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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...

Graduate student in Social Work Jia Rowland (BSW ’22) attended the Global Placemaking Summit in Mexico City, November 1-5. Her attendance was made possible by WNMU Student Research and Professional Development funding. “Placemaking is really as simple as it sounds,” said Rowland. “It’s making space. . . In oppressed communities, in indigenous populations, they don’t have bike lanes, they don’t have sidewalks, and that is going to keep people from having third places—places that aren’t workplaces, that aren’t schools . . . places just to be.” The summit brought together people from around the world to “share their experiences and ideas on how to create more livable, inclusive, and sustainable public spaces,” according to the event organizers. Rowland’s interest in placemaking is tied to her own sense of place as a Midwesterner who now calls New Mexico home. “I love New Mexico,” she said, “I love the Gila. I love camping, hiking, being outside,...

WNMU will be on a holiday schedule December 21-January 2, with most university offices closed and others open on a limited basis. During this time, Undergraduate Admissions, Graduate Admissions/Outreach Programs, Financial Aid, Registrar, and the Advising Center will be open M-F, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, but closed December 25 and January...

In a season of holidays, it is easy to overlook December 20, which is recognized as International Human Solidarity Day. Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005, International Human Solidarity Day was created to promote the values of solidarity and cooperation among people across the globe. These values are shared by the diverse family of students, faculty and alumni of WNMU who have been working together to strengthen cross-cultural understanding. One of these people is MBA student Rita Escalante Alegria (BS ’22), who serves as co-president of the International Student Association. Escalante, who is from Sonora, Mexico, is one of the students that worked to establish the new International Student Association on campus. This student organization has collaborated with the Admissions office to create an orientation program geared toward international students, and they have organized other events, such as a panel discussion at this year’s WNMU Academic and...

A Deming educator and WNMU alumna has won the prestigious Milken Educator Award. Magali Gomez (BSW ’12, MSW ’17, MAT ’23) earned the award because she has “established herself as a steadfast teacher leader and inspiring mentor who works every day to support her colleagues and achieve notable academic and personal growth for her students,” according to a news release from the Milken Family Foundation, which sponsors the awards. The Milken Educator Awards target early- to mid-career teachers who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and who offer strong long-range potential for professional and policy leadership. The award comes with an unrestricted $25,000 prize. In addition to the monetary award, recipients join a cadre of other Milken Educators and receive powerful mentorship opportunities. Gomez works at Ruben S. Torres Elementary in Deming, where she teaches fifth grade students bilingually in both Spanish and English, and teaching in a small town has...

WNMU awarded two honorary doctorates at this year’s fall Commencement, one to former NM Representative Rodolpho Martinez (BS ’78) and another to former director of the Legislative Finance Committee David Abbey. Rodolpho Martinez Born in Santa Rita, NM, Martinez worked in the mining industry for Kennecott Copper and Phelps Dodge, retiring as a senior planner for the electrical department in 2006. In addition to that career, Martinez has also been involved in public service for more than 27 years. He has served as a Bayard city councilor, mayor, county commission chair, and as NM 39th Legislative District Representative. Martinez is a US Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War. He has received the “Profile of Courage” award from the Vietnam Veterans of America NM State Council, and he has continued to advocate on behalf of veterans. Martinez said that one of the greatest challenges of his time in the Legislature was weathering the years when there was no capital outlay...