February 2007 |
Welcome to The Howler |
1) If you could travel back in time to any moment in UNM history, what would it be?
2) If you had a million dollars to spend at UNM, what would you choose?
We thought it would be fun to pose these questions to our Alumni Association Board Executive Committee members.
What would YOU answer?
"I would be most interested in going back to the beginnings of the university. I'd like to see what early university life was really like… and I'd buy a little property while I was there!"
"I would spend most of the million dollars on a state of the art online education system to help address the educational needs of rural New Mexico and working adults. I'd spend some of it on Hodgin Hall renovations to preserve UNM's earliest history."
Gene Baca, '82 BS, at large
Senior Vice President, Bueno Foods
"I think that it would be an interesting adventure to be a fly on the wall of the UNM President's Office, every President, for 'one day in the life.' So much happened at UNM during the tenure of our Presidents. Whether it was allowing for the enrollment of women, working with student activists, or managing a growing campus, the conversations in the President's Office must have been truly fascinating."
"I'd invest in the renovation of Hodgin Hall, of course! It's the alumni home."
Lillian Montoya-Rael, '89 BA, '98 MBA, President-Elect
Director, Community Relations, Los Alamos Laboratories
"If I could travel back to any moment in UNM history, I'd go to the time when the Lobo men's basketball team had Marvin Johnson and Michael Cooper and were coached by Norm Ellenberger—that was great basketball!"
"If I had a million dollars to spend at UNM, I'd spend it on renovating Hodgin Hall-OF COURSE!"
Hilary Noskin '99 PhD, '05 JD
Attorney, Peacock, Myers & Adams
"I would like to travel back to the late 1960s and early '70s when the nation was struggling with the tensions between the Vietnam War and its domestic ramifications and with the cultural shift in which young people, and particularly university students, were able to be heard. UNM weathered this storm due to the leadership in place at the time. I was an adolescent and would like the opportunity to relive that period in order to learn how the university changed along with the nation. It was a pivotal time for the university because the President and Regents were faced with the pressure to continue the educational mission of the university while ensuring that academic freedom and student voices and rights were protected. It was a time when the university functioned in the true sense of the Latin word universitas, meaning the whole, corporate body where the students, faculty, and staff all had a voice in the various factors influencing the largest institution of higher learning in the state. I think the '60s, in a general sense, changed the role of universities and colleges across the nation and all of these institutions are probably better for having been through that key period in American history."
"If I had a million dollars, I would endow several graduate scholarships in law and public policy. I would place a restriction on the scholarships to ensure that the recipients would give something back to UNM after the degree is conferred, either in time (teaching or service), treasure (seed money for other grants or scholarships), or talent (lecturing on issues of importance during that person's career.)"
Roberto Ortega, '87 JD, President
Assistant US Attorney
"If I could travel back in time I would go back to my student years, 1966 to 1970. It was a wild time with the 'Love Lust' poem and the student riots, and I enjoyed being a student during those times."
"It's hard for me to say where I would put a million dollars. I guess I would give it to a scholarship fund for non-traditional students, but I would be tempted to endow chairs at the law school and in the honors department."
Ruth Schifani, '70 BA, '76 JD, at large
Attorney, Modrall, Sperling, Roehl, Harris & Sisk
"I would have loved to have seen the original Hodgin Hall being built and to have been part of the original group of students who lived, schooled, ate, and partied in it! I'm fascinated that Hodgin was the original UNM, including all the classrooms, the dorm, the administrative offices, and who knows what else!! What a kick."
Angie Vachio, '75 MA, Past President
Executive Director, PB&J Family Services
"My time at UNM—1957-61—was certainly a time that would be fun to travel back to. The university was still relatively small, professor-student contact was possible and was encouraging for students, most of the students were full-time (or worked evenings and weekends), and involvement in student government was possible and usually very fulfilling for anyone who wanted to be involved. Some of the best friendships of my life were built during that time."
"If I had a million dollars, I would probably support faculty and staff at the health sciences center. I think healthcare is the issue of the century and all possible resources need to be focused on providing better healthcare for all New Mexicans."
Judy Zanotti, '61 BSED, '73 MA, at large
Retired President/Executive Director, New Mexico First
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Where was your favorite smooching spot on campus?
Reveal your Lobo love stories and be entered in a drawing for Lobo chocolates! Send your tales to alumni@unm.edu. Results of Our Last Howl Back Congratulations to Rick Dow, '66 BS, '71 MS, of Camarillo, California, who won a UNM Pit anniversary t-shirt for knowing that the Lobos played Abilene Christian in their first game at the Pit 40 years ago. The Lobos won that game 62-53. Now that Rick has retired from Morgan Stanley, he and his wife, Carol (Carol Moeding, '66 BA), make the trip from Southern California to Albuquerque several times per year to visit with their families. "A visit to the UNM campus is always included, and we are continually amazed at the growth of the university since we graduated in 1966," reports Rick. |
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From the 1939 UNM yearbook comes this profile of a student intent on snagging her Valentine: "Men were my hobby until cute little Avery popped up from California, and started slinging passes both on and off the gridiron. It was then I decided I was cut out to be a homebody, with a mess of socks to darn, an old cat or two to feed. Course I'm only wearing the Pike lodge button now, but you know Captivating Camille Runyan, and how she works." Do you remember Camille Runyan? We can’t find her in our records and would love to know if she did marry Avery. E-mail us at alumni@unm.edu. |
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Snow began falling in Albuquerque on December 29, blanketing the UNM campus and Hodgin Hall. This photo was taken just as night fell and the snow began to accumulate. Photo: Bill Wallace |
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The record-setting “50-Year Storm” of late December shut down roads and pretty much everything else on campus. The snowfall on Friday, December 29 in Albuquerque measured just under a foot at the Sunport—a one-day snow accumulation record in Albuquerque. According to the National Weather Service, the total snowfall accumulations for the two days of snow ranged from 26 inches in Sandia Heights to 16 inches at the Sunport.
While most residents stayed tucked in at home, the UNM Physical Plant Department was out in force, logging 1600 hours of labor (including lots of overtime) and going through 20 tons of icemelt and 120 tons of sand. Nearly 400 trees on campus were damaged or destroyed.
Special thanks go out to the many physical plant personnel who gave up their winter break to help keep essentials like the hospital and ambulance entrance open and accessible.
Tell us your UNM snow stories and we’ll put your name in a drawing for a UNM winter hat (see above).
The University of New Mexico Alumni Association’s annual awards recognize outstanding service and accomplishments from distinguished alumni and faculty. This year’s awards were presented at a dinner on February 8 at Hotel Albuquerque to Judith Rogala, '82 MBA (Zimmerman Award); Warren Baker, '66 PhD (Bernard S. Rodey Award); James Hinton, '81 BA (Erna S. Fergusson Award); and Leslie Donovan, '82 BA, '86 MA (Faculty Teaching Award).
The University of New Mexico Board of Regents has chosen the five finalists for the 20th president of the university and will announce their decision by February 16. The UNM Alumni Association and Foundation are hosting a series of receptions in their honor.
Celebrate Lobo Day With Your Chapter
Join us on campus or with your local UNM Alumni chapter to celebrate UNM’s 118th birthday on February 28.
Here on campus, current students will celebrate in the SUB. Plus, faculty and staff alumni are invited to join us at Hodgin Hall for birthday cake from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Around the country, the northern California chapter will celebrate on February 24 with Eliseo Torres, vice president of student affairs, who will speak on “Mexican Folk Medicine and Folk Beliefs.” The Austin chapter will hold its event on February 25, featuring UNM professor and director of the Center of Disaster Medicine Mike Richards. On March 25, the DC chapter’s event will feature UNM’s associate professor and director of African American Studies, Finnie Coleman.
DC Reception a Rousing Success!
This year's Capitol Hill reception honoring the New Mexico Congressional delegation was held in Washington, DC on February 6. More than 150 UNM alumni living in the DC area attended and met US Senator Jeff Bingaman (NM) and US Representative Heather Wilson (NM).
Lobos for Legislation — You Can Help
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New Mexico Senator Sue Wilson Beffort (l) and Representative Gail Chasey (r) visited with College of Education dean Vi Florez at a Santa Fe legislative reception hosted by the UNM Alumni Association on January 29. Nearly 300 UNM alumni, faculty, and staff joined 59 state legislators at the event.
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The 2007 session of the New Mexico Legislature opened on January 16 for a 60-day session. Help make this session count for your alma mater by making sure that your elected representatives know how much UNM and higher education mean to you.
Especially tell your legislators how glad you are that UNM’s oldest building, Hodgin Hall, is the new Alumni Center… that its updating and renovation are important to you. Urge them to support the $1.3 million for Hodgin Hall in the outlay bill.
See our 2007 Legislative Priorities below for what we’re focusing on this year.
There are lots of ways you can positively affect the future of higher education in New Mexico—with calls, letters, and hands-on advocacy. Follow these links below to learn more. Thank you!
- Our 2007 Legislative Priorities
- Track 2007 UNM-Related Bills
- Get Involved
- Find Your New Mexico Legislator
The UNM Alumni Association is soliciting nominations for open positions on the Board of Directors. The dedicated volunteer members of this governing board help ensure that your alumni association stays strong, relevant, and effective. Please consider nominating yourself or a candidate who you think would be an effective member of this group. We’re seeking both in-state and out-of-state representatives.
Please send an e-mail to Karen Abraham by May 1 describing why the nominee would be a good board member.
Judges Needed:
Science and Engineering Fair
The 2007 INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair, which will be held in Albuquerque May 13-19, is looking for individuals to serve as Volunteer Grand Awards Judges and also volunteers for the prestigious weeklong event.
Support science and your alma mater at the same time! Your involvement is an opportunity to interest future researchers and scientists in UNM.
More than 1,500 high school students will compete for over $4 million worth of scholarships and prizes and will come from all over the United States and at least a dozen countries. Already, over 6,000 New Mexico students have registered to attend the public events.
The Final "You Know You’re a UNM Alum When…"
Here are the last additions to the "You Know You’re a UNM Alum When…" list. Now we know what makes a Lobo a Lobo!
We’re happy to announce that the first floor reference area at Zimmerman Library reopened January 16 with a celebration ceremony and reception. The reference area in the east wing of the library is directly above the basement fire that occurred last April.
University Library administrators took advantage of the situation to completely rearrange the reference area, creating more spaces for students. As a result there are more computers for student use as well as more group study areas.
The dream of the new Centennial Engineering Center (CEC) is coming closer to reality. With an additional $4.45 million in capital outlay funds from the 2006 New Mexico Legislative Session and the $25 million from the 2005 student-free financed bond issue, construction is now proceeding.
Track & Field and X-Country
Reunion Weekend
The UNM Track and Field Alumni Club will host their reunion February 22-24 on campus. They are expecting 100 alumni club members and their guests from all over the country and as far afield as London, England.
The reunion is timed to coincide with UNM’s hosting of the Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Championships. (See related story below.)
The reunion is set for Saturday, February 24 starting at 6 p.m. with a dinner and program at The Cooperage, 7220 Lomas NE. Cost of the dinner is $35/person. Please click below to RSVP and for more information.
MWC Track & Field Championships
For the second year, the University of New Mexico will host the 2007 Mountain West Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships February 22-24 at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Look for Lobo standouts Jarrin Solomon (400m), Jeremy Johnson (3,000m), and Ariel Burr (400m) to burn up the state-of-the-art 200 meter 60-degree banked Mondo surfaced track.
Have you registered yet with the UNM inCircle Online Network? The new online networking tool lets you use your network of UNM connections to find jobs, housing, business associates, and activity partners. You’ll also discover how easy it is to re-connect and stay connected with people you have lost touch with over the years.
Some of the UNM inCircle groups already connecting with each other are based on cities, interests, the arts, industries, and organizations. Click below to see more!
Continuing Education at UNM:
Lifelong Learning
Find your future on camera with "Digital Arts Conference: Photography and Film.” This exciting one-day conference is designed to help you explore current topics in digital photography and filmmaking. Experience hands-on learning in our state-of-the-art computer labs. Discover how to initiate or expand your specific camera career on either side of the camera. Enjoy lunch and snacks while networking with the experts. Amateurs to professionals will find this day helpful and productive.
It will be held on Saturday June 2, 2007 from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the UNM Continuing Education Conference Center, 1634 University Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM. Call 277-0077 or click below for information or to register.
JUST FOR ALUMS
Permanent Email Forwarding
One of your UNM alumni benefits is permanent email forwarding with an "@unmalumni.com" address. Now you can have a permanent email address that NEVER changes and is affiliated with your alma mater! Even when you change jobs or email providers, your permanent email address remains the same. All you have to do is come back and change your forwarding email address. It's as simple as that. Plus, it's a great way to show your Lobo pride.
Survive Winter With Lobo Wear
If it’s cold where you live, a nice new hat or polo can help keep you warm while showing off your Lobo Pride.
Your World of Alumni Benefits
We want you to take advantage of all the benefits and services available to you as a UNM alum, so we’ve put them on one convenient page. Take a look!
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This is an
official page of the University of New Mexico Alumni Association. |