Alan's Monday Message for August 21
We are off and running. It was a great start to the academic year last week. It was so invigorating to see our students and faculty back on campus. Here are some pictures from move-in day on Saturday at Garcia Hall. I started the week by meeting with Associate VP Justin Bannister of Marketing and Communications. I asked Justin for MarCom's support to help our Deans, Vice Presidents, and faculty members write op-eds in local newspapers throughout the state from las Cruces to Farmington to Gallup to Albuquerque to Santa Fe and beyong, touting how NMSU is making a difference and how we are fulfilling our mission as the state's land- and space-grant institution to improve the quality of life for all New Mexicans.
Afterwards, I attended the Board of Regents meeting in the Educational Services Center. The only agenda item was a request to offer a $250/credit hour for NMSU Global for a collaboration with Amazon. Following the meeting, I met with the Department of Animal Range Sciences in Knox Hall. I had lunch with them and enjoyed learning about their department's activities. For the rest of the day, I participated in a legislative priorities work session in Corbett Center with the Board of Regents and other NMSU leaders to identify and prioritize our legislative asks.
On Tuesday morning, I participated in the university wide convocation at Atkinson Recital Hall. This was my first NMSU convocation. I was told it was the largest convocation in recent memory. It was awesome to see deserving faculty being recognized for their work (whether it be for tenure/promotion or receiving a teaching award). At the same time, I know there are many faculty who are doing excellent work. It was also energizing to welcome our new faculty and to hear our marching band perform to send us off into the new academic year. After lunch, I attended the ACES Department of Family and Consumer Sciences Retreat with President Gogue. We always enjoy meeting with departments, sharing information, and answering questions. Follwing this, I went to the HEST Convocation in O'Donnell Hall followed by the College of Engineering Convocation in Jett Hall. In both convocations, I welcomed everyone back to campus and stressed the importance of student retention and improving our campus climate.
Pictured: Betsy Stringam, Susana Ibarra Johnson, Paola Bandini, Kim Lopez Gallagher, and Gain Park
To start Wednesday, I attended a meeting with President Gogue and ACES Associate Dean Don Conner. Following this meeting, I met with Laura Madson and James McAteer about the faculty compensation study. I shared with Laura that she and Justin McDonald can share the results of their 2023 study to any interested stakeholder groups. For the rest of the day, I had a number of small group and 1:1 meetings and worked on administrative duties. To end the day, I attended an event to welcome NMSU to Conference USA at Aggie Memorial Stadium. President Gogue gave welcoming remarks and then every athletic team went onto the football field to receive new conference USA sweatshirts.
On Thursday, I had a number of 1:1 meetings throughout the day. I met with a student retention committee I pulled together with a representative from each academic college and student success. The representatives are Amanda Barrier from A&S; Shelby Herrera from ACES; Jimi Ickes from COE; Daniel James from COB; Phil Post from HEST; and Patrick Turner from Student Success to share what they are doing in their respective colleges and then to recommend up to three interventions/restructuring things we could do to move the student retention needle. Later in the morning, we celebrated Chief of Staff Leslie Cervantes’s birthday. I believe it is important to celebrate whenever we can. After lunch, I met with the Graduate Dean/Associate Provost for International Affairs search committee to give them their charge and share insights for conducting a successful search. I believe this search will attract a very strong pool and the search committee will produce some excellent finalists for consideration by the campus community.
To start Friday, I worked on a variety of administrative tasks I needed to clean off my desk. I met with Seth Miner and Renay Scott to learn more about our student recruiting efforts and to better understand how NMSU recruits prospective students. After lunch, I attended a meeting to review NMSU Global’s needs. I then attended the College of Arts and Sciences new faculty welcome. In the evening, I attended “Aggies in Paradise.” This is an annual fundraiser for the Athletics department. To end my work week, I attended a dinner at Dean Lakshmi Reddi’s home on Saturday evening with the College of Engineering leadership team.
Improving NMSU’s Campus Climate
As people have shared with me throughout my first four months, our campus climate needs improvement. This is certainly a daunting challenge, but one I know we can improve over time together. It will take everyone’s commitment to improve the campus climate. Everyone must become self-aware of their own behaviors. In addition, as the President and Board of Regents have shared, the key to improving the campus climate is we need as many people as possible to return to campus and be in person. We should limit the use of zoom meetings and return to in-person meetings and classes. I believe you cannot develop the type of relationships by continuing to rely on zoom. It is through face to face interactions that we can improve our campus climate. On the September 11th Monday message, I will share the cultural norms and expectations the Deans and the Provost office created and agreed to hold ourselves accountable. I am waiting to share these until then, because I want the Deans to have time to share it with their leadership teams and colleges.
Announcements
Dr. Patrick Turner, Associate Provost for Student Success, will return to the Division of Student Success effective immediately, where he will expand his role in leading and guiding retention initiatives for undergraduate students at New Mexico State University. Reporting directly to Dr. Renay Scott, Dr. Turner will assume the title of Associate Vice President for First Year Initiatives. He will focus on aligning the many first-year programs with the Council of Standards in Higher Education’s programmatic standards for first-year programs, ensuring the various first-year programs are aligned with common student learning outcomes. Dr. Turner will remain committed to enhancing retention rates of first-year students in support of student success. Further, Dr. Turner will continue to advise the Men of Color student organization.
Effective August 14, 2023, HEST Dean Yoshi Iwasaki informed me that Drs. Stacy Gherardi and Monica Montoya have been appointed as Interim Co-Directors of the School of Social Work in the College of HEST through June 30, 2024. In the meantime, a search committee will be established for a national search of a new permanent director of the School of Social Work.
NMSU’s Unsung Heroes
This week, I received one recipient for being NMSU Unsung Heroes.
Michelle Grandjean (ASNMSU Advisor) – As VP for Student Success Renay Scott shared, Michelle is the person responsible for the First Year Walk event. Her leadership brought together many volunteers to staff the event, coordinate the food, speakers, Pride Band, and Pete's Outlaws to ensure the tradition was successful. This year we had over 200 more students participate than last year and totaled more 2,500.
NMSU Alamogordo News
Student of the Year
Janelle Felton was selected as Student of the Year. Janelle is a returning student pursuing our allied health, pre-nursing degree and plans to continue her education in the bachelor of nursing program. Her instructors have recognized her as an extraordinary student with great potential. She regularly assists other students both outside of class and during our Friday tutoring sessions. Janelle received $500 from the NMSU-A Foundation $100 from the Otero Federal Credit Union, and local radio spots telling her story.
Grants
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded a $700,000 Recovery Challenge Grant to The Rattlesnake Conservancy (TRC) led by Dr. Andrew Holycross (TRC Research Associate) and Dr. Larry Kamees (NMSU-Alamogordo Assistant Professor). The project will study the New Mexico Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake, which is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and is narrowly endemic to only two areas in the U.S. and one in Mexico. It is also one of only two rattlesnake species with federal protection. The project is an international effort involving researchers from the U.S. and Mexico including 10 different natural resource agencies, zoos, non-profits, and many other independent researchers and volunteers. Partners involved in this project include, but are not limited to, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Los Angeles Zoo, San Antonio Zoo, Dr. Jesús Sigala-Rodríguez (Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Game & Fish Department, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, Fort Collins Science Center, and U.S.G.S.
New Employees
This fall, we welcome the following new employees:
- Jessica Morales, Vice President for Student Success
- Connie Peng, Assistant Professor of Art
- John Hurt, College Assistant Professor of Welding
NMSU Grants News
NMSU Grants was established in 1968 as a two-year branch community college of New Mexico State University that serves the local communities of Cibola and McKinley counties, including the Pueblos of Acoma, Laguna, and Zuni, as well as To’hajiilee, San Mateo, San Rafael, Cubero, the City of Grants, and the Village of Milan. With our culturally diverse population, we are proud to be one of the few colleges in the nation who have the designation of both a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institution (NASNTI).
NMSU Grants offers a comprehensive selection of academic and certificate programs to suit various interests and career goals. With 16 Associate degrees and 19 Certificate degrees, students can choose from a diverse range of programs, including Automotive, Welding, Certified Nurse Assistant, Creative Media, Computer Technology, Social Work, Criminal Justice, Education, Business, and more. We are proud to offer our newest Associate degree in Counseling and Community Psychology providing a local pathway for students aspiring to earn a degree in counseling. Furthermore, the college's general education courses ensure a seamless transfer process to any college or university within the state. For those interested in healthcare, NMSU Grants offers an onsite Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, as well as supports several 2 + 2 programs for online bachelor programs offered through NMSU Global.
As a hub for education in Cibola County, NMSU Grants is home to an Early College High School Program where high school students earn their diploma simultaneously as they work toward a college degree. For adults seeking to enhance their skills, we offer Adult Education and English as a Second Language courses. The campus is also proud to host a Small Business Development Center, providing valuable resources to businesses and supporting aspiring entrepreneurs. The college boasts a full-service library, tutoring center, and Pearson Vue Testing center, all staffed with highly qualified and dedicated personnel ready to assist students on their academic journey. The college also has community education courses for individuals who are lifelong learners.
Prioritizing student success and social mobility, NMSU Grants was accepted into the Complete College America program funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This initiative aims to improve graduation rates and elevate the overall educational experience for students in rural communities, like Grants. In another milestone, the college was awarded a $2.5 million-dollar Title V grant funded by the United States Department of Education this past year. This generous funding is earmarked for activities to support persistence and retention of minority students and further enhance the learning environment at NMSU Grants. Committed to the welfare of its students, NMSU Grants addresses food insecurities by operating an affiliate of the Aggie Cupboard which is partially funded by a grant from the New Mexico Higher Education Department. The college also provides a Wellness Center, further emphasizing the importance of physical and mental well-being for student success. The campus, small but strong continues to make a positive impact on students in Cibola County.
