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Star Chavez completed a 10-week research program over the summer, and the junior psychology major is eyeing graduate school eventually. “I’d love to pursue research in cognitive neuroscience psychology and society and health psychology,” she said. But higher education wasn’t something Chavez always sought. “My grandfather, with a Ph.D. in mathematics, was the head of the math department here. My grandma was a math teacher in Bayard with multiple degrees. There was a brief moment in my life when I didn’t want to go to college, but I decided I wanted to reach the same level of education my grandpa did,” Chavez said. Opting to stay in her hometown for her bachelor’s degree, Chavez accepted mentorship from WNMU faculty members, who encouraged her to apply to summer research opportunities. She was accepted to and completed the UTEP BUILDing Scholars program, during which she lived in El Paso and studied how policies impact women’s abilities to access maternal...

Brandon Broussard, who is working toward a master’s in social work at Western New Mexico University, describes himself as an educator by trade. ““I taught for 15 plus years and struggled because I was teaching but I was so much more an advocate for our students,” he said. “At some point, I realized I wanted to help in a different way.” That way, it turns out is currently to formulate a new school-based mental health program model and to improve fatigue and trauma prevention strategies offered to teachers. Support through the WNMU Student Research and Professional Development fund allowed Broussard to devote his summer to defining and working toward having Teacher Trauma recognized by the mental health community. “Nothing exists on this topic, and I’d like teacher trauma to be included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” he said. From Lafayette, Louisiana, Broussard researched “20 to 30 different universities” before starting...

The newest cohort of WNMU School of Nursing students underwent the purple coat ceremony Friday. This rite of passage, which traditionally uses white coats, emphasizes the importance of compassionate patient care at the very start of training and prior to their clinical experiences. “Our nursing students are Mustangs, who wear their purple scrubs with pride. This year, instead of the traditional white coat, we decided to coat our students with purple scrub jackets,” said WNMU School of Nursing Associate Professor Krista Wood. “This cohort is both passionate about the nursing profession and dedicated to meeting the demands of a very rigorous program.” The 20 Level I WNMU nursing students recited an oath of patient care and then were cloaked by WNMU professors Ariana Garcia, Erin Wood and Krista Wood, who welcomed the class of 2024 and recognized the students’ new status as healthcare professionals. “By accepting the purple coat, our nursing students demonstrate...

This fall, voters in southwest New Mexico will be asked to invest in the state’s public colleges, universities and specialty schools. General Obligation Bond C (referred to as GO Bond 3 and formerly known as GO Bond C) is asking voters to approve nearly $215.6 million or needed renovations, upgrades and improvements. Voting "yes" on GO Bond 3 will not increase property tax rates. Approval of Bond 3 will mean an allocation of $4 million for Western New Mexico University, which will fund the expansion of healthcare training programs. Also, passage of Bond 3 is estimated to create more jobs in construction and architecture while boosting local economies and gross receipts tax revenue. In Grant County, WNMU would use GO Bonds to renovate and upgrade its historic Graham Gym and make needed improvements to Old James Road, an important throughway in the heart of the campus. In Luna County, GO Bonds would help complete the new WNMU | Deming Learning Center, including construction...

Western New Mexico University McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art opened the 2022-23 season this week with “Beyond Metal” by metal artist Linda Joanou. Designed to showcase diverse artists working in a variety of media, the gallery’s 2022-23 season boasts exhibits by up-and-coming artists and features work by names such as Salvador Dalí. This fall’s first installment of the WNMU Cultural Affairs Edwina and Charles Milner Women in the Arts Lecture and Exhibit Series, this show brings metal sculptures of bronze, copper, and steel together with a hanging array of recycled bicycle tires to create a whimsical and inspiring installation. Joanou will lecture in Light Hall Auditorium at 6 p.m. A reception at the gallery will follow. “Beyond Metal” will hang until Thursday, October 6. Renowned artist-activist Shirley Klinghoffer’s “CRT Revisited” will open at WNMU McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art on Thursday, October 20. Inspired by the hospital armatures used as...

When she completes her exchange program at Western New Mexico University, Melissa Zenil will have marketing degrees from the WNMU School of Business and from her university in Hermosillo, Mexico. “I came to be interested in marketing because it was the creative side of business,” she said. “You apply arts and colors to business. If you added a little bit of marketing, it could be fun.” The differences between her hometown and Silver City are many. “The weather is cooler here. The place where I came from is bigger. For me, it’s a big change,” Melissa said. Her hobbies include growing plants, reading and listening to...

WNMU student Monica Jose of Laguna Pueblo was selected as a participant in the first offering in New Mexico of the Golden Apple Scholars Program. DW Risdon, who is an associate professor in the WNMU College of Education, said that four of the original cadre of candidates are WNMU students. The Golden Apple Scholars program is a multi-year teacher preparation program that recruits, prepares, and supports New Mexico residents who attend New Mexico colleges and universities and commit to teaching in New Mexico schools. Through the program's institute, students can take advantage of paid professional development opportunities that occur each summer during their undergraduate years and also continually develop in their early years of teaching through mentorship. “Applications for a second cohort are being accepted through the first week in October and it would be great to have more Mustangs in the next group,” said a spokesperson for Golden Apple. Anyone interested in...

Marian Valle arrived at Western New Mexico University ahead of the fall semester, eager to begin her exchange program. She is from Caborca, Mexico, where she studies business at her university’s local campus. An agreement between her hometown institution and WNMU allows her to spend a few semesters in Silver City and earn a dual degree—a bachelor’s in business from this American university as well as a degree from her school in Sonora. This program seems like an obvious avenue toward her life goals. “Since I was a little kid, I always dreamed of having my own company and traveling the world,” Valle said. Only she and one other Mexican student applied for the competitive opportunity this year, and they were selected based on their grades, their resumes, and their ability to speak English. Waiting on the confirmation of scholarships and student visas is a process that takes a lot of time and patience, Valle said. Now that she’s here, “Everything is...

The Western New Mexico University School of Nursing will put a nearly $1.1-million-award from the New Mexico Higher Education Department toward the expansion of its programs. “Teamwork was essential to this success,” said Dr. Kimberly Petrovic, who is Associate Dean for the WNMU School of Nursing and Kinesiology. Key to the process of requesting and ultimately securing this grant funding, she said, were a host of nursing faculty members, university leaders, and supporters from across the entire WNMU academic spectrum. A portion of the funding is designated for technology in the simulation labs at the main campus and WNMU | Deming, a percentage earmarked for faculty and staff compensation and professional development, and more concentrated on developing holistic coaching, mentoring, instructional and tutoring systems to recruit, retain and prepare pre-nursing students for successful completion of their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and entry to the...