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The Western New Mexico University Board of Regents met on Thursday, March 28 on campus in Silver City. Present at the meeting were Regent President Dr. Mary Hotvedt, Vice President Dr. Lyndon Haviland, Student Regent and Secretary Treasurer Trent Jones and Regent Dal Moellenberg. WNMU President Dr. Joseph Shepard ceded some of his time to Faculty Senate President Scott Smith, who reported that currently 70% of university classes are taught online, while 20% are taught face-to-face, and 10% are taught in a hybrid format. The faculty are forming a committee to assess whether the number and kind of face-to-face classes are appropriately meeting student needs. Staff Senate President Adele Springer and Associated Students of WNMU President Elizabeth Gonzales also reported on recent activities in their areas. In his report to the board, President Shepard noted that the university is up 24% in applications over the same time last year. The regents heard an update on the policy...

Western New Mexico University hosted the premiere of a special, WNMU-focused episode of the Amazon Prime TV series “The College Tour” on Thursday, March 21, 2024. The episode was filmed entirely in southwestern New Mexico and showcases WNMU students, the campus, the town of Silver City, and the Gila National Forest. WNMU is the first university in New Mexico to be featured on the series. The half-hour episode was the result of a months-long planning and production process that occurred last fall. It features the stories of ten WNMU students and alumni: Oscar Arteaga Romero, Stacey Bernstein, Megan Custer, Itzela Darkenwald, Natalee Drissell, Logan Eastman, Antonio Guerrero Ramos, Violeta “Blanca” Jaure, Brooke Rodgers and Ethan Sanchez. The episode also had three understudies: Dorrie Dennison, Keana Huerta and Ariana Medina. Each of the students and alumni featured in the episode shared their WNMU stories, highlighting a variety of academic majors as well as student life...

Dorrie Dennison had been working in food service for many years when she heard about the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship, a scholarship that allows college students pursuing their first degree to attend tuition-free. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to work in food service my whole life,” she said, “I wanted something more.” So at the age of thirty-six, Dennison, who is originally from Austin, Texas, decided to enroll at Western New Mexico University. “I honestly never thought I would attend college,” she said, “but then I learned about the Opportunity Scholarship . . . and decided that I was ready to have a professional career.” An accounting major, Dennison said she is enjoying both her major and the other classes she has taken. “There is kind of a cliché about accounting being boring,” she said, “but really it can take you in all sorts of directions. Most every business you can imagine needs accounting, and then there are a range of non-profits one could...

For the first time, Western New Mexico University will be hosting a free, day-long song writing workshop for active and retired military, veterans and their spouses. The event, which will take place on April 13, is sponsored by WNMU Cultural Affairs and New Mexico Arts, and it is brought to campus by the Center for American Military Music Opportunities (CAMMO), a Washington, DC, area non-profit organization dedicated to providing music-based therapeutic programming for service members, veterans and their families. CAMMO also provides training and education in music industry career opportunities. Cathie Lechareas, the co-founder and executive director of CAMMO, said that the organization’s mission is especially needed in today’s world. “In a world of wars that last decades,” she said, “hundreds of thousands of military men and women who serve our country make sacrifices for our security and endure injuries to both their bodies and their spirits. Additionally, many delay...

The WNMU Francis McCray Gallery of Art held a well-attended reception to celebrate the opening of its Juried Student Art Exhibit on February 29, 2024. The exhibit showcases the diversity of art created on campus, from painting to ceramics to sculpture. “The innovative and divergent variety of work that has been executed by the students brings a fresh modern energy to this year’s exhibition,” said McCray Gallery Director Jill Winburn, “With the help of their professors, students really jumped into preparing their work for presentation and that has really made all the difference in this year’s juried exhibition. Their pride and delight in their work really shines.” Expressive Arts major Jasper Eyrich-Bingham noted how participating in the show allowed him a different perspective from what he has as a student in class. “I can get good feedback and engagement from peers and professors,” he said, “but there is something I find to be very profound about showing art...

WNMU will be on spring break, March 11-15, with campus offices closed for the...

The WNMU Nursing program’s recent pre-licensure BSN graduates have a 100% passing rate on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), the test that is required to become licensed as a nurse. The most recent national average passing rate for baccalaureate students is approximately 90%. Associate Dean of the School of Nursing and Kinesiology (SONAK) Kimberly Petrovic attributed the success in part to state appropriations to the university, which allowed SONAK to make substantial changes to its prelicensure BSN curriculum. Professor of Nursing Charnelle Lee who has been taking a lead role in these revisions, said that some of the changes were in conjunction with changes to the NCLEX exam itself. “At every level , we changed our testing policy, adding clinical judgement questions to exams,” she said, “Those give the student scenarios that they have to go through. It replicates the real clinical environment much more than multiple choice questions do.” The...

Kinesiology major Itzela Darkenwald comes by her love of adventure honestly. “My family is a huge part of who I am and why I am here today,” she said, “My father is a pilot, so I grew up travelling the world. … And my mom is from Panama and is a massage therapist, so that gives me another international connection as well as my interest in the human body and how it works.” From her parents, she said, she gets “a lot of my aspiration and drive for new adventures and new things.” A member of WNMU Cross Country team, Darkenwald originally chose kinesiology with the intention of going to graduate school and becoming a physician assistant. “Being an athlete, I have always been super interested in the body and how it is working in relation to exercise, so that really drew me to kinesiology,” she said. However, her experiences as a minor in the Outdoor Leadership program have opened new possibilities for her to explore. One of the key things she has learned in Outdoor...

After a number of years of waiting tables and bartending, Regina Barnett (BS ’23) knew she wanted to change career directions, but with a young son with autism at home, she needed higher education to come to her. So Barnett enrolled at WNMU where she could take all of her classes online. While she originally started in the associate’s degree program, she soon decided to pursue a bachelor’s in English. “I have always loved reading, and I have always been analytical, so it just made sense,” said Barnett. After taking some history classes at WNMU, she found that a second major was within reach, and she earned a bachelor’s degree in both English and History. Barnett has since started working on her Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, with the goal of one day teaching at a community college. She said that she was inspired to teach by her classes at WNMU. Specifically mentioning an English class with the Director of Interdisciplinary Studies Professor Heather...

Staff Senate will celebrate its 30th anniversary on March 7, 2:00-3:30 in the Sunset Room of the Dining Hall. Refreshments will be provided. This is an opportunity to recognize the service of Staff Senators past and present and to celebrate the contributions of Staff Senate to the university and the...