News

The tastes of Malaysia will be served up by Sodexo Global Chef Vigean Suparamaniam on Thursday, October 16 and Friday, October 17. Chef Suparamaniam will prepare classic dishes from Malaysia and other Asian countries and will provide active demonstrations of meal preparation that involve the students and other attendees. Chef Suparamaniam is participating in this program at the Western New Mexico University Mustang Dining Hall as part of the 2014-2015 Sodexo Global Chef Program. The program is a month-long international chef residency that provides an opportunity for Sodexo’s top chefs worldwide to travel to different countries and share authentic international cuisines with students, faculty and staff. The program allows students to sample a slice of another culture while also exposing the local culinary staff to new techniques and flavors. The presentations will be given on Thursday, October 16 from 11:00am to 1:30pm and 4:30 p.m. to 7pm; and on Friday, October 17 from...

Western New Mexico University is once again partnering with the Volunteer Center of Grant County and the American Association of University Women of Silver City to host the annual Hunger for Knowledge Dinner fundraiser. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, November 5 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at The Commons on 501 E. 13th Street. The dinner is a unique experience for attendees to learn about hunger and poverty in New Mexico. Tickets are $15 per person and all proceeds benefit hunger programs facilitated the Volunteer Center of Grant County. The programs include the community food pantry, backpacks for kids in Grant County and the mobile food pantry. Each year about $2500 are raised for the center. Students in the sociology program at WNMU assist in facilitating the event. For more information, contact...

He’s been referred to as the country’s best diversity artist, and now he is ready to inspire audiences at Western New Mexico University on Monday, October 13. Matt Glowacki will be speaking at the Global Resource Center at 7:00 p.m. to WNMU students and anyone else in the community who wants to hear his inspiring message. His talk is inspired by two animated programs, Family Guy and South Park. Glowacki is a motivational speaker and a wheelchair bound athlete. He will be using his presentation to deliver his uplifting message related to stereotypes and prejudices. Born without any legs, Glowacki travels the country delivering his message and inspiring younger audiences to break stereotypes and look beyond people’s differences. Glowacki began sharing his message in college, while he attending the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. He played wheelchair basketball during his collegiate years and simultaneously...

Beginning October 14, Western New Mexico University will resume administering the High School Equivalency Exam, formerly known as the G.E.D. test. The exam is administered in the Juan Chacon Building testing room and is now done electronically rather than paper based. Test takers can register for the test online at www.gedtestingservice.com. For October, WNMU is offering exam opportunities on October 14, 15, 22, 28 and 29. All exams begin at 8:30am and end at 2:00p.m. Reservations for a test date must be made at least 24 hours in advance. After completing the exam, students can review their scores online at www.diplomasender.com. Adult Education Services offers free preparatory courses at Watts Hall for exam takers. Community members can enroll for the courses at any time. For more information, contact...

In a remote village, surrounded by people who speak a different language, more than 8,000 miles away from her hometown of Gallup, New Mexico, Brittany Chiapetti set out to research Asian elephants. “Elephants can live up to 60 years,” said Chiapetti, a junior double majoring in zoology and psychology. “Yet they often die from being overworked, exhausted and dehydrated.” For six weeks this past summer, Chiapetti lived and studied in a remote village in Thailand. She volunteered for Global Vision International (GVI) and researched elephant vocalization. GVI facilitates research projects throughout the world with more than 2,000 participants each year. “Up to four times a week, we hiked in the jungle and found the elephants,” said Chiapetti. “We collected proximity data and touch data from elephants that were born in camps and were reintroduced into the wild.” As a volunteer for GVI, Chiapetti was not required to do research during her experience. She informed...

Professor Jim Helgert was recently recognized by Molina Health Care of Albuquerque as one of six recipients of the Community Champion Award. Helgert is in his second year as professor of Chemical Dependency for the College of Professional Studies. He was nominated for the award for his 20 years of work with chemical dependent people and the programs he has facilitated to prevent addiction in the local community. Tripsitter has commended him for his recent work in harm reduction and advocating for the safe and responsible use of substances to prevent side effects and potential overdose through education. Throughout his career Helgert has held licenses in drug and alcohol abuse counseling and was certified as a suicide prevention and crisis intervention trainer. For the last two decades, Helgert has been instrumental in developing and facilitating successful programs such as the Grant County Drug Court. In Hidalgo County, he assisted with the Bootheel Youth Association, focusing...

Columbus, NM – A memorandum of understanding was signed by President Joseph Shepard and Village of Columbus Mayor Phillip Skinner on Saturday, September 13 increasing the opportunities of education offered at the local level for residents in the Columbus, New Mexico area. The signing took place at the old elementary school gym and was accompanied by other local festivities. It marks the latest in a series of agreements that Western New Mexico University is formalizing with schools, universities and communities. “This is a great opportunity not just for WNMU but for the students of Columbus that usually have to stay out late to take these classes,” said James Ortiz, Interim Chair for the College of Community and Workforce Development. High school aged students travel to Deming each day to attend classes and are also enrolled in the dual enrollment program, attending applied technology courses in welding and other subjects. The classes are often held after school...

Several events are planned for alumni returning to their alma mater for homecoming, the first weekend of October. The weekend of events will kick off with the third annual Alumni Scholarship Golf Tournament on Friday, October 3 at 8:00 a.m. Individuals can register a four member team for $400, or $125 per person. Proceeds benefit student scholarships. The Office of Alumni Affairs is hosting a weekend check-in at Hunter Hall from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Following the check-in, the annual Alumni Association General Membership meeting will take place at 4:00 p.m. in the same location. Friday’s activities will conclude with a dinner recognizing Distinguished and Outstanding Alumni at the home of President Shepard at 6pm. Nicolas Otero ’99, Charles “Skeeta” Jenkins ’98 and Juanita Escobedo ’83 are this year’s alumni honorees. Saturday, October 4 is Homecoming Day. The Mustang football team will compete against Fort Lewis on Saturday, October 4 at 1:30...