this season’s offerings and eager to welcome the community onto WNMU’s beautiful campus to experience arts and culture. We scheduled a mix of high-quality performances and visual arts to provide something for everyone,” said Faye McCalmont, WNMU’s...

The Western New Mexico University Foundation honored alumna, professor and longtime friend Linda McGee for four decades of service by naming a study lounge in historic Light Hall after Linda and her late husband, John. “It’s fitting that the space is for students, because the McGee’s whole relationship with the university has been about supporting students,” WNMU Foundation Director Jodi Edens-Crocker said. “Naming the lounge after them was our way of recognizing a lifetime of supporting students.” Linda graduated with a bachelor’s in accounting in 1969 and has contributed on campus ever since. She was an accounting professor for more than 30 years, retiring ranked as a full professor in 2010 and beginning her service on the WNMU Foundation Board of Directors. “I’m proud of my relationships with my students and so honored to see them grow into valuable members of society,” Linda said, noting that the naming of the study lounge means much to her. “I’m...

This November, voters in Grant, Luna, Hidalgo and Catron counties will be asked to invest in the state’s public colleges, universities and specialty schools. General Obligation Bond D (referred to as GO Bond D) is asking voters to approve more than $128 million for needed renovations, upgrades and improvements. Voting on GO Bond D will not increase property taxes. In Silver City, approval of Bond D will mean an allocation of $6,000,000 for Western New Mexico University, which will fund the completion of the Harlan Hall renovation project. The university is upgrading the existing but outdated natural science department facilities. “GO Bond D is the primary source of funding that Western New Mexico University has to re-invest in our historic buildings and modernize facilities. By upgrading technology and improving safety, we give our students experiences that will help them contribute positively toward a better New Mexico future,” WNMU President Dr. Joseph Shepard said....

Western New Mexico University signed agreements with four higher education institutions in the border state of Sonora at the 2018 Annual Plenary Meeting of the New Mexico Sonora Commission on Thursday, August 23. The meeting took place in Santa Fe and was attended by delegates from both the State of New Mexico and the State of Sonora, Mexico. Among the higher education delegates at the meeting was WNMU President Dr. Joseph Shepard whose initiatives in the realm of international education have spurred agreements between WNMU and 48 Mexican universities. President Shepard met the rectors from Universidad de Sonora; Universidad Estatal de Sonora; Centro Regional de Formación Profesional Docente de Sonora; and Secretaría de Educación y Cultura for a private meeting on Thursday morning, leaving having signed general collaboration agreements with each institution. “The State of Sonora and the State of New Mexico share much culturally and economically. With the signed...

Western New Mexico University is adding a new sculpture to its permanent collection. “Blood Moon Raven” is a piece by Silver City artist Cecilia Stanford and is the most recent sculpture of a series dedicated to the iconic raven. The sculpture will be installed on the hill overlooking Light Hall Theater and will be dedicated on Wednesday, August 29, at 1:30 p.m. “‘Blood Moon Raven’ celebrates the beauty of southwest New Mexico and will be a great addition to our sculpture program, which extends all across campus,” WNMU Special Assistant to the President for Cultural Affairs Faye McCalmont said. “These works of art help to beautify the campus for both the WNMU community and the Silver City community. The fact that the artist is a local sculptor adds to the appeal, further connecting WNMU to local residents.” Stanford’s mosaic work covers a range of narrative imagery inspired by a career in theater arts and by an apprenticeship to James Hubbell, international...

Stephanie Seguin’s solo exhibition, Finding For(u)m, will open at the Western New Mexico University Frances McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art on September 10, 2018, with a reception at 4:30 p.m. Seguin will also give an artist talk on August 30 at 6 p.m. in WNMU’s Parotti Hall Room 140. Comprised of over 100 clay vessels, Finding For(u)m explores the relationship between the collective and the individual. Through various compositions assembled with attention to proximity, likeness and divergence of forms, the show asks viewers to consider the roles in which the novel and the nuanced play in our everyday. Seguin is an artist-in-residence at Carbondale Clay Center in Carbondale, Colorado, as well as faculty at Colorado Mountain College in Aspen, Colorado. She received her MFA from Pennsylvania State University in 2017, and her BFA from Minnesota State University – Moorhead in 2009. Born and raised in the Minneapolis area, Seguin used her ambition in clay to explore new...

The twelve student participants in the Western New Mexico University outdoor program’s first ever wilderness orientation returned to campus healthy and enthused Monday. Many of the freshman on the multi-day backpacking trip through the Gila Wilderness signed up to try something new and branch out. “I thought it would be a new life and wanted to start with something different and see how it went. It was great — better than I expected,” said Luis Chavez, who plans to be a wilderness orientation leader next year. Raegan Carpenter from Los Angeles County, California, said, “I’ve always wanted to do something outdoorsy so when my advisor told me about this trip, I thought, ‘That’s pretty cool.’” Over several days, the group hiked 40 miles from TJ Corral toward Woodland Park, through The Meadows, down the Middle Fork of the Gila River, and then out of the wilderness via Little Bear Canyon Trail. “I’ve been hiking and to camp but nothing as crazy as...

The Western New Mexico University Board of Regents approved the post-tenure review for Dr. Manda Jost, the Revised Five-Year Capital Outlay Projects and Institutional Capital Projects and Infrastructure Projects, and the 2018-2033 Master Plan during their telephonic meeting on Friday, August 10, 2018. Regent Chair Janice Baca-Argabright; Regent Vice Chair Dr. Carl Foster; Student Regent and Secretary/Treasurer Arlean Murillo; and Regents Dr. Dan Salzwedel and Jerry Walz were all in attendance by phone. The board unanimously approved Dr. Jost’s post-tenure review, following WNMU President Dr. Joseph Shepard’s praise on her performance in the realms of teaching, scholarship and community service. “She is eligible to continue her tenure appointment,” Dr. Shepard said. In the summer hearings, the regents added three critical projects to the university’s 5-Year Capital Outlay Projects & Institutional Capital Projects & Infrastructure Projects plan. The request for...

Western New Mexico University students will celebrate their return to school with the annual Welcome Back Bash in The Hub Plaza at the corner of 6th and Bullard streets in downtown Silver City on Friday, August 17. WNMU’s Welcome Back Bash begins at 5:30 p.m., and WNMU President Dr. Joseph Shepard will give his State of the University address first thing at Power & Light Press. The bash continues with music by DJ Aero, dancing, games and face painting until wrapping up at 8 p.m. “The beginning of the fall semester is my favorite time of year, because it means that our students are back in the community. We hold the Welcome Back Bash to give students and community members an opportunity to interact and to update everyone on WNMU’s plans and progress,” President Shepard said. Students and members of the public are encouraged to purchase dinner from the establishments in The Hub Plaza, as they will run specials and discounts for the Welcome Back Bash. Every student will...