NMHU Professor, Dr. PJ Sedillo Receives Advocate of the Year Award

In his research, teaching, and advocacy, Dr. Sedillo champions LGBTQ+ students and Gifted students October 3, 2022 Highlands University Professor Dr. PJ Sedillo has been selected by the New Mexico Association for the Gifted as the 2022-2023 Advocate of the Year. Sedillo is an Associate Professor of Special Education and the Gifted Department Chair at…

Highlands University Students Launch Water Conservation Campaign

After the fires and flooding, students at NMHU are working to educate others about how to reduce water use September 30, 2022 In response to the dwindling clean water supply in Las Vegas, New Mexico, students at New Mexico Highlands University have created a water conservation campaign to help educate the campus and wider community…

Highlands University Student Chapter Receives Merit Award from Society of Human Resource Management

Chapter recognized for providing student opportunities September 24, 2022 Las Vegas, NM, September 22, 2022—The student chapter of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) at Highlands University received a 2021-2022 Merit Award from the international SHRM organization for their excellence in programming opportunities for members. Dr. Melanie Zollner, Assistant Professor of Management and faculty…

NMHU awarded $50,000 for College Food Security Initiative

Initiative will include a digital campaign, workshops, and speaking events to destigmatize hunger September 23, 2022 New Mexico Highlands University has received $50,000 from the Higher Education Department’s Addressing College Food Security grant. The funding will be used to support Highlands CAFÉ (Caring About Food Equity), which will address food security, destigmatize hunger, and emphasize…

New Mexico Highlands University Awarded $20.5 Million in State Endowment Funds

Funding to boost critical needs in New Mexico’s rural and Native communities September 21, 2022 New Mexico Highlands University has been awarded $20.5 million in endowment funding from New Mexico’s Higher Education Department (HED) to bolster its education, social work, and nursing degree programs. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Roxanne Gonzales, said…

Forever Cowboy Student Award 2022: Carmelita Sanchez

When Carmelita Sanchez enrolled at New Mexico Highlands University in the fall of 2019, she had no idea she would complete her entire undergraduate education during a pandemic. Despite her unusual college experience, Sanchez said taking online classes helped her accelerate her studies. She graduated this year with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and minor…

Distinguished Young Alumnus Award 2022: Justin Montoya

Justin Montoya attended Highlands University for both his bachelor’s degree in exercise science and his master’s degree in exercise physiology. A Las Vegas native, Montoya hoped to use his degrees in his hometown. “When I got out of college and sought out employment in Las Vegas, I didn’t have any avenues in terms of health…

NMHU Spirit Award 2022: Rosemarie Montoya

When the Hermits Peak Fire started, Rosemarie Montoya, a Highlands University alumna and long-time agent with State Farm, began working with the many community members who lost property. “Every day since April 6 I’ve cried with people because they lost their homes,” Montoya said. “And before that it was COVID and crying with people when…

Distinguished Alumnus Award 2022: Max Baca

Max Baca has been a fixture of the New Mexico Highlands University community since he enrolled at the school in 1982 on a football scholarship. Although he has now served as the Vice President of Finance and Administration for nine years, Baca is responsible for bringing the university into the computer age much earlier than…

NMHU Celebrates Homecoming and Perseverance Following Wildfires

September 9, 2022 New Mexico Highlands University is celebrating Homecoming with a wide range of events beginning on September 10 and culminating with the NMHU Cowboys vs. Fort Lewis Skyhawks football game on September 17 and the NMHU women’s soccer game against the Colorado School of Mines on September 18. Juli Salman, Director of Alumni…

Highlands University Celebrates Faculty for Teaching and Scholarship

September 2, 2022 New Mexico Highlands University kicked off the fall semester by honoring university faculty at an event Wednesday evening. Faculty members were acknowledged for their teaching and scholarship and for going above and beyond during the last few challenging years. President Sam Minner expressed his particular admiration for the scope of research and…

Funding for Highlands University School of Social Work Supports Child Well-Being in New Mexico

August 30, 2022 The New Mexico Highlands University Facundo Valdez School of Social Work receives $1.6 million in federal funding annually through Title IV-E. The grant is issued in three-year cycles, and on July 1, 2022, Highlands University renewed its regular Title IV-E funding for the beginning of another three-year cycle. Title IV-E funding is…

NMHU Media Arts Pop-Up Event in Tucumcari, Sept. 2

August 29, 2022 Lauren Addario, faculty in Media Arts & Technology at New Mexico Highlands University and Director of the Cultural Technology Internship Program, will bring her Media Arts Seminar class and four faculty members to Tucumcari for a pop-up projection event with visiting artist Craig Winslow. The event will be held Friday, September 2,…

Highlands University Offers Animal Control Certification Scholarships to Six Students

August 16, 2022 New Mexico Highlands University President Sam Minner has awarded six scholarships to members of the Highlands community to take the Animal Care and Control course from the National Animal Control and Care Association, or NACA. Six people were chosen for the opportunity out of sixty applications, and they are being supported to…

Fire Relief Center Moved to New Mexico Highlands University

August 15, 2022 The Fire Relief Center once located at the old Memorial Middle School gymnasium was moved to Sala de Madrid on the New Mexico Highlands University campus at the end of July. The Center will continue to provide hot meals twice a day at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. And a range of…

New Mexico Highlands University Celebrates a Belated Commencement Ceremony After a Challenging Spring Semester

August 6, 2022 Graduate and undergraduate students at New Mexico Highlands University celebrated a belated commencement ceremony on Saturday, August 6, 2022, at the John A. Wilson Complex in Las Vegas. The ceremony, which is typically held in May each year, was postponed due to the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Wildfires. The wildfires brought a…

New Mexico Highlands University Houses Wildfire Evacuees

When the Hermit’s Peak and Calf Canyon Wildfires began, Highlands University stepped in to help July 28, 2022 Kathryn Mahan, the ecological monitoring program manager for the New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute at Highlands University, has been splitting her time between Kansas and her home in Las Dispensas. Mahan said she was in…

New Mexico Highlands University Launches Mental Health Initiative

With funding from the New Mexico Department of Higher Education, Highlands is implementing a pilot program to support student wellness July 27, 2022 Across the United States, mental health challenges in college students have been steadily increasing. The pandemic has only compounded those challenges, and students at Highlands University are no exception. To complicate…

Highlands University Alumnus Wins Award for University Video Ad

June 28, 2022 A New Mexico Highlands University video ad, “You’re Family,” has received the 2022 Award of Excellence from the Communicator Awards. The ad was created in partnership between former Highlands University Director of University Relations, Sean Weaver, and the Albuquerque-based ad agency, Mya Kai Creative. Highlands University alumnus Michael Jackson, founder and creative…

NMHU’s Gene Torres Golf Course Resumes Operation

Highlands partners with City of Las Vegas and San Miguel County to reopen community course for the first time since 2019 June 24, 2022 LAS VEGAS, N.M.– The New Mexico Highlands University’s Gene Torres Golf Course is reopening for play Saturday, June 25. The reopening is the result of a three-way partnership between San Miguel…

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