New Mexican Historical Artifacts on View at Highlands University Ray Drew Gallery

January 14, 2022 An exhibition featuring TT Hagaman’s Southwest Collection, which includes a wide range of historical artifacts from across New Mexico, is open to visitors in the Highlands University Ray Drew Gallery through Feb. 18, 2022. The Rarities of New Mexico Territory exhibition includes artifacts such as illustrative oil paintings, old newspapers, Thomas Mullarky’s early twentieth century Native American photographs, and furniture—including the…

New Mexico Highlands University Adopts Updated COVID Protocols

January 11, 2022 New Mexico Highlands University is implementing new COVID protocols to ensure the safety of all students, staff, and faculty on campus. These changes are being implemented at on the main campus and the Highlands University centers in an effort to curb the spread of the Omicron variant, but leadership at the university anticipates that these measures will help to keep the campus…

Professors at New Mexico Highlands University Publish Research on Diversity and Inclusion in the Classroom

January 6, 2022 Four professors at New Mexico Highlands University have published recent research articles in national education journals assessing a variety of strategies needed to implement culturally sustaining classroom instruction. In 2018, findings from the Yazzie/Martinez v. State of New Mexico lawsuit determined that public education in the state was lacking the funding and quality programming needed to…

Highlands University Professor Sebastian Medina Publishes Research on the Effects of Arsenic and Uranium on Human Health

January 4, 2022 Sebastian Medina, biology professor and alumnus of Highlands University, is on a roll. In 2021 alone, he published eight research articles and one book chapter that investigate the correlation between arsenic and anemia, and the effects of arsenic and uranium on immune system disorders. Medina, who began teaching at Highlands University in the fall of 2020, said…

Giving Tuesday a Success at New Mexico Highlands University

December 9, 2021 Giving Tuesday, which typically brings in 10 percent of Highlands University’s annual fundraising, brought in $198,403 this year. According to Theresa Law, the university began participating in Giving Tuesday in 2016, and although they did not surpass their 2019 record of $300,000, she is pleased by the amount Highlands brought in during a pandemic year. Law said each Giving Tuesday,…

Shop Small Mall a Recipe for Success

December 8, 2021 The Shop Small Mall event, hosted by Highlands University on Dec. 1, helped to bring in much-needed support for local businesses who have been impacted by the pandemic and Bridge Street construction. The event was so successful that organizers plan to expand Shop Small Mall next year. The Shop Small Mall event…

Highlands University Advances Bilingual Education through Partnership with International Conference

December 7, 2021 This year, Highlands University partnered with La Cosecha Conference to promote bilingual education and increase the number of bilingual teachers across New Mexico, the U.S., and internationally. According to its website, La Cosecha is a conference “by teachers for teachers,” which is held annually in Albuquerque. This year’s agenda included keynote speaker…

Highlands University Graduating Senior Offers Closing Reception Art Exhibition on Friday, Dec. 3

December 1, 2021 Taylor Kuiper, a graduating senior at New Mexico Highlands University, will be hosting a closing reception for her fine arts exhibit, Interpretations of Nature, at the Ray Drew Gallery on Dec. 3, from 5 to 7 p.m. Kuiper will be giving an artist talk at 6 p.m. Kuiper grew up in her family’s…

Highlands University to Host Event to Promote Local Shopping on Dec. 1

November 19, 2021 Highlands University is hosting Shop Small Mall—a convenient one-stop shop where people can do their holiday shopping and support Las Vegas’ businesses. The Shop Small Mall event will take place in the Highlands University Student Center on Dec. 1, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Director of Alumni Affairs Juli Salman came up with the idea as a way to help…

Highlands University Offers Events Celebrating Hispanic and Indigenous Cultures

November 18, 2021 To honor both the National Hispanic American Heritage Month and the National Native American Heritage Month, Highlands University has offered a range of events to students and the public. The events began Oct. 22, and several remaining events are scheduled through Dec. 3, 2021. Collectively, the events offered in honor of Hispanic and…

Highlands University Jazz Ensemble to Perform December 2

November 15, 2021 The Highlands University Jazz Ensemble will be performing in concert on Thursday, Dec. 2, at 6 p.m. at Ilfeld Auditorium. The concert is free, and attendees will be required to wear masks. Edward Harrington, professor of music technology and education, said the jazz ensemble is composed of students, faculty, and…

Highlands University to Offer Viewings of Deportation Documentary and Q&A with Filmmaker

November 12, 2021 When documentary filmmaker David Sutherland visited Cleveland, Ohio, he did not yet know that the woman who picked him up, Elizabeth Perez, would be the focus of his documentary about deportation. Sutherland said he had the idea to make a film about immigration and visited Cleveland frequently to spend time with…

Madrigal Choir at Highlands University to Perform “All About Music and Song” November 14

November 11, 2021 The Highlands University madrigal choir will be performing “All About Music and Song” at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 14 at Ilfeld Auditorium. The concert is free, and masks will be required of singers and attendees. According to André García-Nuthmann, director of the choral program at Highlands, the concert will feature the madrigal choir as well as eight…

Highlands University Librarian, Ruben Aragón, Receives New Mexico Library Leadership Award

November 11, 2021 Ruben Aragón, director of the Donnelly Library at Highlands University, received the 2021 New Mexico Leadership Award from the New Mexico Library Association, or NMLA. Aragón has served as the director of Donnelly Library for 30 years and has worked at the library for 37 years. This is the first time he has received the NMLA Leadership Award—a fact that Valerie Nye, president of the…

New Mexico Highlands University Receives Instrument Donation

November 8, 2021 When Miamon Miller, a musician and resident of Montezuma, moved away, he donated a number of orchestral instruments and music books to the Highlands University music department. Miller is an ethnomusicologist and composer who has arranged music for film, composed for theatre, and has played with classical and folk groups, including mariachi. As a musician, Miller owned…

Highlands University English Professor Benjamin Villarreal Receives Faculty Fellowship

November 4, 2021 Benjamin Villarreal, an English professor at New Mexico Highlands University, has been awarded a faculty fellowship by the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education, or AAHHE. The national fellowship is intended for Hispanic tenure-track faculty in order to provide support in career goals, build community, and foster faculty fellow leadership. The group of faculty…

Highlands University to Participate in Statewide Esports Showcase

November 2, 2021 A four-student team from Highlands University will be participating in the first New Mexico Educational Esports Classic showcase beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 3. Eleven teams from high schools and colleges in New Mexico will be competing in the video game competition this week. Playoffs on Friday, Nov. 5, will determine which teams will advance to the finals…

New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute Hires New Director

November 1, 2021 Alan Barton, previously the manager of the collaboration program at the New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute, stepped into the role of director in October. The new leadership comes at a time when the Institute’s budget has grown substantially due to increased Forest Service funding, which previous Institute director, Kent Reid, attributed to good past performance by the Institute staff and to the advocacy of…

Robert Henssler’s Exhibition at Ray Drew Gallery Gives Insight to Daily Life

October 20, 2021 Las Vegas resident Robert Henssler’s art is now on view at the Ray Drew Gallery at Highlands University. The exhibition, titled Flora, Fauna and Somewhere In Between, can also be viewed online, and features photography, painting, ceramic work, and wood prints. Henssler said he picked up his first camera at age five and started painting in junior…

Highlands University Matanza Will Be Ticketed to Ensure COVID-19 Safety Precautions

October 19, 2021 Highlands University is hosting a traditional Matanza event at the Cultural Park and Melody Park on Saturday, October 23 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free activities, including music and food, will begin at 1 p.m. Attendees to the Matanza this weekend will need to have tickets. A limited number of tickets are available to ensure adherence to COVID-19 social distancing and safety protocols. Tickets are…

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