Yearly Archives: 2014

1. ARMAS Recognized for Increasing Graduation in Sciences

   Photo: Margaret McKinney/Highlands University Biochemistry sophomore Karly Ortiz, right, works with ARMAS math tutor and senior math major Jacob Kelly to calculate a logarithm in the ARMAS Center. Ortiz is from Las Vegas, New Mexico and Kelly is from Ojo Feliz, New Mexico. Las Vegas, NM — Excelenica in Education named the Highlands University Achieving…

2. Highlands to Award 200 Teacher Graduate Scholarships

   Evonne Roybal-Tafoya Las Vegas, NM — Two hundred teachers will receive tuition and textbook scholarships to pursue online master’s degrees in education at Highlands University, thanks to a new $2.1 million grant from the United States Department of Education. The 5-year grant funds new online graduate degrees at Highlands in curriculum and instruction, special education,…

3. 8Th Grade Girls Visit Highlands for Pilot Project

   Margaret McKinney/Highlands University Highlands University biology professor Carol Linder, far left, shows Keylah Bowie, Maria Aragón, Deja Jaramillo, and Shannia Baca a baby mouse from the mouse colony Linder uses for reproductive biology research. The 8th graders from West Las Vegas Partnership School were on campus Oct. 3 as part of the Las Vegas, New Mexico…

4. Students Help Preserve New Mexico’s Heritage

   Photo: Margaret McKinney/Highlands University Media arts professor Miriam Langer, far left, and Las Vegas Citizens Committee for Historic Preservation board member Martha McCaffrey, far right, look at the mobile app Mireya Rodrí­guez, seated, and Elizabeth Starks, standing, developed for the Bradbury Science Museum. Las Vegas, N.M. — Media arts students from Highlands University helped preserve…

5. Students’ research used to stem reincarceration rates

   Las Vegas, NM – The number of former inmates who return to jail at the San Miguel County Detention Center could be reduced thanks to research by New Mexico Highlands social work students. The graduate students conducted a feasibility study to assess the need for a proposed 12-bed adult reintegration center. The center would be…

6. Zuni Pueblo Days at Highlands

   Margaret McKinney/Highlands University McKeffe Chapella, left, Ricky Martza, Jr., and Ferrell Zeena of the Zuni Pueblo Twin Star Junior Pow Pow Group perform at Zuni Pueblo Days at Highlands Sept. 27. Alexis Hustito, a Zuni Pueblo member and president of the university’s Native American Club, organized the well-attended celebration of traditional Zuni culture. Hustito is…

7. Residence Hall Dedicated in Name of Scholarship Benefactors

   Photo: Margaret McKinney/Highlands University Highlands President Jim Fries, LouElla Marr-Montoya, and Merideth Hmura listen to a speaker at the Sept. 19 dedication for the Viles & Crimmin Residence Hall. Marr-Montoya is the Viles Foundation president and Hmura is the secretary. Las Vegas, NM — The Viles & Crimmin Residence Hall at Highlands University was dedicated…

8. Diné College Students and Staff Visit Highlands

   September 24, 2014 Margaret McKinney/Highlands University Davina Morris, left, Diné College career specialist, and Amy Garfield, Diné College freshman, share a light moment while touring the Highlands University campus Sept. 24. Fifteen students and five staff members from the Navajo Nation two-year college visited Highlands to learn more about what the university has to offer….

9. Suicide Awareness Run September 25

   Las Vegas, N.M. — Highlands University is sponsoring a suicide prevention and awareness run Sept. 25. “Suicide is the third leading cause of death for ages 10 — 24, with over 1,000 suicides occurring annually on college campuses nationwide,” said Corilia Ortega, advocacy and education coordinator for the university’s Center for Advocacy Resources Education and…

10. HU Presents Dr. Bell Fine Art Print Lecture Series

    Robert Bell Las Vegas, N.M. — New Mexico Highlands University presents the Dr. Robert Bell Fine Art Print Lecture Series for fall semester, with four talks remaining in the ongoing series. All lectures except the Hogarth engravings lecture will be in the George and Sheryl Talbot Print Study Room in the Margaret Kennedy Alumni Hall,…

11. Biology Prof Parade Marshal for Homecoming

    Maureen Romine Las Vegas, New Mexico — A longtime Highlands University biology professor who has dedicated her career to student success will be this year’s homecoming parade marshal. “I still relish the challenges of teaching students,” said Maureen Romine, whose distinguished tenure at Highlands has spanned 42 years. This year’s parade will begin at 10 a.m. Sept. 20…

12. New Conservation Management Degree First in State

    Photo: Margaret McKinney/Highlands University Highlands University freshman and Mora, New Mexico native Elisa Abeyta records side oats grama grass during a field lab for the university’s new conservation management degree program. Las Vegas, N.M. — A new conservation management B.A. degree program at Highlands University is the first in New Mexico, opening career opportunities for…

13. English Prof Publishes Eight Essays Fall Semester

    Jill Talbot Las Vegas, New Mexico — A New Mexico Highlands University English professor will publish eight essays fall semester in top international and national literary journals. Visiting professor of creative writing Jill Talbot’s new essays appear in Brevity, Fifth Wednesday, Passages North, Carve, and more. “Essayists write about the personal in order to make…

14. HU Professor Keynote Speaker at Biology Conference

    Jesíºs Rivas Las Vegas, N.M. — A New Mexico Highlands University biology professor will be the keynote speaker at a major biology conference in Mexico. Professor Jesíºs Rivas is a Venezuelan-born herpetologist — a biologist that studies reptilian and amphibian species. He is the world’s foremost expert on green anacondas, a nonvenomous tropical constrictor snake…

15. Don Gibson Cowboy Classic Golf Tournament September 20

    Margaret McKinney/Highlands University Former Highlands Coach Don Gibson speaks during Homecoming 2013. Las Vegas, New Mexico — The Don Gibson Cowboy Classic golf tournament Sept. 20 tees off at 8 a.m. at the Highlands University Gene Torres Golf Course in Las Vegas. The university’s Alumni Office sponsors the event, which is during Homecoming 2014. The…

16. Media Arts Grad Wins Global Photography Contest

    Las Vegas, New Mexico — A Highlands University media arts graduate won first place in a global photography contest for the International Student Voice Magazine.   Shanea Strachan, a Bahamas native, garnered the international college student award from a pool of 119 photographers with a self-portrait she created for her Photography II class at Highlands….

17. HU Helps Native Americans Meet College Challenges

    Robert Romero Las Vegas, N.M. — One of the biggest challenges Native American students face in college is keeping their cultural identity strong, said Highlands’ new Native American recruiter. “The Native American Student Services Office at Highlands honored and supported my native identity and helped me with a sense of belonging on campus,” said recruiter…

18. Welcome Back Barbecue Draws Crowd

    Margaret McKinney/Highlands University Highlands University graduate students Kendi Behne, left, and T’Shawna Span enjoy the President’s Welcome Back Barbecue lunch for students, faculty and staff Aug. 20 in Centennial Park. Behne is a Las Vegas, New Mexico, native studying clinical rehabilitation counseling while Span is a Tucumcari, New Mexico, native studying anthropology. 

19. Convocation Ceremony Welcomes New Freshman

    Margaret McKinney/Highlands University Highlands University welcomed new freshmen Aug. 15 during the Class of 2018 Fall Convocation. Campus and community leaders who welcomed the students included Highlands President Jim Fries, Vice President of Academic Affairs Teresita Aguilar, Las Vegas Mayor Alfonso Ortiz, West Las Vegas Schools Superintendent Gene Parsons, Las Vegas City Schools Superintendent Ruben…

20. Agreement Gives Clearer Pathway for Science Degrees

    Photo: Margaret McKinney/Highlands UniversityTeresita Aguilar, left, Highlands vice president of academic affairs, Jim Fries, Highlands president, and Pete Campos, Luna president, sign an agreement Aug. 11 for collaborative science education at the two schools. At the far right is Ethan Martí­nez, son of Vidal Martí­nez, Luna vice president of academics. Las Vegas, NM — Highlands…