Community News

Katie Poirier is the new Director of Food Security and Sustainability at WNMU. Prior to joining the university, she built sustainable farm-to-school programs in Arizona and ColoradoSILVER CITY, NM—Katie Poirier, the new Director of Food Security and Sustainability at Western New Mexico University, is ramping up for a busy fall semester. In October, Poirier expects a new greenhouse to arrive on campus, the centerpiece of a campus garden being developed on a plot of land on the WNMU Silver City campus.

The new food security and sustainability initiative was launched by WNMU President Joseph Shepard late in 2023 at a well-attended and lively Town Hall event. The initiative is backed by a generous donation from WNMU Regent Vice President Lyndon Haviland and her husband, Thomas Neff.

Poirier, who most recently served as Executive Director of the Growe Foundation in Boulder County, Colorado, is a graduate of Arizona State University, where she received a BA in sustainability with a concentration in urban dynamics and an MS in sustainable food systems.

Poirier is not daunted by taking on a project of the scale WNMU is launching. "I have done vacant lot transformation projects before, so this is right up my professional alley," she said.

SILVER CITY, NM – Western New Mexico University (WNMU) proudly announces its 2024 Alumni Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, taking place on Friday, October 4th, at Light Hall. The event begins with a reception at 2:00 PM, followed by the formal induction ceremony at 3:00 PM. This annual event celebrates the achievements of WNMU alumni who have made significant contributions to their communities, professions, and alma mater.

This year, WNMU will honor the following alumni:

MANCHESTER, NH (09/25/2024)-- Diego Esqueda of SilverCity (88061) has been named to Southern New Hampshire University's Summer 2024 Dean's List. The summer terms run from May to August.

Full-time undergraduate students who have earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.500 to 3.699 for the reporting term are named to the Dean's List. Full-time status is achieved by earning 12 credits over each 16-week term or paired 8-week terms grouped in fall, winter/spring, and summer.

Gila Basin Irrigation Commission

September 16, 2024

Minutes
By B.J. Agnew

[Editor's Note: The "we" and "us" in the minutes refer to the GBIC .]

Gila Basin Irrigation Chair David Ogilvie Commission called the September 16, 2024, meeting to order at 6:05 pm at the conference Room at Amplified Therapy, Cliff, New Mexico.

Present: Destre Shelley, Wendel Hann, Martha Cooper, Jubal Williamson, Neil Kaspar, David Ogilvie, Lindy Williamson, Don Stailey, Linda Stailey, Jennifer Kaspar, Peter Russell, Gregor Hamilton, Lester Ivins, Rose Shoemaker, BJ Agnew. And, via Zoom, Priscilla Lucero, Maya Clifford, and Autumn Bruton.

WNMU students plant trees as part of the university's Arbor Day celebration, Sept. 20, 2024SILVER CITY, NM – While most people associate Arbor Day with the month of April, Western New Mexico University held its own Arbor Day celebration Friday, September 20, 2024.

Holding the annual celebration is one of the standards that WNMU maintains to be an official Tree Campus, named by the Arbor Day Foundation through its Tree Campus Higher Education program. The university has held this status since 2023.

Welcome to our first newsletter:

Greetings from the Southwest Regional Art Museum... 

Thank you being a supporter of our plans to establish a Fine Art Museum in Silver City. Our newsletter hopes to inform those who are interested about our progress. Our newsletter is intended to bring you news about our progress for the Museum as well as  information about the art we currently have in our collections.

Contents:

Why an Art Museum?

From the Permanent Collection

The MAKE THE MUSEUM Capital Campaign    

WHY WE ARE NEEDED AND WHAT IS PLANNED

Mario Lopez Kirker
Father, Veteran, New Mexican.

Mario L. Kirker was born November 26, 1925 in Santa Rita, Grant County, NM now referred to as "Born in Space" to residents of the area. The town of Santa Rita was located on top of what is now the open copper pit years ago; there was too much copper under the town so many of the homes were moved to other small towns in the area. The mine was the home of the former Kennecott Copper Corporation, Phelps Dodge and now Freeport-McMoRan. Mario was the oldest of the five (5) boys and one (1) sister born to Juan and Rita Kirker.

Mario attended kindergarten and first year of elementary school in Santa Rita beginning in 1934. The Santa Rita building was considered an exceptional school structure at the time due to its red brick along with running water, electricity and dual outhouses behind the building, one for each sex. The most difficult obstacle encountered was the language barrier. Many students conversed in Spanish while the teachers spoke English. Students were discouraged from speaking a "foreign" language; those caught were disciplined with a paddling.

WNMU Writer-in-Residence JJ Amaworo Wilson speaks to the audience at the Banned Books Week event at J. Cloyd Miller Library, Sept. 17, 2024SILVER CITY, NM—Western New Mexico University recognized Banned Books Week on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, with an event in J. Cloyd Miller Library.

Miller Library Director Samantha Johnson opened the event by speaking about how the American Library Association created Banned Book Week over forty years ago to call attention to the increase in challenges to books in libraries, bookstores and schools. "Unfortunately," she said, "we are still dealing with the problem of censorship in libraries today, as well."