Yearly Archives: 2016

1. Third Invitational New Mexico Painters Exhibition Opens Sept. 25

   Las Vegas, N.M. – A brilliant blue New Mexico sky dominated by scudding clouds is the backdrop for a view of the foothills in Joel Greene’s oil painting Interesting Clouds. Two colorful figures in bold Brazilian carnival masks stare straight ahead in Janet Stein Romero’s watercolor and gouache painting Gemini Dancers. Pueblo walls curving beneath…

2. HU Researchers See New Meaning in Pre-Colombian Pottery Designs

   LAS VEGAS, NM – Geometric patterns on pre-Columbian pottery in the Sonoran Desert could be inspired by the region’s plant life, according to two Highlands University archaeologists. Vic Evans and Warren Lail published their hypothesis last month in the Journal of Southwestern Anthropology and History. “You draw what you see and what’s important to you…

3. Top Comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias to Perform at HU Sept. 9

   Las Vegas, N.M. – One of the top stand-up comedians in the country will perform at Highlands University Sept. 9 at 8 p.m. at the John A. Wilson Complex, 1241 9th St. Doors open at 6 p.m. Gabriel Iglesias, also known as “Fluffy,” routinely sells out to audiences around the globe from Madison Square Garden…

4. Convocation Ceremony Welcomes New Freshmen

   Incoming Highlands University freshmen Alanie Rael, left, and Jasmine García get ready to line up for Fall Convocation: Celebrating the Class of 2020 Aug. 12 at the university. Rael is a chemistry major from Pecos, New Mexico, while García is a social work major from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The convocation ceremony is organized by the…

5. HU Homecoming Sept. 30 – Oct. 9

   Las Vegas, N.M – This year’s Highlands University’s Homecoming festivities kick off Sept. 30 and continue through Oct. 9. The theme for homecoming this year is Paint the Town Purple: Follow the Purple Brick Road. Some highlights include the Oct. 8 homecoming parade at 9 a.m. and homecoming football game at 12 p.m. with the…

6. English Prof Leads Pulitzer Prize Reading Group

   Las Vegas, N.M – An upcoming reading group at Highlands University will explore five Pulitzer Prize works of fiction that focus on the American experience. The Pulitzer reading and discussion group begins Sept. 1 and will be led by Highlands University English professor and American literature scholar Brandon Kempner. “All these novels and collections of…

7. HU President Says University Is Preparing For The Future

   LAS VEGAS, NM – New Mexico Highlands is positioning itself to take on future challenges and better address the needs of its students, said the university’s president. “I am optimistic for many reasons due to the efforts, the dedication, and the passion of so many dedicated faculty and staff I have met here,” President Sam…

8. Rising Star Media Arts Multisensory Exhibit Reception Aug. 12

   Las Vegas, N.M – A multisensory museum exhibit that gives tribute to a Native American poet, musician and activist can be experienced by everyone – including those with disabilities – thanks to Highlands University media arts students. The reception for the exhibit Rising Star: A Tribute to John Trudell is Aug. 12 from 5 –…

9. Children Learn How to Recycle at Highlands’ Recycling Center

   Las Vegas, New Mexico – A new generation of young recyclers is being born, thanks to the Highlands University Recycling Center. Thirty-five children who will begin kindergarten in August at the Early Childhood Center in Las Vegas, New Mexico, visited the university’s Recycling Center July 15 to get hands-on experience in recognizing and sorting recyclables….

10. Highlands Student Gets Firsthand Organic Farming Experience

    Las Vegas, N.M. – A Highlands University conservation management student enjoyed getting her  hands dirty this summer learning about horticulture through an organic farming internship. Karlee Rogers worked at V’s Organic Farm in Buena Vista, New Mexico, doing everything from sampling and testing soil to harvesting crops and helping build a new greenhouse. “This has…

11. Sheet Music Donation Doubles Department’s Collection

    LAS VEGAS, NM –  The sheet music library in Highlands University’s music program has doubled thanks to a donation from a former HU professor. Ron Thielman, who was the university’s director of bands during the late 1960s, collected approximately $150,000 worth of sheet music during his career as a professor and professional musician. More than…

12. New Alumni Board Elected

    LAS VEGAS, NM – A new board of directors for the Highlands Alumni Association will help the university better connect with its graduates and community. Highlands Alumni Association members voted for the new directors July 22 – Aug. 1. “It’s very important for Highlands to be closely connected to its alumni for purposes of recruitment,…

13. Dean’s Early Childhood Education Textbook to be Published

    Las Vegas, N.M. – The Highlands University School of Education dean edited a textbook that will give teachers new tools for improving early childhood mathematics and language education. Education Dean Lora Bailey edited Implementing a Standards-Based Curriculum in the Early Childhood Classroom and also authored a chapter in the book about helping young learners build…

14. New Art Deco Style Mural Installed in Historic Ilfeld Auditorium

    Margaret McKinney/Highlands University Highlands University graduate Dyna Amaya-Lainez touches up her oil painting July 13 that replaces the missing Depression-era mural in the university’s historic Ilfeld Auditorium. The Art Deco style mural was installed the same day. The series of eight New Deal Era murals is complete again, thanks to Amaya-Lainez and the New Mexico…

15. Geology Student Conducts Research in Czech Republic and Poland

    Las Vegas, N.M. – A Highlands University geology student participated in a research expedition to the Czech Republic and Poland that will shed new light on how extinct volcanoes function. The research can potentially help predict eruptions in active volcanoes. Jeff Falance, a 28-year-old senior from Santa Fe, New Mexico, joined European scientists and Highlands…

16. Jessica Jaramillo New Director of Recruitment and Admissions

    LAS VEGAS, NM – There was never a doubt in Jessica Jaramillo’s mind about the importance of an education. Her mother was a New Mexico Highlands graduate and enjoyed a 30-year teaching career. Her favorite aunt is a pharmacist. “My mother always stressed education, and I really looked up to my aunt,” Jaramillo said. “I…

17. Bill Taylor New Dean of School of Business, Media and Technology

    Las Vegas, N.M. – Two top priorities for the new School of Business, Media and Technology dean at Highlands University are accreditation and reviewing academic programs to streamline degree completion. “We’re getting ready for accreditation in 2017 with Mary Romero, an excellent department chair, leading that effort,” Taylor said. “We’re also doing a complete review…

18. HU Welcomes New Students at Orientation

    Margaret McKinney/Highlands University Siblings Luke Wood and Veronica Arzaga of Carlsbad, New Mexico, pause at the new student orientation barbecue June 17 at Highlands. Wood is a criminal justice major and will play football for the Cowboys while Arzaga is a business major. The Office of Academic Support organizes orientation in collaboration with other university…

19. Biology Prof Publishes Book on Giant Anaconda Snakes in the Wild

    Las Vegas, N.M. – A Highlands University biology professor’s book is the first comprehensive study in the wild of anacondas, the largest snake in the world. Jesús Rivas published Natural History of the Green Anaconda: With Emphasis on its Reproductive Biology in 2016. His study area is in the Venezuelan Llanos – a vast plain…

20. Ray Drew Gallery Summer Exhibit Features New Mexico Painters

    Las Vegas, N.M. – New Mexico painters are featured in the annual summer exhibit in the Highlands University Ray Drew Gallery through July 25. The paintings are from the Dr. Robert Bell and Dr. Stirling Puck Fine Art Collection at Highlands. “What I like about this show is that it illustrates a wide variety of…