Community News

SILVER CITY, NM—WNMU recently announced that it had earned the 2024-2025 Military Friendly® School Designation.

Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2024-2025 survey with 537 earning special awards for going above the standard.

The 2024-2025 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May and October issues of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com .

Visit Grant County Community Foundation Website

• Update from the Executive Directors (new and old) 
• New Youth Worker with us for 12 weeks
• Give Grandly next meeting for nonprofits: Wed 10 April 2024
• SQUINCH Story Circle in Silver City
• The 30 Something Grant is still open for applications: Apply before May 1 

Update from the Executive Director(s)

For those of you who not yet heard, we have a new Executive Director! Her name is Jamie Sechrist (see our joint picture—she's the blond!), and she has spent the last decade working for an educational nonprofit in Todos Santos, Mexico. We are so excited to have her here with us, and excited about this new phase in the Community Foundation. She brings great skills in fundraising and community organizing—and she can even speak some Spanish! After being here only a week, she already feels accepted in our fabulous community and is excited to start getting her hands dirty! We will both be here during April, after which I will hand over the full mantle to her and head for the wild shores of Ireland. 

Richard Enciso BacaLongest continuously working employee with a Single Agency

DEMING – The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) recognized Richard Baca for over 50 years of continuous employment with NMDOT and as the longest continuously working State of New Mexico employee. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham honored this accomplishment with a proclamation.

Thursday, March 28, 2024 is now officially known as "Richard Enciso Baca Day" via a proclamation issued and signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Chief Portillo Suggests "Broken System"

Silver City -- All violent crime in Silver City, including homicide and rape, dropped in 2023, though assaults and burglaries of homes and businesses - especially in the southwestern quadrant of the city, which includes the historic downtown business district - increased, according to annual crime statistics compiled by Silver City Police Chief Freddie Portillo.

There were no murders in 2023, compared to two the prior year, and rape was down 14%, but assaults, both simple and aggravated, were up 49% and 40%, respectively. Aggravated assaults include the use of, or the threat to use, a weapon. Home and business burglaries, or breaking and entering, also increased. Silver City Police officers responded to 63 home burglaries, an increase of 29%, and 42 burglaries of a business, representing a 35% increase over 2023.  All larcenies, including shoplifting, theft from autos and other private property, were down 8%.

(Bottom to top) David Pecotte, Kyra Shay, Gracie Hould, Abbey Beckworth, and Mia Cook. Photo by Antoinette Castanon
Teachers Pete Rankin, Molly Gibson, Ray Cressler, and Antoinette Castanon visited the Macho Springs Wind Farm with 9th grade students and the mixed grade level economics class to learn about career pathways, future growth potential, and sustainability issues within the renewable energy sector of the economy.

Students considered the full lifecycle of energy including energy generation to transmission to consumption, the American electric grid, and the basics of wind power.  In their reflection activity Rankin put the terms of electricity into context. One person working all day on YCC trail crew will generate about 70 watts/hour. An average household consumes 11,000 kilowatt/hours per year. Small power plants will produce at the scale of megawatts and the large hydro dam spanning the Yangtze River known as Three Gorges in China produces 2.2 gigawatts or 2.2 billion watts.

9th grader Mya Arrey-Gomez says, "I was surprised to learn that working at a wind farm offers the opportunity to travel and great health benefits."

SILVER CITY, NM – 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 and procedure review process from Director of Professional Development Bobbi Dodson. Dodson indicated that the review committee is examining approximately 130 documents from across the university and is assessing them for consistency and for their alignment with HLC requirements. She said that the committee's work should be completed by June 2024.

Under old business, the board heard a summary of the 2022-2023 financial year audit report from auditor Scott Peck and Vice President of Business Affairs Kelley Riddle. The auditors examined a sample of the university's financial transactions, and while there were some minor findings, the audit was largely sound. The board voted unanimously to accept the audit report.

Under new business, the board voted unanimously to accept a recommendation from the Associated Students of WNMU to adjust student fees, resulting in an overall reduction of the amount students will pay in fees each semester.

The board also voted unanimously to accept a recommendation from President Shepard and Vice President Riddle to keep tuition at its present rate for the coming academic year. Shepard noted the WNMU is likely the only university in the state to have an overall reduction in combined tuition and fees this year.

Also under new business, the board voted unanimously to accept a proclamation naming the new WNMU Deming center the John Arthur and Janette Smith Educational Center.

The Board of Regents will next meet on April 29, 2024.

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Since 1893, Western New Mexico University has served the people in its region as a comprehensive, rural, public body. As a Hispanic-Serving Institution and the state's only public Applied Liberal Arts and Sciences university, WNMU is committed to developing cross-cultural opportunities that encourage people to explore new experiences. The WNMU student body represents every segment of southwest New Mexico's diverse population.

Silver City, NM — The iconic bike race that showcases southwest New Mexico while attracting some of the world's top talent invites people to experience Tour of the Gila from behind the scenes—as volunteers.

The five-day stage race based in Silver City, New Mexico, has been made possible for over 36 years by dedicated citizens who generously give their time and talent, open their homes to bike racers, and provide essential support in the form of sponsorships and donations. The 37th edition of Tour of the Gila again asks the community to join in making the race possible. Tour of the Gila 2024 runs from Wednesday April 24, through Sunday, April 28. Positions needing to be filled include course marshals, drivers, medical personnel, and housing hosts.

Kinesiology major Itzela Darkenwald (right) has discovered a passion for outdoor leadership during her time at WNMU. She is seen here at the Catwalk Recreation Area with fellow students Isabella Medina (left) and Aubrey Lozoya (center) during production of "The College TourItzela Darkenwald is a featured student in the Amazon Prime TV episode of "The College Tour" that recently premiered at WNMU. Link to article at the end

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."