What do you think about the current public transportation system in Albuquerque, and how do you feel about proposed plans to change it later this year?
A UNM alumnus has established a foundation to show solidarity with underprivileged communities, and to help reduce health disparities across the globe. David Ishmael, a political science and geography graduate and founder of the Ishmael Global Foundation, said that the organization is dedicated to three primary issues: health, sustainability and education. “The healthcare part of the organization will focus on oral health,” Ishmael said.
UNM KIVA club members distributed about 1,100 gallons of water and 100 cases of bottled water donations to Navajo Nation communities near the Four Corners area in an effort to ease the burden of an area affected by the Gold King Mine spill in August. Residents near Shiprock, NM affected by the spill, a disaster releasing three million gallons of contaminated water into the Animas River, face the decision of keeping off their irrigation systems, which could lead to crop failure, or turning them on, resulting in possible crop contamination. KIVA President Demetrius Johnson said the association collected water from several donors, exceeded their goal and needed at least four vehicles to haul the donations from Albuquerque to Shiprock on Sept. 5. Cody Artis, the public relations officer for the KIVA club, said they distributed donations to five families in the Shiprock and Aneth, Utah communities. Both towns are located near the Four Corners area, along the San Juan River.
The National Geographic Young Explorers Grants workshop, which is being held this Saturday at UNM, aims to inspire future explorers, researchers and conservationists to use their program to see the world and share new discoveries. The workshop will cover all the ins-and-outs of the program via presentations by Young Explorers and National Geographic representatives followed by refreshments, allowing students to interact with National Geographic grantees and staff. The National Geographic Society’s (NGS) Young Explorers Grants (YEG) program, which has given more than 450 grants for work in 90 countries, awards individuals between 18 and 25 years old with some of their first fieldwork grants. Director of the National Geographic Expeditions Council and the National Geographic YEG Program Rebecca Martin said that the grants, offered year-round, focus on “research in social, natural and physical sciences; conservation of species, habitats, ecosystems and biological diversity; (and) exploration through expeditions, filmmaking, photography, arts, journalism, etc.”
UNM has merged the Center for Academic Program Support and the Center for Teaching Excellence to form the Center for Teaching Learning, with the mission of helping students succeed through new methods. “Now we’re working together, because the bottom line is the exact same result: we want students to learn more,” said Aeron Haynie, CTL director. “We’ve got to teach faculty some things and we’ve got to empower students at the same time.”
Albuquerque is seeking federal funding to build new transit infrastructure in order to help relieve an already overburdened system. The item proposed is a 10-mile bus lane down Central Avenue, from Louisiana Boulevard to Coors Boulevard. Dayna Crawford, deputy director of Albuquerque's transit department, said they intend to break ground in May and be in operation by September 2017.
Every year since 2010, UNM’s athletics budget has spent more than it has brought in, although its situation has improved as of late. According to University documents, UNM Athletics was in the red by more than $1 million in 2012. But by 2013 that number was shaved to $800,000, and was $23,000 last year.
UNM is in the beginning stages of a comprehensive rebranding process after signing with branding agency 160over90, in a new effort to change how UNM is viewed nationwide. Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair presented 160over90’s model and previous work to the Board of Regents last Friday, along with Vice President for Enrollment Management Terry Babbitt.
There is a new exhibit open in the main gallery of the UNM Art Museum -- dealing with civil rights issues in our country from the past to the present. The exhibition, entitled “Necessary Force: Art in the Police State,” opened on last Fridayand will run until Dec. 12.
The Maia chapter of the Mortar Board National College Honor Society at the UNM has received a Gold Torch Award at the 2015 Mortar Board National Conference, according to a UNM press release. “Mortar Board is a national honor society that recognizes college seniors for outstanding achievement in scholarship, leadership, and service,” the statement said. In 2015, 36 college chapters earned the Gold Torch Award, according to the release.
UNM Political Science Professor Lonna Atkeson has been honored with the Society for Political Methodology’s 2015 Excellence in Mentoring Award, according to a UNM press release. “The committee wishes to recognize Dr. Atkeson, for her longstanding work serving as a mentor and advisor to a diverse set of students. Her commitment to her students is clear and significant; Dr. Atkeson recognizes that mentoring is important in and out of the classroom, and that mentoring continues long after students receive their degrees,” the award committee wrote in citation for Atkeson, according to the statement.
UNM and Mississippi Valley State University have formed a partnership to facilitate cultural exchange, joining the two institutions to provide students with the opportunity to visit the other college campus and experience what they have to offer. “(The partnership) will allow our students to attend a historically black university,” said Dr. Jozie De Leon, UNM's vice president of equity and inclusion. “What we’re going to do is alternate, so the first year MVSU students will come here in the summer for four to six weeks.” MVSU and UNM differ greatly in diversity enrollment. Last fall, MVSU had a total of 1,722 African-American undergraduate students, and only 22 Hispanic students, according to the university's website. While UNM had 4,728 Hispanic and only 558 African-American undergrads, according to the division for equity and inclusion.
UNM approved the Naming Selection Committee’s recommendation to rename Hodgin Hall Alumni Center Plaza, according to a UNM press release. The plaza will be known as Dr. Karen Abraham Courtyard to honor the retiring associate vice president of alumni relations and the executive director of the UNM Alumni Association, according to the statement. “During her tenure, Abraham has worked with the Alumni Association Board of Directors, staff and community leaders to achieve long-term sustainability for the Association through the establishment of a $7 million endowment; renovate Hodgin Hall Alumni Center to preserve the University’s history kept within its walls; has bestowed hundreds of alums with awards and has grown the Alumni Association scholarship programs,” according to the release.
On Friday the UNM Board of Regents voted in favor of selling $100 million in institutional bonds beginning next year, which is the first step in funding several improvement projects on campus, including Johnson Center renovations. The bonds will be split in two portions: $55 million, which will be used to fund renovations to Johnson, Anderson School of Management and Smith Plaza, will be sold in January; the other $45 million, which will be allocated toward a new Physics and Astronomy Interdisciplinary Science building and expansions to the children’s care center, will be sold a year later.
Ed DeSantis, former lecturer at the Honors College, passed away last week, leaving behind memories of a caring and insightful individual to those he met during his time at UNM. Honors College professor Dr. Leslie Donovan said DeSantis was at UNM for more than 25 years before retiring after the 2010-2011 school year. Before teaching in the Honors College, he was associate dean in the School of Graduate Studies, and he also held the position of faculty senate president in the mid-2000s.
Some UNM students talk with Elizabeth Sanchez about how they stay active in their busy lives.
You start at the Los Alamos Ice Rink. After a few hours of outdoor skating, the brisk air cooling your nose, you sip on hot cocoa and take a lunch break. Then, you pack up and take a scenic drive with the rest of the group to relax at Jemez Springs Bath House for a soak, or to socialize at Los Ojos pub. Cristina Miller, a senior nutrition and dietetics major, participated in this Skate and Soak Getaway Adventure, among many others offered by the University.
Hundreds of UNM students visit the Johnson Center every day, either to attend a class, practice personal fitness, participate in recreational activities or practice and play for a school sport. For the amount of students using the building daily, the limited amount of space, outdated circuitry, confusing floor plan, and not-so-Americans with Disabilities Act-friendly layout are only the most apparent things that prove Johnson Center is in a dire need of a renovation.
Many UNM students who seek on-campus counseling are not aware of all of their options. They opt for the more well-known services at Student Health and Counseling or even the Counseling, Assistance and Referral Services; but few use the Manzanita Counseling Center.
The Office of the Chief Information Officer at UNM is collaborating with CNM to sponsor a Mobile Apps Contest. The contest provides students from both schools the opportunity to apply their skills for developing apps for the community.
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