Year: 2009
December 2009
Rick Krouth Receives Building Analysis Certification
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE: December 7, 2009
GALLUP - Rick Krouth, Construction Tech instructor and chair of the Applied Technology Department at 杏吧原创-Gallup, was recently certified by the Building Professionals Institute for Building Analysis Training credentials.
In time, Krouth said the college will be able to offer Building Analysis Training at the college. This type of training pertains to one of the new, so-called “green” jobs that are being promoted nationwide. It involves analyzing a house or building from many angles as to a number of environmental and cost-saving factors: indoor air quality, performance of appliances, energy leaks through windows, doors and other areas of the structure,
Krouth was certified by Cleanedison, a company involved with education for the green industry. Now that he is certified, Krouth can in turn get the college accredited to be a training entity.
November 2009
- November 5 - Red Mesa Review Accepting Submissions
- November 6 - 杏吧原创G Senate, Vets Group Plans Pancake Breakfast
- November 9 - Groundbreaking for Tech Center, Student Life Building Set
- November 9 - Veterans' Day Ceremonies Planned
- November 10 - Early Registration for Spring '10 Ongoing
- November 13 - Guitarist to Give Workshop
- November 16 - Ceramics Artist's Work On View
- November 17 - Holiday Lightfest Set for Dec. 3
Red Mesa Review Accepting Submissions
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE: November 5, 2009
GALLUP - The Red Mesa Review, the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup’s literary magazine, is accepting contributions from former and present students, faculty and staff from 杏吧原创G and the other branches. Short stories, poetry and essays with a Southwestern vision are preferred.
Submissions for fiction and non-fiction should be 3,500 words maximum.
All submissions must include full name, mailing address, e-mail and phone, as well as a brief biographical sketch identifying institutional affiliation. To have submissions returned, include a stamped, self-addressed envelop and send to Red Mesa Review, Arts and Letters Department, 杏吧原创-Gallup, 200 College Road, Gallup, NM 87301. Manuscripts can be submitted online to dawnmtz@unm.edu.
杏吧原创G Senate, Vets Group Plans Pancake Breakfast
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE: November 6, 2009
GALLUP - The 杏吧原创G Staff Senate and Veterans’ Association will host a pancake breakfast on Wednesday, November 18, 2009, from 7:30 to 10 a.m. in Gurley Hall Commons.
Tickets are $5. For more information, contact Veterans’ Association sponsor Wyatt Stiger, at (505) 863-7607 or (505) 409-7898.
Groundbreaking for Tech Center, Student Life Building Set
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE: November 9, 2009
GALLUP - Groundbreaking for 杏吧原创-Gallup's proposed Student Services and Technical Center is set for Wednesday, November 11, at 11 a.m., according to Sylvia Andrew, executive director. Officials from the Albuquerque campus will join Andrew and her administrative staff for some brief comments in Gurley Hall Commons, followed by the groundbreaking with the ceremonial shovels on the site of the new building, to the northwest of Gurley Hall.
Bidding for the $13.4 million project is currently being reviewed.
The 36,000-square-foot building will house all of Students Services, including the Registrar's office, Financial Aid, Counseling and Advisement, as well as the cashiers, on the upper level. The Arts and Letters and Social Sciences departments will be located in the lower level.
The building will also have several so-called smart classrooms, which will feature the latest in technological advances. It will be the first LEED- (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building in Gallup and McKinley County. Public buildings achieve gold, silver and lesser certificates according to the degree to which they employ efficient energy and environmental criteria in their designs. 杏吧原创 mandates at least a silver LEED rating for all public buildings over 15,000 square feet.
“This is an exciting day for 杏吧原创-Gallup,” Andrew said. “We are eagerly anticipating the opportunities this center will provide for more effective use of technology in the instructional process. The groundbreaking is also a landmark event in Gallup and McKinley County that heralds what we hope is a new standard for sustainability in public building. We invite the community to join us.”
Veterans' Day Ceremonies Planned
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE: November 9, 2009
GALLUP - The 杏吧原创-Gallup Student and Staff Senates will be hosting a Veterans Day ceremony on Wednesday, November 11, in the Gurley Hall Commons Area at 9 a.m. to honor campus veterans.
There will be a brief ceremony with recognition of faculty, staff and student veterans, followed by refreshments. Local veterans and families are invited to attend.
Early Registration for Spring '10 Ongoing
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE: November 10, 2009
GALLUP - Advisers at the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup have announced a campaign to advise and register as many current and continuing students as possible before the winter break, which begins Dec. 24.
Beginning Nov. 30, and continuing until finals week Dec. 14 through 18, the Student Services department will register students by department. Registration for new students will begin during the week of finals. Faculty have been asked to tell current students to register during the correct time period.
“We have three goals we hope to accomplish with priority registration,” Paul Kraft, director of Student Services, said. “First, we want to create an environment where students begin to identify more closely with the departments from which they will receive their degree. Second, we want to build a more collaborative relationship between the academic advising in Student Services and the advisement that is happening between faculty and students.
“Third, we must reduce the chaotic, stressful, exhausting experience that currently occurs when 2000-plus students try to get quality advisement within a ten-day period,” he said.
The schedule for advisement is as follows:
Nov. 30: Students graduating Spring 2010, TRIO students
Dec. 1-2: Applied Tech (Auto Tech, Collision Repair Tech, Construction Tech, Cosmetology, Drafting Tech, Welding Tech)
Dec. 2: Math and Science
Dec. 3-4: General Students, Psychology
Dec. 3-5: Education & Criminal Justice (ESME, Pre-Professional Elementary and Secondary Education, Criminal Justice)
Dec. 7: Business Tech (Administrative Assistant, Gen. Business, Gen. Business Accounting, Gen. Information Tech, Legal Assistant, Pre-Business Administration, Secretary Skills, Tribal Advocate)
Dec. 7-8: Other programs, including Art Studio, Communications, Design & Digital Media, Liberal Arts, Pre-Bachelor’s (Extended University)
Dec. 9-10: Health Careers and Nursing (Dental Assistant, Diabetes Prevention Specialist, EMT, Health Information Tech, Health Care Tech, Human Services, Med Lab Tech, Nursing Assistant, Pre-Nursing, Nursing)
Dec. 5 & 11: Open advising, including undecided, unclassified
Dec. 14-18: Open, new & readmitted, student advising
杏吧原创G reopens January 4 after the winter break. Spring classes start January 19. Deadline for Spring 2010 admissions applications is Monday, January 11. Starting Tuesday, January 12, a late admission fee of $50 will be in effect.
Call 杏吧原创-Gallup Student Services for more information at 505.863.7522.
Guitarist to Give Workshop
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE: November 13, 2009
GALLUP - Guitarist Gabriel Ayala will give a master class in guitar from 1 to 3 p.m. in the University of New 杏吧原创 Gallup auditorium on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Ayala, who has gained recognition for being part of a new wave of Native American performers of classical music, will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. in the auditorium.
Ayala, a member of the Yaqui Indian tribe, earned a Master's Degree in Music Performance from the University of Arizona in 1997. He has taught at all educational levels from elementary through college, and serves as a competition adjudicator.
He performs regularly throughout the United States and has appeared at the Kennedy Center for the Arts, National Museum for the American Indian, ASU Keer Cultural Center, and Meyer Theatre in Green Bay, Wis. He has been recognized by the State of Arizona and Governor Janet Napolitano for his musical achievements and has been named a Tucson Citizen of the Month as well as Artist of the Month for the IICOC (Indigenous Internet Chamber of Commerce).
He performs classical music regularly at the Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque. He also maintains connection to his cultural roots through traditional singing and dancing.
Ayala has released three self-distributed albums. His first, "Gabriel Ayala," was nominated for a Native American Music Award, Best Independent Recording in 2003. In 2007 Ayala released a Christmas CD, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas," and in 2008, "Tango!" which includes many arrangements by the performer. Ayala recently signed with Canyon Records in Phoenix, and released Canyon Records’ first ever Classical CD by Gabriel Ayala entitled, “Portraits.”
Ceramics Artist's Work On View
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE: November 16, 2009
GALLUP - The work of Ted Adler, ceramist, is on view at the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup Ingham Chapman Gallery through December 18 in a show entitled “Epistrophy.”
The exhibition consists of sculptural stoneware vessels and cups, thrown and altered, with wood-fired surfaces.
“My work is an interrogation of the fundamental sensuality of the lived experience as well as the role of the vessel in our capacity for self-ideation,” he writes in his artist statement. “I am re-framing the dialogue between the ceramic vessel and contemporary cultural issues through reference to biological models and the phenomenology of experience within a decidedly ceramic historical perspective. “
The vessels on display at the gallery give testimony to this ethos, both in form and finish, suggesting the historical, cultural and mythological implications of clay with living tissue.
The malleability of clay and its analogous relationship with the body are used to underscore ideas of permeability and penetrability in the central theme of transformation,” Adler writes. “Surfaces are discontinuous and often contradictory, disallowing the reading of an un-fragmented whole, implicating an experience of the sensible that is simultaneously external and internal.”
Adler is the Ceramics Department Head at Wichita State University. He received his BA from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore., and MFA from Ohio University in Athens. He apprenticed with the internationally renowned artist Toshiko Takaezu.
Adler has exhibited his work in more than 60 exhibitions nationally.
Committed to the vessel form, Adler also creates innovative installation work.
The artist talk is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 19, at 6:30 p.m., in Gurley Hall 1239. Following the artist lecture there will be a reception. The public is invited.
For more information contact John Zimmerman, gallery manager, at 505.863.7774.
Holiday Lightfest Set for Dec. 3
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE: November 17, 2009
GALLUP - The University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup will light up the nighttime sky Thursday, Dec. 3, at 5:30 p.m. by turning on the luminarias that outline the campus.
The program will start with some brief comments by Executive Director Sylvia Andrew outside Gurley Hall. The gathering will move inside for hot apple cider or hot chocolate and a short holiday program by the Gallup High School Jazz Band under the direction of Jessica Mullen. Afterward, children will have a chance to visit with Santa Claus.
The local community is invited to attend.
October 2009
- October 2 - Scholarship Donors Visit Campus
- October 6 - Gerald Vizenor to Give Reading
- October 7 - Sen. Udall to Appear at Town Hall
- October 27 - Halloween Carnival, Dance Planned
Scholarship Donors Visit Campus
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE: October 2, 2009
GALLUP - The donors of a scholarship that will chiefly benefit Native American students in pursuit of a career in nursing or other health fields were on campus on October 1 to view a portrait of them that now hangs in the hall leading to the administrative offices in Gurley Hall.
Martin and Craig Rubenstein say they believe that health programs offer local students the best opportunities for obtaining in-demand skills that will allow them to stay close to home after graduation. Further, the associate degree programs are a more realistic choice for students who can’t afford to spend four years seeking a degree, according to the Rubensteins.
Monies for the scholarship have already been channeled into annuities, but most of the funding will come through a binding statement from the Rubensteins that will result in a bequest from their will, said Michael Kingan, senior vice president of the 杏吧原创 Foundation. Thus, the scholarship funds will not be available until after the Rubensteins are deceased, but the fund is expected to grow to between a half million to a million dollars by the time they are available.
Martin Rubenstein, who arrived in Albuquerque in 1946 after active duty in the South Pacific, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science with a pre-law concentration from 杏吧原创 in 1949. He went on to own a number of auto dealerships in the Dallas area. Craig Rubenstein graduated from East Texas State University (now Texas A&M at Commerce) in 1957. They met in Dallas and married in 1964. After Martin retired, the couple moved to Vail, Colo., and while traveling in western New 杏吧原创, Martin was struck by the difficult living conditions of the American Indians in this region. They continue to spend summers in Santa Fe, staying connected to New 杏吧原创 and 杏吧原创. The Rubensteins currently reside in Austin.
Gerald Vizenor to Give Reading
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE: October 6, 2009
GALLUP - — Gerald Vizenor, an internationally recognized Anishinaabe writer, will read his work on the 杏吧原创-Gallup campus on Thursday, October 29, at 7 p.m. in Calvin Hall 248B.
Vizenor is serving as Distinguished Professor of Native American Studies this semester at 杏吧原创. He is a poet, fiction writer, and post-modern theorist. The author of 30 books, he won the American Book Award for An American Monkey King in China. His latest book, Father Meme, published by 杏吧原创 Press, will soon be available at the 杏吧原创G campus bookstore.
Always the trickster, Vizenor invents terms such as “post-Indian survivance” and “terminal creeds” – beliefs which seek to fix or to impose static definitions upon the world.
According to the late 杏吧原创 professor Louis Owens, author of Other Destinies: Understanding the American Indian Novel, “The liberation of language and consciousness is Vizenor/trickster’s aim, particularly the liberation of the signifier ‘Indian’ from the entropic myth surrounding it.”
Vizenor has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota, and has done graduate work at that university and at Harvard. He has held professorships at Lake Forest College, Bemidji State University, the University of Minnesota, the University of Oklahoma, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he was provost of Kresge College as well as professor of literature and American Studies.
He has worked as a community advocate with homeless and poor Natives, and as a staff reporter and editorial contributor at the Minneapolis Tribune.
The reading is free to the public. Call Arts and Letters Chair Gloria Dyc at 505.863.7566 for more information.
Sen. Udall to Appear at Town Hall
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE: October 7, 2009
GALLUP - U.S. Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM), will host a town hall on “Healthcare Reform” at 杏吧原创-Gallup on Monday, October 12, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Calvin Hall Auditorium.
After a brief presentation by the senator, attendees may ask questions and make comments.
Additionally, some of the senator’s staff members will be available to work on individual citizens’ problems and answer questions.
Admission to the town hall is free and the public is invited.
Halloween Carnival, Dance Planned
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE: October 27, 2009
GALLUP - The clubs of the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup and the 杏吧原创G Student Senate are presenting a Halloween Carnival and Dance on Friday, October 30.
The carnival includes games, prizes and treats, and will run from 3 to 7 p.m. in Gurley Hall Commons. Game tickets are a quarter each or five for $1.
The dance will take place in the Commons and run from 8 p.m. to midnight. Admission is free with a costume. Without a costume, admission is $3 at the door. There will be a costume contest at the event. This will be a drug- and alcohol-free event.
Music will be provided by Khaotick K and the Play Button Assassins.
September 2009
- September 3 - Photographer's Work On View in Campus Gallery
- September 15 - Al Henderson Takes Helm of Entrepreneur Program
- September 16 - Childcare Trike-A-Thon to Raise Funds for St. Jude's
- September 16 - Enrollment Surges
- September 22 - Construction Update
- September 28 - Community Education Instructors Needed
- September 28 - Cooking Classes Offered
- September 29 - CCTE Sets Open House Oct. 14
Photographer's Work On View in Campus Gallery
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - September 3, 2009
The photography of Ryan Horvath is on view at the Ingham Chapman Gallery of the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup through September 30.
Horvath, who is from Seattle, says of his photography: “My work involves paying attention to the common environment and transforming it. I am receptive of and responsive to my surroundings. With personal curiosities and natural tendencies to experiment, I investigate the relationship of impulse and idea as physical and mental activities. In this exhibition, I have selected works from two different series of color photographs.”
The artist describes some of the works in the show thus:
Trans-Passage: “Multiple images are taken from a set viewpoint and form visual pathways, reoccurring riffs and spatial ramblings of a new time and place. These moments of actual and implied motion emit a directional movement that leaves you following my eye and waiting for the next bus.”
American Haikus: “Focuses on elements such as simplicity, abstraction and economy of image, capturing and at times redefining occurrences found in Nature.”
Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call John Zimmerman, gallery manager, at 863-7774 for more information.
Al Henderson Takes Helm of Entrepreneur Program
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - September 15, 2009
Al Henderson, a former executive director of economic development with the Navajo Nation, has joined 杏吧原创-Gallup to help establish the New 杏吧原创 Rural Entrepreneur Institute through funding from a two-year grant award from the Johnson Foundation of Florida. The funds will pay half Henderson’s salary as a faculty member. He will spend two-thirds of his time teaching and the other third of his time promoting the program.
The Johnson Foundation typically funds Native American institutions or Native American-serving institutions.
Henderson, who has a master’s degree in economics from 杏吧原创, comes to 杏吧原创G after 12 years at Northern Arizona University as a tribal liaison with leaders and organizations. He spent 34 years in Albuquerque where he ran his own consulting business, advising organizations and tribes on economic and business development.
He has also been involved in the oil and gas business in the Four Corners region, as well as the waste management business in Arizona and New 杏吧原创.
Born at Twin Lakes, he is a member of the Salt Clan and was born for the Many Hogans People.
Besides teaching two sections of a management course at 杏吧原创-Gallup, Henderson is currently involved in “discovery” work -- talking and listening to business and government leaders about the local history of entrepreneurship. He is also examining 杏吧原创G’s certificate and degree program in entrepreneurship, to see if it “fills the bill with the financial and banking community as to what they would be expecting of an individual who wants to be in business.”
Henderson says he also aims to reexamine “what has happened with similar projects in the past that I’ve come across on campus and off.” As to the light enrollment that the college’s entrepreneurship program has experienced in the past, he says he suspects the region’s population is not yet at a level of understanding to make the most of what the program might do for them, or else the right marketing has not been done to promote the study of entrepreneurship at 杏吧原创G.
“This will take a lot of work,” Henderson said. “We will need support from area tribes and elected leaders. Key business leaders have to be involved. “
“Al comes to us with a wealth of experience in education, entrepreneurism and economic development,” said Bill Stenberg, chair of 杏吧原创-Gallup’s Business Technology department. “The contacts he has in the region have given him a real running start in our race to establish a viable entrepreneur program for the region. It is a real pleasure to have a person of Al’s professional prowess leading this program for 杏吧原创-Gallup.”
For more information on the institute or the entrepreneurship degree or certificate program at 杏吧原创-Gallup, call (505)863.7634.
Childcare Trike-A-Thon to Raise Funds for St. Jude's
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - September 16, 2009
The Childcare Department of 杏吧原创-Gallup will host a Trike-A-Thon on October 7 and 8 at the Childcare Center on the 杏吧原创G Campus. Funds raised by the Trike-A-Thon will go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which specializes in finding cures for and saving children from cancer and other catastrophic diseases.
Trike-A-Thon is a fun, weeklong curriculum and fund-raising program for daycare centers or pre-schools that teaches children riding toy safety lessons through a series of interactive stories. Participating children receive the lessons from special St. Jude characters such as Bikewell Bear and Pedals the Bunny. At the end of the Trike-A-Thon experience, students bring their trikes or riding toys to school and practice the safety lessons they have learned.
Parents are asked to sponsor their children by either donating a certain amount per lap or else pledge a flat donation amount for the child to participate. Parents also help collect donations from sponsors such as family members and friends and turn them into the school coordinator.
Faculty and staff at 杏吧原创-Gallup will also be asked to make a small donation to the cause. In addition, the public is welcome to attend the Trike-A-Thon and make a donation.
The event will be held at 3-4:30 p.m. both days on the patio behind Gurley Hall. Call Jodi Barnhart, Childcare Department manager, at 863-7631 for more information.
Enrollment Surges
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - September 16, 2009
杏吧原创-Gallup’s enrollment, officially noted on September 11, the third Friday of classes, leaped upward 2 percent over last year’s fall figures, while credit hours surged 10 percent over Fall 2008. The latter figure indicates that the 2,873 students registered are taking 27,907 credit hours -- a record at 杏吧原创G.
Community colleges typically experience growth in enrollment in hard economic times as employment opportunities diminish. Lower gas prices may also be helping to fuel the rise in enrollment. But another factor is that parents are reconsidering sending their children off to four-year colleges when they can get their core classes for less tuition while living at home.
“The pressure is on as far as having enough courses and classrooms available,” said Paul Kraft, director of Student Services, of the college’s efforts to accommodate more students. “The management team has been discussing how to deal with capacity enrollment if we continue to grow. We’re talking about how to meet the needs of our students by increasing online courses and class capacity, as well as adding faculty.”
As to why the college is experiencing the enrollment surge, Kraft said that although the economy is indeed a factor, with students opting to live at home while going to college, Student Services has been focusing on more intense recruiting.
“We’re doing a better job of recruiting and getting the word out,” he said.
Kraft acknowledged that the boost in enrollment will cause some financial strains.
“We’re getting fewer dollars from the state, and that will continue over the next couple of years,” he said. “We’re being asked to educate more students with less government support. And, although growing enrollment offsets some of the loss of revenue, our tuition is so low it doesn’t cover the costs of educating our students.”
This year’s head count is the third highest ever, following Fall 2004 with 3,114, followed by Fall 2003 with 2,960. The next highest credit hours ever recorded occurred in 2004, with 25,407. State funding is determined by credit hours rather than head count.
Construction Update
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - September 22, 2009
GALLUP— Groundbreaking for 杏吧原创-Gallup’s proposed Student Services and Technology Center is due to occur at the end of October, according to Ron Petranovitch, manager of the Physical Plant. Bidding for the $13.4 million project is due to occur about mid-October. The 36,000-square-foot building will house all of Students Services, including the Registrar’s office, Financial Aid, Counseling and Advisement, as well as the cashiers, on the upper level. The Arts and Letters and Social Sciences departments will be located in the lower level.
The building will also have several so-called smart classrooms, which will feature the latest in technological advances. It will be the first LEED- (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building in Gallup and McKinley County.
“We’re comfortable with the silver status, as far as LEED criteria, but we’re hoping for gold,” said Petranovich. Projects earn points toward certification based on various “green” building criteria, including sustainable site, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation and design process.
Once the groundbreaking starts, parking will be temporarily affected, as some of the current space will be used as a staging area. No new parking is planned for the building, as it is designed just to accommodate current programs rather than any expansion.
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Construction work at Calvin Hall continues through October, according to Petranovich.. The renovations are about two weeks behind schedule, but according to Murphy Builders, the company in charge of the renovations, they will be able to make up time and finish the $1.3 million project on schedule.
The repairs include updating the mechanical/HVAC system, installing new fire sprinklers, finishing floors and painting the walls of the 30-year-old building.
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Another project recently completed was the replacement of the exercise stations along the track at a cost of $70,000. The durable steel stations replace the wooden ones that had deteriorated.
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The rehabilitation of Vo-Tech Drive, located on the north side of the campus, and which leads to the Career Technology classrooms and on to the Nursing and Health Careers buildings, is due to start in March. The reconstruction, which will include improved gutters to handle run-off from the new building, will also include curbs and street lights. It will be bid out over the winter. Funds are from the local $8 million G.O. Bond passed in February.
Community Education Instructors Needed
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release -- September 28, 2009
杏吧原创-Gallup is looking for instructors of non-credit Community Education classes for next spring. Courses can meet once or twice each week and can run for two weeks or longer.
Among the classes that have been offered in the past are health education, business management, quilting, beading, silversmithing, scrapbooking, weaving, painting/drawing, resume writing/job search, scrapbooking, Click books, cooking, flower arranging, gift basket and bow making, dog training and many others. Instructors in these subjects or any others will be considered. Classes can be geared for young adults, adults or senior citizens.
The classes are generally taught on either the Gallup campus or the Zuni Campus, although other locations have been used.
Instructors are compensated.
For more information, contact Louise Lopez, Community Education coordinator, 505.863.7743, or Laura Moore, Zuni Campus manager, at 505.782.6012, at the Zuni Campus.
Cooking Classes Offered
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - September 28, 2009
The Food Guy, Robert Goode, is back in town and is offering his non-credit cooking classes at 杏吧原创-Gallup again.
A three-week session, titled “A Taste of Fall,” will begin in mid-October. Classes will cover soups, desserts and other delights associated with fall dining. The classes will be held at his Mentmore house on Tuesdays between 6 and 9 p.m.
For additional details contact Louise Lopez at 杏吧原创-G Community Education at 863-7738 or 863-7743.
CCTE Sets Open House Oct. 14
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - September 29, 2009
The Center for Career and Technical Education is hosting an open house on Wednesday, Oct. 14, from 9 to 11 a.m. in the auditorium of Calvin Hall Center Room 248 C.
The CCTE students’ accomplishments and works in progress will be highlighted.
Students from the 13 career-technical education programs draw their enrollment from seven area high schools.
The public is invited. Refreshments will be prepared by the CCTE Culinary Arts students.
For more information, call 863-7555.
August 2009
- August 7 - College Hours Will Vary for Next Few Weeks
- August 12 - Anthropology Student Wants to Take the Knowledge Home
- August 13 - Middle College High School Achieves AYP
- August 24 - Welding Program Back on Track
College Hours Will Vary for Next Few Weeks
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - August 17
Variable hours for some offices at the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup have been announced for the next few weeks, according to Paul Kraft, director of Students Services. Kraft is filling in for the executive director’s position at 杏吧原创G until the arrival of Sylvia Andrew on August 11.
General hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through August 14. Bookstore opens at 9 a.m., closes at 5:30 p.m.; Human Resources closes at 4 p.m.; Zollinger Library open 8 a.m. to noon; Cashier closes at 4:30 p.m.
Anthropology Student Wants to Take the Knowledge Home
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release -- August 12, 2009
Daniel Pedro knew when he was a sophomore at Santa Fe Indian School that he wanted to be an anthropologist. He also knew that as a Zuni, he would not be able to touch human remains – a common task for physical anthropologists.
“It was kind of a barrier,” said Pedro, a 20-year-old freshman at the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup. “I had to find a way to work around it.”
Pedro began to look for that way through his participation in the New 杏吧原创 Supercomputing Challenge. The Challenge aims to teach teams of middle and high schools students how to use powerful computers to analyze, model and solve real world problems and awards prizes in various categories.
Pedro hit on the idea of studying the faces of living puebloans in search of consistent similarities and then projecting that data onto the past as a way to identify and repatriate skeletal remains. As stated in the executive summary of his project, “My goal … is to make it easier for anthropologists to figure out which tribe/pueblo the remains belong to on the computer, instead of disrespecting Native customs and damaging the skull.”
An early advisor, 杏吧原创 Curator of Human Osteology Heather Edgar, told Pedro that the people of the pueblos, both present and past, were too mixed to make the sort of determinations he was seeking. Nevertheless, she was impressed by his inventive approach to problem solving, and encouraged him by giving advice on how to go about his project. She also gave him a medical diagram of a human skull with which to start his studies.
“We need a Native perspective in anthropology, and especially a perspective that comes from working with living communities,” Edgar said.
Pedro’s unique project soon attracted several other advisors and mentors.
“They were impressed by the fact it was a student who wanted to do this kind of work, and a high school student and a Native American at that,” Pedro said.
Pedro began to work in a computer program called StarLogo, which allowed him to rotate two objects side by side and compare the objects in different profiles. He had decided to concentrate on the human skull, comparing shapes that represented skulls. His goal was to create a method for anthropologists to determine which tribe or pueblo a skull might belong to with only minimal handling. The result was an entry for the Supercomputing Challenge called “Scan of the Past.”
“He learned a lot about the mathematics of 3D computer graphics and the rotation and scaling of 3D objects on the computer,” said Irene Lee, who oversees a grant program at Santa Fe Institute, and was previously lead facilitator for the SFI-MIT Adventures in Modeling program in Santa Fe when she worked with Pedro.
For this phase of his project, he received the Judges’ Choice Award for “Integrating Computation into Anthropology” from the Supercomputing Challenge.
The second phase of his work was on a new version of the “Scan of the Past,” with the help of Steve Guerin of Redfish Group, a Santa Fe-based business that specializes in data mining and visualizing. Guerin helped Pedro during his senior year construct a proxy data set, which would allow him to practice clustering techniques and classification algorithms, or in other words, construct real world data. Pedro learned how to integrate actual facial data collected after he photographed and studied 15 landmarks on the faces of 45 individuals – fellow students whom he persuaded to participate in his project. Generally, says Edgar, studies are made with as many as 50 landmarks on a human skull, but because Pedro was concentrated on faces, his study was limited to far fewer.
Although this phase of the project did not earn an award, he did receive an award from the Supercomputing Challenge in 2008-2009 for creating a graphic poster and creating a logo.
“Daniel took on a computational challenge that was meaningful to him and his community,” Lee said. “He is a great role model of a self-directed student researcher. He found an interesting, unsolved problem he could address. He overcame many obstacles and persevered with the project over several years.”
“It was great to have help from so many mentors,” Pedro said. “I had wondered if my project would be taken seriously because this was something really new.”
After graduating from high school in 2008, Daniel went on to enroll in 杏吧原创-Gallup, where he is studying, among other subjects, anthropology with Teresa Wilkins, professor of anthropology. Last year, he got a taste of the museum work he hopes to make a career by working at A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center in Zuni, where he learned how to care for exhibits and worked with the photo collection. He also got some good career experience this past summer by participating in the Conference on Archaeoastronomy of the American Southwest, Camp Verde, Ariz., where, with researcher Anna Sofaer, writer, artist and founder of the Solstice Project, he presented a poster on a new interactive computer model of the Chaco Canyon Sun Dagger site.
His work with Sofaer helped him see that Native Americans “did marvelous things,” and reinforced his idea that, when studying historic sites, “It’s best to listen to Native American oral traditions about what happened at these sites. If we can integrate these traditions with what we can learn from modern technology, we can create another level of thinking.”
As Pedro continues his journey toward a bachelor’s degree in Southwest Studies at 杏吧原创G, and beyond, to a Ph.D., the intention that inspired his high school project will be very much with him. He wants to continue to explore ways to use technology to repatriate human remains and relics to the tribes they belong to. At the same time, he wants to build on what he learned from his high school project and his work with the Solstice Project to bring computers into anthropological work in a way that will help Native Americans understand who they are.
“As an example, time may overtake the original Sun Dagger site and it will become part of nature, but a replica of the model will be there to teach how Native Americans used the solstice at Chaco, and how they measured time,” Pedro said.
Wilkins applauds Native students like Pedro who are looking to apply “sophisticated technology to [solve] real problems,” and echoes his hope that today’s Natives will become empowered to make their own identifications of remains in order to repatriate them. She also believes that such an applied approach to anthropology as Daniel Pedro’s project undertook may be “highly significant in empowering Native people to conduct their own research.”
Pedro also hopes his vocation as anthropologist will help show Native Americans that eventually, they should not have to take classes to “be native.” After all, he points out, most of the non-natives who have taught American Indians about their history and culture cannot have complete information because, “There is a limit as to how much we can share. Keeping the culture or religion with the community keeps our identity within the community, rather than having it spill out.” Ideally, he says, those studying and interpreting the research some day will be Natives who will not only share this knowledge with their communities, but also mediate what is shared with non-Natives.
Middle College High School Achieves AYP
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - August 13, 2009
The University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup has been notified that it achieved Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, over the past year for its public charter school, the Middle College High School.
The designation was awarded after testing of the junior class, which consisted of 23 students, in math and reading. MCHS
According to MCHS Principal Wally Feldman, the charter high school had not received the AYP rating in three years.
“This was achieved through the combined efforts of the students and the faculty,” Feldman said. “We’re very proud of the results, and would like to thank everyone who contributed to our achieving this goal.”
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Welding Program Back on Track
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - August 24, 2009
The University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup’s welding program, on hiatus for the last year, is getting back on track with a new instructor and plans for a more rigorous course of study.
Joe Sanchez, a Gallup native with 35 years of experience in welding, has been hired as visiting lecturer for the coming year and is looking forward to beefing up the program, with a focus on certification.
“I want to turn out certified welders,” Sanchez said. “If you’re going to school to be a lawyer or a doctor, you should be able to perform when you complete your coursework. It’s the same for welding. You should be ready to get any job when you get your certificate.”
The curriculum and certification will be according to the standards of the American Welding Society. Students will learn all the basic functions such as setting up a machine, layout and fabrication and reading blueprints. They will also study metallurgy, and learn four types of welding: oxyacetylene, M.I.G., T.I.G. and stick welding. At the end of the one-year course of instruction, students will be tested by the American Welding Society. The college currently has an agreement with Clovis Community College whereby they will proctor 杏吧原创G’s certification test, and 杏吧原创G will reciprocate.
Rick Krouth, chair of the Applied Technology Department and Sanchez’s supervisor, emphasized that a syllabus outlining the course of study will be followed.
“There are liability issues,” he said. “We need to be sure that whoever graduates from our program is knowledgeable and capable of being certified.”
Sanchez says his goal is to have the best welding program in the Four Corners Region, and the premier program in the state. His intention is that students obtaining their certificates from 杏吧原创G will be qualified for many of the well-paid jobs in welding.
“Welding used to be looked at as a dirty job, but today, things are changing,” he said. “There are opportunities in the green industry, including wind generators, with an emphasis on using, lighter stronger metals.”
Other opportunities for employment exist in aerospace, nuclear power plants, submarines, food processing plants, shipyards, the oil industry and aviation.
Salaries for starting welders, depending on the type of industry, can run from $40k to as high as mid $50k.
杏吧原创G’s welding shop is well equipped with some state-of-the-art machines. Many of the welders are digitized and multi-task machines. There is also a brake machine, a notcher, and portable welders.
The program will accommodate about 20 students. Sanchez invites students of any age, male or female, to apply. Students must be able to see well or else must wear glasses to correct poor vision. Contact wearers are advised to wear glasses, as contacts may become fused to the eye through one of the heating processes involved in welding.
“We’re looking for students who are enthusiastic about learning the trade, whether it’s to build a career or to do their own projects, such as art work,” Sanchez said.
For more questions about the 杏吧原创-Gallup welding certificate program, contact Joe Sanchez at 505.863.7510.
July 2009
- July 8 - 杏吧原创G's ABE/GED ® Students Complete Transitions to College Program
- July 10 - Solar Cooking Symposium Set
- July 13 - Fall Enrollment Under Way
- July 23 - Solar Cooking Symposium Focuses on Sustainability
杏吧原创G's ABE/GED ® Students Complete Transitions to College Program
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release July 8, 2009
Students in 杏吧原创-Gallup’s ABE/GED ® program recently celebrated their completion of a pilot project designed to enhance their chances of being hired in the health careers field. The students, who were honored at a luncheon at the college on June 30, were involved in one of only two so-called Adult Basic Education Transitions to College programs in the state.
Participating students had to be enrolled in the GED ® program – a program that helps students earn the equivalent of a high school degree – with goals of working in the health careers field.
“We applied early this year,” said Karessa Silversmith, ABE project manager, “and received word on our selection by the New 杏吧原创 Higher Education Department and New 杏吧原创 Business Roundtable for Educational Excellence in early February. Classes for the 12-week program began in the second eight weeks of the spring semester. After classes ended, the students worked with me and New 杏吧原创 Workforce Solutions to create portfolios and strengthen their job-seeking soft skills.”
The 20 students who enrolled in the program were required to take at least five credits within three college classes designed as part of the project.
Toward the end of the project, the students also participated in an education symposium at the Navajo Nation Museum. The symposium was sponsored as a field trip through a partnership between the Gallup Indian Medical Center and the Fort Defiance Indian Hospital.
The 杏吧原创-Gallup students are believed to be the first Native American cohort to complete a transitions project of this sort nationwide. Data has been collected to replicate the project's successes and to improve on the challenges and will also be presented at the Governor's Summit later this year.
Solar Cooking Symposium Set
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - June 10, 2009
The Symposium for Solar and Retained Heat Cooking will take place at the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup on Monday, July 20, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Health Careers Center, Room 105.
The symposium will feature guest speakers who will discuss global solar cooking projects, solar oven construction and healthful cooking methods. Solar food will be cooked and available for tasting at the end of the day.
Among the guest speakers will be Paul Funk, agricultural engineer with New 杏吧原创 State University, who will discuss his solar projects and the testing of solar ovens; John Welles, a teacher at Gallup High School who will talk about oven construction and solar ovens his students have completed; Rosemary Anslow, who will focus on cooking for diabetics and vegetarian cooking; and Vicky Paklito, who will solar cook some dishes for the tasting.
A certificate of attendance will be given to all participants, and a light lunch provided.
The event is funded through a grant from a National Institute of Health Biomedical and Behavioral Research Initiative grant awarded to 杏吧原创-Gallup.
Registration will be limited to 50 participants. For more information contact Deane Johnson at (505) 863-7664.
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Fall Enrollment Under Way
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - July 13, 2009
Fall enrollment is under way at the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup.
This is the first year at 杏吧原创-Gallup that the college has set an admissions application deadline. The deadline is August 19. Any applications received after that date will be subject to a $50 late fee. Classes start August 24.
For more information, call (505) 863-7500. All new students should make an appointment with an advisor prior to enrolling. Students may enroll online at my.unm.edu, but will need a 杏吧原创 identification number to do so.
As every fall, the college is offering an enrollment incentive: a drawing for a free Dell laptop. Students are eligible for one chance at in the drawing with every course they enroll in. 杏吧原创G employees are not eligible.
Solar Cooking Symposium Focuses on Sustainability
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - July 23, 2009
July 20 was partly cloudy, but the organizers of the Sustainable Solar-Powered Cooking for Health Symposium at the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup had enough sun to cook lunch for the participants. Among the items sampled: rice, jambalaya stew with chicken, red and black beans, turkey sausage and mock crab.
Organized by Health Careers Professor Jeannie Martinez Welles, the symposium was attended by college personnel as well as locals interested in saving power while cooking. Among those on the program were Paul Funk, Ph.D., with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, who spoke on the growth of the solar cooking phenomenon worldwide; John Welles, NBCT, a Gallup High School instructor who gave a presentation on solar oven construction; Rosemary Anslow, an adjunct instructor at 杏吧原创-Gallup and a diabetes educator, who gave some notes and anecdotes on solar ovens; and Vicky Pablito, student and community health worker, who gave a talk on diabetes education through alternative cooking and her experience with the project since 2002.
The event was funded through a grant from the National Institutes of Health Biomedical and Behavioral Research Initiative at 杏吧原创-G, written by Kamala Sharma, a chemistry professor at 杏吧原创-Gallup.
Caption: From left, Simeon Funk and brother Micah Funk, sons of Solar Symposium presenter Paul A. Funk, prepare to sample some of the food prepared in solar ovens for the symposium participants. Participants also got a booklet that included information on ovens, oven construction and cooking tips, and even some recipes.
June 2009
- June 4 - Fratelli's-on-Campus to Open in June
- June 10 - Follow-up to Navajo Talking Circle Set for June 16
- June 17 - Navajo Talking Circle Planning Meeting Set for June 23
- June 18 - Barry Cooney Concludes Assignment as Interim Executive Director on June 30
- June 26 - 杏吧原创G 1st Among NM Colleges to Graduate American Indians with Associate Degrees
- June 30 - College Offers New IT Certificate Program
Fratelli's-on-Campus to Open in June
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - June 4, 2009
杏吧原创-Gallup’s students and employees are soon to have some fresh options when it comes to dining on campus. Fratelli’s-on-Campus, operated by the owners of Fratelli’s Restaurant on Hwy. 491, will be opening around June 18, says proprietor Brian Long.
The major difference in the new restaurant and the food service that was offered in the past is that the emphasis will be on fresh food, with items homemade and prepared daily. Fratelli’s will offer homemade pizzas, to be sold by the slice or the pie, as well as made-to-order salads and hot sandwiches. Also, prepared salads and sandwiches will be ready for quick grabs.
The restaurant will have some new service features, with a counter in front of the old walk-up windows, so that patrons can take sandwiches and salads from a cooler and check out at the aisle register.
“We want to have less of a concession stand approach,” Long said.
Summer hours are tentatively from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., although that may be adjusted once the restaurant opens, depending on traffic.
Fratelli’s-on-Campus will be available for catering for campus and student organization events, and will also seeking patrons from the local residential and business communities.
“Everyone I’ve spoken to, students, faculty and staff, are thrilled that Fratelli’s will be our new Campus food vendor,” said Barry Cooney, interim executive director of 杏吧原创-Gallup. “They believe in serving great food at a fair price. I can’t wait to sample their menu.”
Follow-up to Navajo Talking Circle Set for June 16
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - June 10, 2009
All Navajo Talking Circle Planning Team members, moderators and recorders, and participants are invited to the Navajo Talking Circle Follow-up Meeting, Tuesday, June 16, at noon at the 杏吧原创 Gallup Health Careers Building, Room 105. Participants may bring a brown bag lunch if they choose.
Participants are asked to bring their written comments on the notes taken during the May 1 Navajo talking Circle meeting, or to email them to Gloria Begay at begay2004@yahoo.com.
Contact Eunice Harrison, 505.863-7714, or eharrison@gallup.unm.edu for more information.
The Talking Circles at 杏吧原创-Gallup are sponsored by the Achieving the Dream grant, which targets students success.
Navajo Talking Circle Planning Meeting Set for June 23
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - June 17, 2009
A Navajo Talking Circle Planning Meeting will be held at the 杏吧原创-Gallup Health Career Center, Room 105, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23.
The local community is invited to develop action plans, establish working committees and review a draft proposal for a Greater Gallup Community Engagement Project as a nonprofit organization.
“Everyone is invited; we need movers and shakers,” said Eunice Harrison, one of the organizers. For more information contact any of the following: Harrison at (505) 863-7714; Sonny Moore at (505) 863-7733; or Gloria Begay at (505) 967-8843.
Barry Cooney Concludes Assignment as Interim Executive Director on June 30
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - June 18, 2009
Barry Cooney, interim executive director of the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup, will conclude his service to the branch on June 30, the last day of his contract. Paul Kraft, Student Services director, will assume administrative duties until Sylvia Rodriguez Andrew, the newly appointed executive director, arrives in mid-August.
Cooney has been appointed special assistant to Deputy Provost Richard Holder, starting July 1, for an as yet undetermined period of time. He was named interim executive director in April 2008, following former Executive Director Beth Miller’s assignment as special assistant to 杏吧原创’s outgoing Vice President of Rio Rancho Operations and Branch Academic Affairs Marc Nigliazzo.
杏吧原创G 1st Among NM Colleges to Graduate American Indians with Associate Degrees
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - June 23, 2009
The University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup awarded more associate degrees to American Indian students than any other college in New 杏吧原创 during the 2007-2008 college year, according to U.S. Department of Education data printed in the June 15 issue of the Community College Week newspaper.
杏吧原创-Gallup graduated a total of 119 American Indian students with associate degrees for that year, down 4 percent from the previous year. San Juan College was second in the state with 93 associate degrees awarded to American Indians, and Central New 杏吧原创 Community College followed with 87.
Among those 119 graduates were 86 women and 33 men.
杏吧原创-Gallup was listed as third among all colleges in the country graduating American Indian students with associate degrees. First was Diné College in Arizona with 229, followed by Tulsa Community College in Oklahoma with 150.
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College Offers New IT Certificate Program
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - June 30, 2009
The University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup will be offering an online Information Technology degree this fall. The program will target high school seniors and employed adult learners in the surrounding service areas of New 杏吧原创 and Arizona. The online certificate is designed to prepare students for entry-level employment in computerized environments.
“For students who are just out of high school and are not sure what they want to do, this is a great opportunity to be fully online, to take classes at their leisure and determine what they really want to do,” said Coleen Arviso, training and development consultant, who with instructor Kathy Larason put the program together. “By the time they’re done with the certificate, they’ll know if they like this field of work and if they want to continue on to get a degree.”
The course work is designed to be accessible using 杏吧原创’s WebCT and e-textbooks transfer methods.
In addition to the General Education requirements of English and Math, students will take the following courses: How To Take An Online Course, Human Relations in Business, Computing for Business Students, Computer Programming Fundamentals, Web Page Design I, Microcomputer Operating Systems, Introduction to Hardware Installation and Computer Networking for a total of 31 credits.
Those who are interested in taking the course should have access to a computer with a Windows XP operating system and access to at least dial-up Internet.
For those students who do not have computers, Arviso said that the college will be offering netbooks in the fall in the bookstore. Netbooks are less expensive computers designed for wireless communication and access to the Internet for the purposes of web browsing and e-mailing. Arviso said they should be available for around $350 in the bookstore, and will have such features as webcams and wireless access capability.
Call the Business Technology Department at 505.863.7511 for more information.
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May 2009
- May 4 - Star Nayea to Perform
- May 4 - Commencement Set for May 14
- May 7 - MCHS Student Is First to Receive MCHS Diploma, Degree Simultaneously
- May 26 - Sylvia Andrew Named 杏吧原创-Gallup's Executive Director
Star Nayea to Perform
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - May 4, 2009
The University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup Student Senate is hosting Native American singer and songwriter Star Nayea on Wednesday, May 6, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in Calvin Hall Auditorium.
Nayea, who was chosen the 2008 Native American Music Awards Songwriter of the year, grew up in Detroit and has lived in New York and Santa Fe. She was also named 2008 Native-E Music Awards winner for Best Mainstream Song and for Best Blues Song. She has performed with Robert Mirabal, Robbie Robertson, Rita Coolidge, Buffy St. Marie, Ulali, Joanne Shenandoah, Indigenous and Willie Nelson.
The show is free.
Commencement Set for May 14
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - May 4, 2009
Commencement ceremonies for the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup will be held on Thursday, May 14, at 6 p.m. in Red Rock Park Arena.
The college is graduating 350 students with diplomas, certificates, associate degrees, bachelor degrees and master degrees. Visiting dignitaries will include Marc Nigliazzo, vice president for Rio Rancho Operations and Branch Academic Affairs at 杏吧原创; Richard Holder, deputy provost at 杏吧原创; Norman J. Cooeyate, governor, Pueblo of Zuni; and Ben Shelly, vice president of the Navajo Nation.
MCHS Student Is First to Receive MCHS Diploma, Degree Simultaneously
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - May 7, 2009
William Q. Long, son of Calvin and Genice Long of Gallup, is the first student from the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup’s Middle College High School to earn a high school diploma and a degree from 杏吧原创-Gallup simultaneously.
Students enrolled at Middle College High School can take dual credit classes at 杏吧原创-Gallup.
Long, who has attended MCHS for five semesters, will participate in commencement activities with his classmates and other 杏吧原创-Gallup graduates at Red Rock State Park on May 14, where he will be awarded an Associate of Arts degree. He has made the Dean’s List for two semesters, and has a grade point average of 3.54.
Long plans to pursue a career in medicine.
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Sylvia Andrew Named 杏吧原创-Gallup's Executive Director
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - May 26, 2009
Sylvia Rodriguez Andrew has been named director of the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup campus, announced 杏吧原创 Vice President Marc Nigliazzo. She assumes the role effective August 1.
Kate O’Neill, director, 杏吧原创-Taos, served as search committee chair. She said, “Dr. Andrew’s background and her particular skill set make her an especially good fit for the Gallup campus, as evident through her meetings with people there. She has a fine appreciation for diversity issues, an awareness of social and cultural issues as well as excellent interpersonal skills. I am happy we were able to find someone with her talents and abilities to take the Gallup campus to the next stage in its development.”
Andrew has served as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Antioch University Los Angeles since last year. In that capacity, she provides leadership and management of all educational programs and activities. She serves as the campus academic liaison officer, is administrative liaison to the Faculty Assembly and is responsible for institution-wide academic initiatives.
Prior, from 1994-2006, she served as dean and professor in the College of Social Work at San Jose State university. The College of Social work included graduate and undergraduate social work programs, African American Studies, Mexican American Studies and Regional and Urban Planning. She was responsible for a $3 million budget and an additional $1.3 million in external funding. She established working relationships with surrounding human service organizations, developed innovative programs such as the off-campus Sonoma project to bring graduate social work education in response to regional needs. In collaboration with San Jose State University undergraduate former foster youth social work students, she initiated a campus-wide discussion on the educational needs of youth aging out of the child welfare system. Plans included developing a program to offer junior and senior social work courses at the local community college.
Andrew has held interim leadership positions including serving as interim chancellor at San Jose/Evergreen Community College District; and acting president at Evergreen Community College.
Andrew’s social work experience includes serving as executive director of St. Peter St. Joseph’s Children’s home in the San Antonio area; serving as project director at Los Ninos, also in Texas; and as social services director at Crestview Retirement Center in College Station, Texas.
Andrew earned her law degree from Lincoln Law School in San Jose, Calif., in 2001; and her Ph.D. in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin in 1990. She is a member of the Federal Bar Association, is a licensed Child Care Administrator, licensed Master Social Worker, Clinical Social Worker, among other certifications.
Andrew is extensively published, including numerous articles, books and reports on substance abuse issues among Mexican Americans.
Andrew said, “The more I learned about 杏吧原创 Gallup and the range of possible opportunities, the more excited I became about being a part of that vision. Everyone recognizes we face challenges, but I believe that when we work together we can create an environment where all students can achieve their educational dreams. I was impressed with the potential of the Zuni campus and look forward to working with tribal leaders in assuming we provide quality and relevant educational programs. Both the campus and community were gracious and welcoming – I know they have high expectations, but I also know that they are ready to work with me to make 杏吧原创 Gallup the place where dreams begin.”
April 2009
- April 1 - Navajo Lecturer to Speak on '51st Virtual State'
- April 2 - Open House Set for April 16
- April 3 - 'Springfest' Set for April 17
- April 7 - Vol 14 of Red Mesa Review Published
- April 10 - Humane Society, Construction Tech Form Partnership to Help Animals
- April 14 - Zuni Enrollment Surges
- April 21 - Nursing Scores Pass Rate of 88.8 Percent
- April 21 - Student Art Exhibition on View at Ingham Chapman
- April 28 - Four Candidates to Interview for Executive Director
Navajo Lecturer to Speak on '51st Virtual State'
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - April 1, 2009
Mark Charles, a public speaker, writer and consultant on Native American issues, will give a lecture on “51st Virtual State for American Indians” in Calvin Hall Auditorium, Thursday, April 9, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Charles, a Navajo, consults with organizations on Native American issues, including Navajo time perception, retaining cultural integrity in the midst of our changing world and racial reconciliation. He also is a minister and computer programmer.
A graduate of UCLA, Charles has lived in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Albuquerque, Gallup and Denver. He moved with his family back to the Navajo reservation in 2004, and lived for three years on a sheep camp in a traditional hogan. A native of Gallup, he now lives in Fort Defiance.
For more information, contact the Student Senate at 863-7573, or unmgstudentsenate@yahoo.com.
Open House Set for April 16
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - April 2, 2009
The University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup will host its annual open house on Thursday, April 16. The college invites local students and the community at large to attend.
Tours and orientation will start at 9 a.m. in Gurley Hall. Those attending may also visit displays and ask questions of faculty and staff at the information booths in Gurley Hall. Anyone attending the tour who is not already a student is eligible for a drawing for several prizes.
There will also be an open mic contest, in which faculty, staff and students are invited to participate.
“While we traditionally host the open house as an opportunity to introduce local high school students to 杏吧原创-Gallup, we also invite other community members to attend. Potential students of all ages are invited,” said Linda Thornton, senior public affairs representative, 505.863.7565, or 505.979.1945.
The Open House will conclude at 4 p.m.
'Springfest' Set for April 17
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - April 3, 2009
杏吧原创-Gallup’s chartered clubs will host the college’s annual student dance on Friday, April 17, from 8 p.m. to midnight in Gurley Hall.
The theme of this year’s “Springfest” is “A Glamorous Masquerade.” Dress will be formal masquerade, while the color theme will be black and white and a hint of red. Among the evening’s events will be a dance, a hair and fashion show and a costume contest. Baked goods and beverages will be on sale.
Admission is $3 for non-students and $2 for students with a student ID.
Vol 14 of Red Mesa Review Published
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release April 7, 2009
The 2008 edition of Red Mesa Review, a literary journal produced annually by the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup, is now available.
Gloria Dyc, chair of the Department of Arts and Letters and chair of the RMR editorial board, praised the student and faculty contributors to the journal, which marked 14 years of publishing history with this latest volume.
“It looks more professional than it has in the past, with a unifying graphic theme,” she said, referring to the cover, which was created by Digital Design and Media student Tiffany Charley. Charley won a competition for best design and the honor of having her work featured as the cover design.
The graphic theme of the cover design is replicated throughout the pages of the journal this year, unlike previous years, where students submitted original art work. Co-designers and production staff included Elaine Begay, Marquita King and Vance King.
Other contributors of original essays, poetry and short fiction were Dyc, Phil Sanchez Jr., Paige Buffington, Stacey Chavez, Heather Jim, Michael Volz, Raylynn Haskie, Sophia Rodriguez, Marcella Sandoval, Allison Johnson, Lyle Griffith and Cynthia Plummer. Both Sanchez and Johnson have gone on to study English at the Albuquerque campus.
“This is a great way for students to publish their work, a great place to get started,” Dyc said.
Members of the editorial board were faculty John Crowl, Fran Pawlowski, Norman Smith, Mike Volz, John Zimmerman and Chad Adelhart, who, as the faculty in charge of the Digital Design and Media program, also served as head art director for the 2008 RMR.
Copies of the Red Mesa Review are free and available from the Arts and Letter Department of 杏吧原创-Gallup, 863-7535.
RMR is now accepting submissions for Volume 15, with a deadline of October 15. Call 863-7535 for submission guidelines.
Humane Society, Construction Tech Form Partnership to Help Animals
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - April 10, 2009
On a chilly morning in February at the Gallup McKinley Humane Society, students in Rick Krouth’s Interior Finishing class from 杏吧原创-Gallup were on a mission. Wearing hardhats, but minus customary hammers and drills, they listened as Cosy Balok, director of the Humane Society, ticked off a list of the organization’s considerable needs. Krouth and fellow Construction Tech instructor Chris Chavez made notes, and the students, prompted by a photographer, took up some of the numerous kittens and puppies waiting for adoption at the facility and posed for pictures they hope will promote their mission in the local community.
That mission is one that is now well under way, with the construction of a prep room in the Humane Society building, and plans for more projects that will help provide better care for the 5000 homeless cats and dogs that come through its doors every year.
“We take in a lot more animals than other facilities, because we’re surrounded by the reservation,” said Balok. It’s a familiar story: too many abandoned dogs and cats, and too little spaying and neutering, despite the availability of low-cost and no-cost veterinary services in the area.
The Humane Society in Gallup, founded about 20 years ago, is housed in the Animal Control Building on Hwy. 491. Volunteer veterinarians such as Clinton Balok, retired from Cedar Animal Medical Center, and others spay and neuter, give shots, and treat a variety of health problems that trouble neglected animals, such as mange, ringworm and viruses. Volunteers also care for the animals – walking the dogs, cleaning the cages, and feeding and watering.
The Humane Society holds the animals for two weeks in an attempt to find homes for them, rather than allow them to be euthanized. Operating expenses come through various grants and the annual Bow-Wow/Meow fund-raiser. There isn’t a lot left over for the improvements that Balok envisions to make the animals more comfortable during their stay.
The new partnership between the Humane Society and 杏吧原创-Gallup’s Construction Tech program may well be a way to make those extras possible. It is the brainchild of Interim Executive Director Barry Cooney, an animal lover who, upon learning about the overpopulation problem on the reservation, looked for a way to get the campus involved by creating a student project. Cooney hopes to donate the students’ labor so that not only will the animals be helped, but the students will get valuable hands-on experience. In turn, he’s hoping the local community will support the college’s efforts by donating materials.
“This project, which allows our Construction Technology students to lend a hand in helping much-needed specialized areas within the Humane Society building, is a real win-win for both the Gallup community and 杏吧原创-G’s students,” Cooney said.
“We’re looking at how we can do anything and everything they want,” Krouth said. “Besides the surgery prep area, we’re looking at building cabinetry, creating a cat containment area, extending some dog runs, even tightening up the windows and doors for better energy efficiency.”
Krouth described the students in his class as “very excited” about the current project, and hopeful that a source for the materials for this and future projects will be found.
To that end, the college will be making appeals to merchants, individuals and organizations for help underwriting the project. Cooney hopes the effort will be an ongoing one – as is the Construction Tech Department’s association with Habitat for Humanity.
Already, the community has been responding. Linda and Charlie Byrd of Clifton Electric donated the electrical work for the new prep room. Cooney and all involved hope other members of the community will respond in kind.
“I was struck by the overwhelmingly positive response our students had to this project when they visited the Humane Society and had the opportunity to spend time with the animals,” Cooney said. “I urge all animal lovers to support this incredibly worthwhile project.”
Captions:
Alliaha Barney, Construction Tech student, and friend.
Nate Davis, Construction Tech student, with one of the puppies from the Humane Society.
Zuni Enrollment Surges
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - April 14, 2009
No one would argue that when the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup opened its campus in Zuni in 2002, things got off to a slow start. During those first years, college officials worried about how to put the $3.8 million, 36,000-square-foot facility to better use. But over the last year, the picture has changed for the better. The parking lot is full of cars, the classes are brimming with students, and as Fred Wey, the interim program manager says, “We’re running out of room here.”
Wey, who became a faculty member with the Gallup campus in 2006 and transferred to the Zuni campus in 2007, credits this turn of events to a new, improved relationship between the campus and the Pueblo of Zuni. A licensed social worker with a Master’s of Social Work Degree with a clinical specialty, he arrived at 杏吧原创-Gallup after teaching social work, counseling and psychology at Western New 杏吧原创 University. Once at the Zuni campus, Wey began to concentrate on a new, improved relationship with the Pueblo by keeping conversation open with the Zuni Tribal Council, as well as the schools, businesses, and organizations that serve Zuni and the surrounding communities.
“We have needed to stabilize not only our image in the community, but stabilize the students and get them to stay here. The way we operate stimulates students to come back. With that in mind, I’ve become a strong advocate with the chairs [of the various academic departments at 杏吧原创-Gallup] for the courses we needed,” Wey said.
Slowly, the image seems to be changing. One by one, obstacles have been overcome, from getting reimbursement for 杏吧原创G instructors who drive from Gallup to teach classes through a Zuni dedicated travel budget, to finding local instructors with the proper credentials to teach, to transforming Zuni—through the services of administrative assistant Laura Leekela—into a one-stop shop for financial aid and advisement that is sensitive to the unique cultural needs of the community.
Along the way, the recruiting and retention of students have advanced through the work of a revitalized student senate on campus and the outreach of the Construction Club.
“Most of the credit, though, goes to our students who are rapidly spreading the word that ‘The time for the Zuni campus has come!’” Wey said.
These developments have helped mitigate the feeling among some in Zuni that the campus was “an afterthought,” as Wey put it. Although such terminology as the “twig”—meaning that Zuni campus was a “twig” off the 杏吧原创-Gallup branch -- was probably meant humorously rather than as a put-down, it began to rankle some locals, who also heard the campus referred to as the “stepchild” or “white elephant.”
“They felt that 杏吧原创G was never fully supportive,” Wey said.
Wey, who has applied for the permanent manager’s job at the Zuni campus, said another problem was the job has been vacant more than filled. The first two managers prior to Wey moved on after a short time at the post. Filling the position with someone who intends to stay on board should help improve the campus’s image in the community, Wey said.
As mentioned above, one of the most important ways of getting students onto the campus has been for Wey to advocate with the chairs for the courses that Zuni needs.
“If our motto is ‘Stay close, go far,’ shouldn’t that apply down here as well?” he said. “ZEE Transportation [the company that carries members of the Pueblo from Zuni to Gallup] doesn’t have a budget to make a run after 5 p.m. Additionally, many of our students do not have the resources to make the Gallup-Zuni commute.”
To remedy the challenge of providing more varied courses, an effort to recruit instructors from Gallup has been intensified. Currently, instructors from Gallup are teaching psychology, sociology, English 101 and 102, College Success and drawing. And now, the students are energized to seek more courses.
“Our students now feel empowered enough to petition for courses they need. If we receive enough signatures for a particular course, we will strongly advocate with the chairs in Gallup for the addition of this course,” Wey said.
For instance, students wanted Human Services Interviewing this semester but the paperwork wasn’t processed in time, and so they will try again next semester. The campus did petition for and was able to offer a course in First Aid. Physical Education classes are now in the works.
Popular courses that are currently taught by local instructors include Transitional Studies courses in math and English, Construction Tech (with plumbing, electrical and blueprint reading courses), Business Tech, Astronomy, Math 100, 120 and 121 and more.
“I’m petitioning the chairs to offer courses that are germane to what degrees people here are seeking,” Wey said.
The campus also has a renewed relation with Zuni High School, and offers many courses for either dual enrollment or for the Center for Career and Technical Education (vocational) track. Most of these courses are offered in the daytime, however, and as Wey points out, the Zuni campus, unlike Gallup, is mostly populated by those seeking weekend and evening classes.
“And that is one of the main things the Pueblo would like to see – more weekend, late afternoon and evening courses,” Wey said.
In the immediate future, Wey says he has plans to expand on dual enrollment with Ramah High School, which currently offers the College Success course. Ramah already offers many CCTE offerings coordinated by Linda Burson, a long-time Zuni campus faculty member. Wey also is increasing outreach with the Ramah and Pine Hill communities.
With classrooms now steadily full to capacity, planning for more space is in discussion. The high school is currently lending classroom space, but that is seen as a temporary solution. Zuni students would also like to see upgraded computers, an expansion of the current building and even the building of a multi-use auditorium with projection equipment and a stage. The auditorium, Wey says, might be rented out to the local community – an idea that appeals to the Pueblo.
Wey said some discussion of housing for full-time faculty has been held, and that this might be achieved by partnerships with other entities in the area – perhaps with the school district, which already provides housing for its teachers.
As Wey acknowledged, many of the past concerns about the Zuni campus have had to do with whether or not it is cost effective.
“The fact is that a clear profit and loss statement for Zuni is extremely hard to determine under our current budgetary structure because Zuni doesn’t have its own dedicated budget. Current budgetary meetings in Gallup may resolve this problem beginning next fiscal year,” he said.
For now, though, Wey believes the Zuni campus is already helping to pay its way, claiming that by analyzing the current 2 percent 杏吧原创-Gallup increase in semester hour enrollment, 1.1 per cent of that increase—over half—may be due to the semester hour increases in Zuni. “If you add the Ramah semester hour increases, that total rises to nearly 1.3 percent of the 2 percent reported total,” Wey said.
Regardless of the source of the increase, the administration at 杏吧原创-Gallup is pleased with the increase in traffic at the Zuni Campus, as are the citizens of Zuni. All are hopeful that perhaps now, the campus is at last on its way to enabling locals to “stay close and go far.”
##
Please credit John Van’t Land with photography
Captions:
Steve Peretti instructs the Sociology 101 class.
Barbara Babcock, left, instructs the Drawing class at the Pueblo of Zuni. Students are Erickson Johnson, middle, and Sarah Gashytewa, right.
From left, Andrew Martinez and Derrick Zunie with Drawing instructor Babcock.
Monica Wyaco, administrative assistant, with Fred Wey, interim program director.
Nursing Scores Pass Rate of 88.8 Percent
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - April 21, 2009
GALLUP— The University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup’s Nursing Program has reported a pass rate of 88.8 percent for the 2009 NCLEX-RN examinations, one of the highest in recent years.
All RN’s are required to take the national certification tests before they can practice. The examinations are conducted by the National Council of State Boards for Nursing through its NCLEX-RN testing program.
“We always try to figure out why when we have an excellent pass rate,” said Marji Campbell, chair of the program. A local nursing advisory committee, which is made up of area professionals employed at hospitals, clinics and offices where 杏吧原创G’s nurses will work, has helped boost the pass rate by stressing that the graduates need to take the test soon after graduation. Statistics support that the nursing graduates do much better at the exams if they do not delay taking the NCLEX-RN test.
As usual, enrollment in 杏吧原创G’s Nursing Program is at capacity, but Campbell says the faculty are always looking for well qualified applicants. That means students who have “done their research and know about the demands of nursing,” Campbell says, adding that successful applicants should have also done well in their pre-requisite courses, particularly science and math, with at least a C average.
Campbell stressed that successful nursing candidates should also be willing to commit to completing the program in four semesters, as those who try to take one or two courses per semester generally don’t succeed. Further, nursing candidates need to be aware that those with full family support and the time and energy to make their studies their priority are the most likely to succeed in the program.
Currently, the college is taking applications for fall until the end of May. Testing for the program will be done in June.
Mentoring is another means of ensuring that nursing students succeed, Campbell said. To that end, Interim Executive Director Barry Cooney and the 杏吧原创-G Nursing Department are hosting an informational get-together in May, where local nurses will be invited to help mentor students. The date and time will be announced.
For more information, contact the Nursing Program at 505.863.7514.
Student Art Exhibition on View at Ingham Chapman
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - April 21, 2009
The 17th annual University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup Student Exhibition is on view at the Ingham Chapman Gallery until May 15. A wide range of student work, produced throughout the past college year, is being exhibited.
A reception is scheduled for Wednesday, April 29, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the gallery. Call 505.863.7774 for more information.
Four Candidates to Interview for Executive Director
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - April 28, 2009
GALLUP – Four candidates have been selected to interview for the position of executive director of the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup, and all four will be coming to Gallup over the next two weeks to determine which of them best fits the campus and the community.
“I think we have some strong candidates, and I’m excited about that,” said Kate O’Neill, executive director of 杏吧原创-Taos and the chair of the search committee.
杏吧原创-Gallup employees, the Gallup community and the search committee will meet each candidate at the Gallup branch during a series of meetings. The candidates will tour the campus as well as Gallup, and will also travel to Zuni for a tour of the South Campus. After that, they’ll be off to Albuquerque for a meeting with O’Neill and 杏吧原创 administrators, branch directors, deans and Extended University administrators.
“The candidates that emerged are strong professionals and I think they bring a range of backgrounds and experiences from two- and four-year schools. They also have experience in the Southwest and in a range of programs, and have focused on student success,” O’Neill said.
The candidates are Robert A. Anderson Jr., Sylvia Rodriguez Andrew, Anselm G. Davis Jr. and Homer Garcia.
Anderson, of Heber, Ariz., has been in private business since 2005. He was vice president for student services at the Community College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas from 2002-04, and prior to that, president of Colorado Northwestern Community College in Rangely from 1995-2002. Other administrative positions include executive vice chancellor from 1991-95 of the Houston Community College System in Texas; superintendent from 1987 to 1991 of Sevier Valley Applied Technology Center in Richfield, Utah; and president from 1978-87 of New 杏吧原创 Junior College in Hobbs. He received a Ph.D. in educational administration and an M.S. in educational psychology from the University of Utah, and a B.S. in elementary education from the College of Southern Utah.
Andrew, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Antioch University Los Angeles since August of 2008, has a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work, and a J.D. from Lincoln Law School of San Jose, Calif. She was dean and professor of the College of Social Work at San Jose State University (Calif.) from 1994-2006. She was also interim chancellor of San Jose/Evergreen Community College District from 2004 to 2005, and acting president of Evergreen Community College from August to September of 2004. Andrew held teaching positions at Texas Lutheran College in Seguin and our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio.
Davis, of Gaithersburg, Md., holds an Ed. D. from Pennsylvania State University in University Park, and an M.A. from Northern Arizona University. Of Navajo-Choctaw descent, he was the executive director of the White House Initiative in Tribal Colleges and Universities for the Department of Education (Washington, D.C.) from May of 2008 to January of this year, and prior to that, was special assistant for the same organization from 2004 to 2008. Other positions he has held include program director for the National Science Foundation in Arlington, Va., for the Rural Systemic Initiative; principal investigator for an RSI grant for the Navajo Nation; associate director for the North Central Association-Navajo State Office; and dean of instruction and assistant to the executive director of Navajo Preparatory School, Farmington, from 1991 to 1997.
Garcia currently resides in Pearland, Texas, where he has been a consultant since 2006 to tribes, churches, and the League of United Latin American Citizens and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He was president/professor of general studies at Henry Cogswell College from 2004-2006, and dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and professor of sociology, University of Texas-Pan American, from 2001-04. Other positions he has held include vice president for academic affairs, University of Saint Francis from 2000 to 2001 and professor of sociology at Baylor University from 1990 to 2000. He has a Ph.D. in sociology, a master of philosophy and a master of sociology from Yale University.
Schedules for the four candidates are as follows:
Anselm G. Davis Jr.: Arrive in Gallup April 29, 9 a.m., for a series of meetings, with a community forum in Calvin Hall 248A at 5:15 p.m. Davis will travel to Zuni on April 30 for a tour and a meeting with faculty, staff and students. He will participate in a community forum in the commons area from 1 to 2 p.m. and will return to Albuquerque that afternoon, and meet with 杏吧原创 administrators, branch directors, deans and search chair Kate O’Neill on May 1.
Robert A. Anderson Jr.: Arrive in Gallup May 4, for a series of meetings with faculty, staff, administrators, students and the search committee, starting at 9 a.m. A community forum will be held at 5:15 p.m. in Calvin Hall 248A. Anderson will travel to Zuni on May 5 to meet with faculty, staff and students and will participate in a community forum from 1 to 2 p.m. in the commons. He will depart for Albuquerque at 3 p.m., and on may 6, will meet with 杏吧原创 administrators, branch directors, deans and search chair Kate O’Neill.
Homer Garcia: Arrive in Gallup May 5 at 9 a.m. for a day of meetings with faculty, staff, administrators, students and the search committee. A community forum will be held from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. in Calvin Hall 248A. Garcia will travel to Zuni on May 6 for a meeting with faculty, staff and students and will participate in a community forum from 1 to 2 p.m. in the commons. He will depart for Albuquerque that afternoon and meet on May 7 with 杏吧原创 administrators, branch directors, deans and search chair Kate O’Neill.
Sylvia Rodriguez Andrew: Arrive in Gallup May 6 at 9 a.m. for a series of meetings with faculty, staff, administrators, students and the search committee. A community forum will be held at 5:15 p.m. in Calvin Hall 248A. Andrew will travel to Zuni on May 7 to meet with faculty, staff and students and will participate in a community forum from 1 to 2 p.m. in the commons. She will depart for Albuquerque that afternoon and on May 8, meet with 杏吧原创 administrators, branch directors, deans and search chair Kate O’Neill.
“I hope the campus will turn out for this,” O’Neill said. “Everyone is encouraged to fill out evaluation forms, which they can turn in and which will be tabulated carefully. The more specific people can be about why they think a particular candidate would be a good director, the more helpful their opinions will be to the hiring officer.”
Marc Nigliazzo, vice president of Rio Rancho operations and branch academic affairs, will be the hiring officer. He will make his selection in consultation with the 杏吧原创 Gallup Local Board.
March 2009
- March 9 - Uranium Fuel Cycle Topic of 8-week Course
- March 10 - Book Giveaways Target Literacy Issues
- March 10 - Dean Chavers to Present Lecture March 26
- March 27 - Higher Learning Commission Visit Set
- March 30 - Ceramic Artist Due for Workshop, Lecture
- March 30 - Earthweek Film Slated
Uranium Fuel Cycle Topic of 8-week Course
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - March 9, 2009
“The Uranium Fuel Cycle” will be explored in a special eight-week course at 杏吧原创-Gallup, to run on Wednesdays from noon to 1:40 p.m., starting March 25 and continuing through May 13.
The class, EPS 300 – Topics in Geology, will touch on historic uranium mining and milling in the Gallup area, radioactivity, the development of the atomic bomb, nuclear energy, disposal of radioactive waste, and the prospects for future uranium mining in this area.
Instructor is Paula Watt, Ph.D.
Students may earn one credit upon successful completion of the course. Grades will be based on attendance and there will be no exams. Call the Bachelor and Graduate Programs at 863-7618 for more information.
Book Giveaways Target Literacy Issues
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - February 10, 2009
GALLUP— The University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup wants local kids to read more – and they’re even willing to give free books to make sure that happens.
The college held two recent initiatives which, judging by their success, bode well for similar events in the future.
Last fall, the Transitional Studies program sponsored a book give-away through the college’s reading classes at the branch and the North campus. 杏吧原创-Gallup’s Student Senate loaned a hand, hosting holiday dinners at the branch, at the North campus and at Zuni to which the cost of admission was a couple of juvenile or children’s books. The books were then bundled according to reading level, age appropriateness, theme and language, and distributed through the department’s developmental reading classes.
“Despite receiving more books than anticipated, requests for bundles surpassed the supply,” said Jayme McMahon, administrative assistant for Transitional Studies.
Another event, held at the Zuni campus last month, also underscored the potential of the program to increase literacy in this region. On February 12, dozens of locals gathered for the first-ever Book Extravaganza – so named by the Zuni High School College Success class – during which more than 700-plus books for infants, children, juveniles and adults were offered free. The books were donated by Half Price Bookstore in Cincinnati, Ohio, Cindy McFadden of Loveland, Ohio, Baker’s Dozen Day Care and Abigail Backer of Plainfield, Ind., and 杏吧原创-Gallup’s Title III.
“Entire families began showing up at 5:30 and picking out books,” said Erica Baker, Title III Activities Director/Visiting Lecturer Transitional Studies. “Some families took home boxes of books, and others sat down on the chairs and began reading to their children right on the spot. By 7 p.m., many of the books were gone and several requests were made to have another similar book fair.”
Both McMahon and Baker say they will definitely host similar events in the future.
“This is a project that has the potential for being a successful annual event that not only spotlights the campus’s interest in the education needs within our region, but also increases literacy awareness and reading levels within the 杏吧原创 Gallup campus community,” McMahon said.
Dean Chavers to Present Lecture March 26
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - March 10, 2009
Dean Chavers, author of “Racism in Indian Country,” will present a lecture at the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup on Thursday, March 26, 6 to 8 p.m., in Calvin Hall Auditorium.
Chavers is the co-founder and director of Catching the Dream, formerly known as the Native American Scholarship Fund.
Since its founding in 1986 to help Native students enroll in and finish college, CTD has aided 637 Native students earn baccalaureate or higher degrees and has maintained an overall completion rate of 85 percent. The organization also helps improve Indian schools by leading the Exemplary Programs in Indian Education movement, which was founded in 1988. The 38 programs that have been generated or identified in those years are considered significant indicators of improvement of education in Indian Country and have raised graduation rates from 30 to 90 percent, raised college enrollment rates from 20 to 90 percent, and raised test scores from below the 20th percentile to above the 75th. CTD coordinates the annual Exemplary Institute in April so Exemplary Programs can train others in their techniques.
Chavers is the former president of Bacone College and is a former faculty member at California State University, Hayward. He was the second Native American to earn a doctorate degree from Stanford University. A member of the National Honor Society in high school and college, he is also a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
CTD also publishes a line of books related to the improvement of Indian education. He has written or edited 24 books on Indian education and fundraising. His most recent books are Modern American Indian Heroes (Mellen Press, June 2007) and Reading for College (Catching the Dream Publishers, September 2007). Peter Lang Publishers will publish his Racism in Indian Country in 2009.
He is a former Board Member of the National Indian Education Association, a former member of the Committee on Minority Affairs of the Association of American Colleges, and for six years was a member of the Minority Committee of The College Board.
The lecture, which is free to the public, is sponsored by the 杏吧原创-Gallup Student Senate. A signing of his new book, Racism in Indian Country, will take place at 7:30 p.m.
Higher Learning Commission Visit Set
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - March 27, 2009
A team from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools will be on the campus of 杏吧原创-Gallup on April 7 for an official accreditation visit. The public is invited to attend one of the forums, scheduled from 4 to 4:45 p.m. on that day in Calvin Hall Auditorium.
Separate forums are planned for administrators; faculty; and staff, students, the Local Board and the community. The team members, Paul L. Gaston, provost of Kent State University, and Juan Franco, vice chancellor for Student Affairs at the University of Nebraska, will ask questions about the mission of the university or about particular units, including direction of activities, strategic planning and assessment.
杏吧原创-Gallup, as are all branch campuses, is accredited under the umbrella of the main campus.
“The site visitors are trained to look at the big picture, and understand plans to move the college forward,” said Christine Marlow, dean of instruction. “This is a great opportunity for us to participate in this important process for the accreditation of 杏吧原创.”
Ceramic Artist Due for Workshop, Lecture
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - March 30, 2009
GALLUP—Ceramic artist Melissa Mencini will give a workshop and lecture on Monday, April 6, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1:30 to 5 p.m. in the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup ceramics lab in Gurley 1238. The Helena, Mont.,-based artist will demonstrate her techniques and discuss her processes. She will also give a slide lecture in Calvin Hall 248A at 6 p.m.
The events are free and open to the public.
Earthweek Film Slated
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For release March 30, 2009
The Transitional Studies Department of the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup will present the film, “The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry?”, a 2008 documentary narrated by actress Jane Seymour, and produced, directed and written by filmmaker Jim Thebaut, during Earth Week, which this year will be April 20-24.
Show times are: Monday, April 20, 5:15 p.m.; Tuesday, April 21, 1 p.m.; Wednesday, April 22, 12:30 p.m.; Thursday, April 23, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. All showings will be in Calvin Hall Auditorium 248B.
The Transitional Studies Department will donate the DVD to the Zollinger Library of 杏吧原创G after the Earth Week activities so it can be used as a classroom resource.
February 2009
- February 2 - Spring Community Ed Classes Under Way
- February 2 - FAFSA Filing Dates Set at 杏吧原创-Gallup
- February 4 - Voters Approve $8 Million in Local Bonds to Rehabilitate, Replace Aging Campus Structures
- February 6 - CDL Program Puts Students on the Road to High-Paying Jobs
- February 6 - Work of Una Mjurka On View at Ingham Chapman Gallery
- February 9 - College Announces Spring Enrollment Figures
- February 17 - Entrepreneur Program Gets $60,000 Boost
- February 18 - Community Input Sought for Executive Director Search
- February 20 - HVAC Repairs Will Require Moving Faculty, Programs Temporarily
- February 27 - Peterson Zah to Present Lecture
Spring Community Ed Classes Under Way
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - February 2, 2009
杏吧原创-Gallup’s Community Education program is under way for spring, with a variety of non-credit courses available.
Some of the classes that are still open for registration:
Navajo Philosophy of Learning and Growing, Mondays, 6-8 p.m., March 2-30; Beginning Acoustic Guitar, Thursdays , 6-8 p.m., March 5-April 23; Beading, Wednesdays, 6-8 p.m., April 1-29; Beginning/Advanced Silversmith, Thursdays, 6-8 p.m., April 2-30; Intro to Computer Basics for Windows, Mondays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., February 2-March 23; Advanced Navajo Weaving, Thursdays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., February 5-March 26; Introduction to Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), Wednesdays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., February 4-March 25; Gift Basket and Bow Making, Mondays, 6-8 p.m., May 4-11; and Flower Arranging, Wednesdays, 6-8 p.m., April 1-22.
Registration deadline for all classes is two weeks before starting date.
For more information, call 505.863.7738.
Also, anyone interested in being a community education instructor may contact Louise Lopez at the above number to suggest a non-credit class.
FAFSA Filing Dates Set at 杏吧原创-Gallup
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - February 2, 2009
Potential students at 杏吧原创-Gallup can get one-on-one help filling out their financial aid forms on the following dates in Gurley Hall Commons:
- Tuesday, February 10, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saturday, February 21, from 1 to 3 p.m. This session will be 杏吧原创-Gallup's effort to participate in "College Goal Sunday," a national initiative to provide on-site assistance with obtaining financial aid for students across the country who might not be able to attend college otherwise. This program in particular targets youths who are homeless or in foster care, or living in at-risk situations caused by natural disaster, mental or physical illness, severe financial stress without help from family or friends, a violent situation, and other catastrophic events.
- Wednesday, February 25, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Applicants should bring the following documents to complete their FAFSA (free application for student aid):
- 2008 Federal Income Taxes (student/spouse and parents’, if dependent status)
- 2008 W2 forms
- Other documentation regarding income for 2008 (Social Security, unemployment, AFDC/public assistance, etc.)
- Federal PIN numbers (student and parents, if dependent status)
Parents are welcome and encouraged to participate. Please contact (505) 863-7663 for more information.
Voters Approve $8 Million in Local Bonds to Rehabilitate, Replace Aging Campus Structures
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - February 4, 2009
McKinley County voters said yes to 杏吧原创-Gallup’s $8 million General Obligation bond issue on Tuesday, paving the way for the college to rehabilitate and replace some aging structures on the campus.
The measure passed 1138 to 875.
The improvements will include the following: rehabilitation of Gurley Hall, razing and replacing Lions’ Hall (current site for the college’s Community Education program), building a new childcare facility and building a new maintenance facility.
“We want to thank the voters of McKinley County for turning out in support of 杏吧原创-Gallup,” said Barry Cooney, interim executive director. “We knew that in the current economic climate, passage of the bond issue might be difficult. However, local voters clearly grasped how significant 杏吧原创-G’s contribution is to the local economy, and were willing to show their support for higher education in this community with their votes.”
College officials estimate that 杏吧原创-Gallup generates an estimated $20 million in the local community every year.
Cooney stressed that property owners may be assured their taxes will not rise with passage of the bond issue, due to the retirement of older bonds.
Other voting results pertaining to 杏吧原创-Gallup included the re-election of June Shack to Position 3 and Gloria Mae Skeet de Cruz to Position 2 on the 杏吧原创-Gallup Local Board.
CDL Program Puts Students on the Road to High-Paying Jobs
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - February 6, 2009
Trucking, like other segments of the economy, has seen some downturn. But earning a Commercial Driver’s License can still be a passport from a low income to a relatively high-earning job, says Jimmy Gonzales, instructor for 杏吧原创-Gallup’s CDL Training program.
Some students, Gonzales said, start out making as much as $700 a week, right out of the program. The instructor, who began offering CDL training through 杏吧原创-Gallup four years ago, has the numbers to prove his claim. Of the 75 students who have graduated from the program, 64 have found good-paying jobs.
杏吧原创-Gallup’s entry-level CDL program runs from seven to eight weeks. Applicants typically have a high school education or GED, and must be able to read and write. They must also have a New 杏吧原创 or Arizona Driver License. Also required is a clean driving record—no DUI’s—and they must be alcohol and drug free for the 60 days prior to enrolling in the class. They must also pass a medical examination in order to obtain a CDL.
For the first two weeks of the program, Gonzales conducts classroom sessions at the 杏吧原创-Gallup campus. Students see videos and hear discussions of such topics as air-brake systems, combinations (driving with two trailers), equipment maintenance, driving policies and regulations, and such challenges as road rage, driving at night and driving in the rain. After two weeks, the students are ready to pass the written test at the Department of Motor Vehicles for a provisional license. Once they obtain their provisional licenses, they proceed to field training at the Gallup Sports Complex, where they inspect the cab, learning the instruments and how to use the air brakes. Other instruction includes how to do a pre-trip inspection (including a three-point air brake test in front of an examiner), how to do daily logging and yard skills training. The latter encompasses back-up, 90-degree alley dock, lane changing, straight backing, sight side parallel parking and blind side parallel parking.
For the last two weeks of the class, the students get on-the-job training on local highways, as well as training in how to use forklifts and special dollies to load and unload 18-wheelers. Students typically practice at the Safeway and WalMart parking lots early in the morning, before the stores are busy, learning to back up to the docks.
Once they complete this training, the students are ready to take the test for a permanent Class “A” CDL, which requires that they pass lot and driving tests through the New 杏吧原创 Department of Transportation.
Class size varies, but most classes are small and students can expect considerable one-on-one time with the instructor. Gonzales is currently teaching six students in his beginners’ class, which is held Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. He also holds a weekend class composed mostly of people who have passed the CDL test and who are looking for a refresher course. This class takes place on Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and runs for nine to 10 weeks.
Cost for the course is $2762, although Navajo students can have the tuition underwritten through Navajo Workforce Development, and Zuni students, through the Zuni Education and Career Development Center.
Currently, Gonzales is looking to expand from two leased trucks to four, with four trainers. His goal is to be able to teach 21 students in each class. He’s also working with local truck companies like Swift and RAC in the hope that they will help underwrite some of the classes. Recently, the program got a new truck, in which he can pack six students in the cab. That means he can drive as many as six of them out to a site where they can take turns practicing the maneuvers.
Although trucking jobs have been hit by the economic downturn, Gonzales still guarantees that his graduates can get a job upon completing the program. The most desirable jobs are, of course, with local transportation companies that go short distances. But while those jobs are at a premium today, there are still abundant opportunities with long distance haulers. Gonzales typically helps his students get their first job, and keeps in touch with them for the first year, to monitor their progress.
“If you want to work, you can get hired,” said Gonzales, who drove a truck for seven years prior to taking on the CDL instruction in 2004. Passionate about the program, he is eager to pass his on his enthusiasm for commercial driving and its rewards to his students.
“I still get a thrill from teaching, but perhaps my greatest thrill is when someone tells me that after completing our program and getting hired by a trucking company, he or she has gone from earning $400 a week to $700 a week,” Gonzales said.
Work of Una Mjurka On View at Ingham Chapman Gallery
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - February 6, 2009
The work of Una Mjurka is on exhibit at Ingham Chapman Gallery at 杏吧原创-Gallup through March 4.
The exhibition consists of a new series of wall pieces composed of numerous tiles. As Mjurka, a native of Latvia, explains the inspiration for the work: “This new development was informed by moving from the Bay Area to the rapidly changing San Joaquin Valley in Central California. I grew up on a small farm in Latvia. The landscape there, even though it was used for agricultural purposes, maintained its natural characteristics. It felt appropriate to human scale, comfortable to live in, familiar and personal. The environment and landscape of the Central Valley has been completely transformed by large scale commercial farming. The layout of the land has become grid-like, controlled, organized and de-personalized. Today this already altered landscape is going through its next transformation; it is becoming an enclave of urban sprawl and endless subdivisions. The disconnect I harbor towards this artificially created landscape is at the root of my current work.”
Mjurka grew up in Latvia during the Soviet era. In recent years, she has focused on exploration of human nature and conditioning through the prism of Maslow’s pyramid of psychological needs, categorized in two distinguished groups such as “basic” and “being” needs.
“Through my work I celebrate the beauty of simplicity in mundane rituals fulfilling our basic human needs,” Mjurka says. “These rituals award us with a sense of security and purpose, whether it would be building one’s shelter, growing or preparing food for one’s sustenance or seeking meaningful interactions. Unfortunately though, it seems like today’s society, plagued with consumerism, has lost the longing for a higher fulfillment of being needs.”
Mjurka says the emotional discontent she feels is mirrored in her creative process.
“Instead of employing direct hand-building techniques, now I am utilizing plaster press-molds to produce the work,” she said. “Unlike my still lives, where form dominates, here the development of surface treatments has taken center stage. In addition to painted and mono-printed application of engobes [liquid clay slips applied to the surface of ceramics], I also have begun experimenting with line drawing and silk-screening directly on tiles. The employment of various printing methods as a part of surface treatment reflects the character of my somewhat distant and strained relationship with the landscape I occupy.”
An artist lecture is set for Thursday, February 26, at 6:30 p.m. A reception will follow the lecture.
Call John Zimmerman, manager of the gallery, for more information at 863-7774.
College Announces Spring Enrollment Figures
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - February 9, 2009
Officials at 杏吧原创-Gallup have announced enrollment numbers for spring, which are reported on the third Friday of the semester.
Student credit hours totaled 24,142, up 2 percent from last Spring, for an increase of 486 credits. Headcount is 2628, which is down 4.8 percent from last Spring, a decrease of 129 students.
Funding to universities from the state can be reduced if student credit hours drop below 5 percent of an identified baseline. Because student credit hours were up for the Fall semester and appear to be up again for Spring, the Gallup campus should be spared any cuts in funding based on this formula.
“Official numbers are not available until late summer and involve much more than simply adding up credit hours and comparing them to our baseline year,” said Paul Kraft, director of Student Services. “Some credits are counted, some are not, depending on funding sources. The numbers I have been reporting are only comparing date to date from a year ago. Second mini-mester courses will be developed for the second eight weeks, and will contribute to an increase in both head count and credit hours for the semester.”
Entrepreneur Program Gets $60,000 Boost
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - February 17, 2009
Small business has been on the new President’s radar recently, as an important target of economic stimulus funds. While local small businesspersons will certainly appreciate these measures, they can also avail themselves of new, improved instruction in entrepreneurship from the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup.
The Johnson Scholarship Foundation of Florida, which typically funds Native American institutions or Native American-serving institutions, recently awarded the college’s entrepreneurship program $60,000. The funds will be dispersed in two payments of $30,000 over two years to pay half the salary of a faculty member, who will spend two-thirds of his or her time teaching and the other third of the time promoting the program.
“They found us, came out and visited with us about our program, and now we have the funds,” said Bill Stenberg, chair of the Business Management and Technology Department. “They are very interested in us, and think our entrepreneurship program is critical to our region.”
The college offers a certificate in Entrepreneurism and an Associate of Applied Science degree in General Business with an Entrepreneur concentration. The revised curriculum for the program has been approved and will start in the fall.
Besides several basic courses in math, English, physical education and the humanities, students seeking the degree will take business classes in such topics as Accounting, Salesmanship, Business Communication, Spreadsheets, Customer Service and Relations, Cash Flow Management, Microcomputer Accounting, Developing a Business Plan, Introduction to Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Statistics.
Students seeking a certificate, in addition to the basic courses, must take Accounting, Human Relations in Business, a Business elective in Internet or Web Design, Introduction to Hospitality and Tourism, Introduction to Travel and Tourism Marketing, Computing for Business Students and Small Business Management.
杏吧原创-Gallup has been offering the Entrepreneurism, Hospitality and Tourism certificate and degree for a number of years, but according to Stenberg, this funding will allow the college to greatly improve the program.
“The goal will be to teach adventurous people how to establish and maintain a small business,” Stenberg said. “We will give them all the skills they need to do so.” Stenberg said the department will also be working with the Small Business Development Center, which has a close affiliation with 杏吧原创-G, as a consultant with the program.
Call the Business Management and Technology Department at 863-7705 for more information.
Community Input Sought for Executive Director Search
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - February 18, 2009
The search for a permanent executive director for the University of New 杏吧原创-Gallup is under way. Marc Nigliazzo, vice president of Rio Rancho Operations and Branch Academic Affairs at 杏吧原创, has called several meetings on Tuesday, February 24, during which faculty and adjuncts, staff, students and the Gallup community may contribute their input to the search.
The Gallup community is invited to join Nigliazzo and members of the search committee at 1:30 p.m. on February 24 in Calvin Hall Auditorium.
In addition to Nigliazzo, the following individuals involved in the search process will be available for questions: Kate O’Neil, executive director of 杏吧原创-Taos, and the Search Committee chair; Richard Holder, deputy provost for academic affairs, 杏吧原创; and Michelle Detry and Wendy Shannon, Keystone International, a consulting firm 杏吧原创 has hired to be involved with the search process.
“We have outlined an open and inclusive search process with a diverse search committee charged with attracting a strong pool of candidates,” Nigliazzo said. “Hiring an effective leader with the ability to build positive relationships between the diverse groups served by the Gallup campus is very critical to the future success of 杏吧原创-Gallup. The community’s input is an important piece of the hiring process.”
HVAC Repairs Will Require Moving Faculty, Programs Temporarily
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - February 20, 2009
杏吧原创-Gallup will be embarking on a major heating, ventilation and air-conditioning project in old Calvin Hall this summer that will require the temporary relocation of several departments, classes and faculty members.
The work will begin shortly after graduation, which is scheduled for May 14, according to Ron Petranovich, physical plant manager, and will take anywhere from four to six months to complete.
“In 2004, all major equipment was replaced,” Petranovich said. “At this time, we will be upgrading all building zones, offices, classrooms and hallways.”
Those affected will be the Dean’s office, the Middle College High School, the Education Department, Room 152 training lab, the Bachelor and Graduate Programs offices, the Campus Police, the Center for Career Technology Education, some faculty members, and some classrooms in that part of the building.
The cost of the project will be funded by $950,000 awarded in G.O. Bond funds last fall, and by $400,000 from the college’s BR&R fund.
The Dean of Instruction, Chris Marlow, and the director of Student Services, Dr. Paul Kraft, are working to find places to relocate those individuals and programs that will be temporarily displaced by the work.
Petranovich said that 杏吧原创’s Office of Capital Projects will be visiting the campus soon to help the college plan and prepare for the project.
Peterson Zah to Present Lecture
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - February 27, 2009
Peterson Zah, special advisor to the president on American Indian Affairs at Arizona State University, will speak on “Education: A Lifelong Journey and a Necessity to Change a Society, a System” on Wednesday, March 4, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Zah, a Diné, was recruited by Arizona State University in 1995 to address the education concerns of the growing Native American student population. During his tenure at ASU, the university’s Native American student population has doubled from 672 to over 1,400, with retention rates increasing from 43 to 78 percent, among the highest of any major college or university in the country. He is also credited with helping to build faculty representation of American Indians at ASU to a level of 30 – one of the highest numbers in the country.
In the fall of 2004 Zah received a lifetime achievement award from the National Indian Education Association.
Zah’s respect for the value of education is rooted in his own story. Born in 1937 and raised in the middle of the Navajo Reservation at remote Low Mountain, Ariz., he left his home and family in 1953 to attend the Phoenix Indian School. He later enrolled at Phoenix Community College and then went on to ASU, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in education in 1963. He returned to his homeland as a vocational educator, teaching Navajo adults the essentials of the carpentry trade, and then worked as a field coordinator for VISTA Indian Training Center at Arizona State University.
He is co-founder and later became executive director of DNA-People’s Legal Services, a nonprofit legal services program for the Navajo, Hopi and Apache people. He assisted tribes in legal matters, set up widespread community education programs, and championed native rights.
In 1982, Zah was elected Chairman of the Navajo Tribal Council. In 1990, under a new tribal government, Zah was elected the first president of the Navajo Nation, leading the movement to restructure and modernize their governmental system from a council to a nation.
Zah, who is considered one of the 100 most important Native Americans of the last century and a key leader in Native American government and education, received an Honorary Doctoral Degree of Humane Letters from Arizona State University in 2005. He is also the 2008 recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Servant Leadership Award.
During the 2007-2008 academic year ASU had 409 seniors and graduated over 300 Native American students; of this number 21 graduated with their doctoral degrees and 56 graduated with their master’s degree.
The lecture is scheduled for Calvin Hall 248. It is free and open to the public.
In addition there will be VIP session preceding the lecture, from 5:30-6 p.m. in Calvin Hall 229. Contact the Student Senate at 505.863.7553 for more information.
January 2009
- January 15 - 杏吧原创-Gallup Is Educating the Public 杏吧原创 Feb. 3 G.O. Bond
- January 28 - Lincoln Bicentennial Forum Set for February 11
- January 29 - New Navajo Language Instructor Will Focus on Literacy
杏吧原创-Gallup Is Educating the Public 杏吧原创 Feb. 3 G.O. Bond
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE: January 15, 2009
GALLUP— 杏吧原创-Gallup is asking local voters to be mindful of the college’s contributions to the local community as they go to the polls February 3 to vote on an $8 million General Obligation Bond issue.
To that end, Barry Cooney, Interim Executive Director, is taking the campaign to the community, speaking to local service organizations and urging media support.
“杏吧原创-Gallup’s most obvious service to the community is in providing education. Not only do we offer certificates and associate degrees to ready our graduates for the local work force; we also prepare those students who wish to go on to a four-year university,” Cooney said.
Cooney’s other thrust in the campaign concerns the estimated $20 million the college generates in the local community. With an annual budget of more than $16 million, 杏吧原创-Gallup is one of the area’s largest employers. The college and its employees fuel tax dollars, tuition and grant money back into the local economy by buying local goods and paying for local services.
The college also acts as a community center, offering free space to nonprofit organizations for meetings, workshops and conferences. Further, the college allows the community to use its library and computer labs at no charge. 杏吧原创-Gallup also provides a number of free concerts, cultural events and art exhibitions each year.
The bond money, if approved, will go toward several projects to improve the campus facilities, including rehabilitation of Gurley Hall, razing and replacing the aged Lions’ Hall, building a new childcare facility and a new maintenance facility.
It is not expected that the general obligation bond will increase taxes, as it will simply replace the bonds set to expire in the near future.
“杏吧原创-Gallup recently celebrated its 40th year of providing educational opportunities to the local community,” Cooney said. “While we have much to be proud of in regard to our facilities, we realize the current economic downturn may offer challenges to our ability to maintain the excellence the community has come to expect in the campus complex. That’s why we want local voters to understand how important it is to continuously improve our campus. Buildings age, and need rehabilitation and replacement. This rather modest bond request, if approved, will go a long way in helping us maintain and improve the level of service our students and other patrons have enjoyed in the past.”
Lincoln Bicentennial Forum Set for February 11
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - January 28, 2009
In recognition of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, 杏吧原创-Gallup will host a Lincoln Bicentennial forum in conjunction with the class “The Civil War in the Southwest” on Wednesday, February 11, at 6:30 p.m.
Martin Link, instructor of the course, will moderate the forum. Four presenters will take part, including: Jason Galbraith, attorney for McKinley County District Attorney’s office, on “Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation”; Dale Mason, 杏吧原创-Gallup Associate Professor of political science, on “Lincoln’s Indian Policy”; Jack Crowl, 杏吧原创-Gallup instructor, on “Lincoln’s Legacy in American Literature”; and Larry Winn, director of Connections, on “Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.”
The forum will be held in Gurley Hall 1124, and will conclude at about 9:15 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Link, the organizer of the event, is encouraging local history teachers in particular to attend.
Call 505.863.6459 for more information, or email him at link87301@yahoo.com
New Navajo Language Instructor Will Focus on Literacy
杏吧原创-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE
For Release - January 29, 2009
Joe Kee, 杏吧原创-Gallup’s new full-time Navajo language instructor, understands the challenges of learning to read and write the language, even for a native speaker like himself. After all, he made that journey years ago. But he is passionate about the difference that literacy can make in terms of ensuring the survival of Navajo culture, and now he is ready to help others in the Gallup area acquire those skills.
Kee comes to 杏吧原创-Gallup after spending three years at home in Steamboat, Ariz., where he returned after a long teaching stint at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, to reconnect with his roots. A graduate of NAU with a master’s degree in Navajo literacy, Kee devoted those years to “non-academic” research, attending local events, observing ceremonies, attending chapter meetings and social functions and even herding sheep. During that time, he also developed a new approach to teaching Navajo.
“I introduce students to where I come from, and engage them in learning by talking about how I came to be the person I am today,” he says. “I stress family, relationships and kinships inside the classroom to make learning fun. I try to help students learn not just words, but to learn through the meaning and context behind the vocabulary.”
Kee recalls a very traditional rural upbringing, in which he spoke Navajo as his first language. Later, at school, he was able to pick up English, as did his classmates, at around eight or nine. He describes the process as relatively painless, in comparison to the struggles older American Indians recount, when they were sent far from home to boarding schools, forced to speak only English and to forget their native tongues.
By the time he got to college, Kee knew he wanted to study the Navajo language. But studying Navajo literacy was something new.
“Although I was a fluent speaker, it took me four and a half years to grasp Navajo literacy,” he says. “But afterward, I felt proud and empowered that I could speak, read and write my language.”
Kee traces the history of Navajo literacy for his students from the 19th century. Linguists traveling through Dinetah listened to the language in various parts of the reservation, and began to write it down. A written alphabet was standardized.
But this process was interrupted by two factors, according to Kee: the introduction of the boarding school system, in which students were forbidden to use Navajo so that they might be more easily assimilated into the dominant culture, and the coming of World War II—when the language was used by the military to transmit secret tactical messages via Navajo Code Talkers in the Pacific Theater.
“The language became classified,” Kee said. “The government wanted care taken about how the language was taught, and to whom it was taught. We had to accommodate these circumstances, although Navajo remained strong inside the home, regardless of what was going on outside.”
It would be at least 20 years after the war before the government relaxed its strictures against teaching Navajo; but when it did, the effort to spread Navajo literacy began to gather momentum again.
As an advocate of Navajo literacy, Kee has come to 杏吧原创-Gallup well prepared to answer questions from traditional Navajos about why an oral tradition should be written down.
“Older people would share with me that our tradition should remain intact as an oral history, and that to write things down is not right,” Kee says. The elders point to the example of the Anasazi, who, some believe, wrote too much, and thus exposed themselves to the world and by doing so, met an uncertain fate. “They believe that writing things down exposes you to the outside world, and then you’re sharing too much. I have to explain to them that we are losing a lot of the history and the language, and that writing it down can help us document it and help it continue.”
Students in Kee’s classes – which include Navajo 101 and 102, and the literacy course, Navajo 105 – will become familiar with such paradoxes as they learn not only how to speak, read and write Navajo, but also learn the stories of the people. Currently, most of those taking the classes have done some work in Navajo; in the future, he hopes to design classes to reach out to beginners and non-Navajos.
The instructor also says he is greatly impressed with the reasons his Navajo students give for wanting to learn the language of their people.
“Navajo students want to communicate with their great-grandparents before it’s too late, to show appreciation to their elders,” he says.
Kee says he sees great potential for 杏吧原创-Gallup to grow its Navajo language and studies program.
“I am really excited to be here at 杏吧原创-Gallup, in a town I visited as a child,” says Kee, who was born into the Black Streak Wood People Clan for the Mexican People Clan. “I hope to build a program where students will come to Gallup to take the language. And, I am really thankful that I am able to use my language and make my living by it.”
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