Dear NMHU Community:

In late August, I attended my first Council of University Presidents (CUP) meeting in Santa Fe. I’ve been impressed with how well the seven public universities work together in New Mexico. I spent two days talking with my fellow presidents, hearing about the upcoming legislative session, and strategizing for the year ahead.

Some Recent Highlights:

• The Ballen visit has been great–seeing that mural come alive over the past two weeks has been a wonderful experience. They even let me paint a bit and I hope I didn’t ruin it:
  
  The final product is truly impressive–a real contribution to our campus environment:
  
• We had our first football game of the season on Thursday, August 29. This game was our Community Night game with free admission thanks to our sponsor, Quality Care. There was a great turnout, and it was great to see the start of a new era of NMHU football. Go Cowboys! Mayor David Romero was our honorary captain:
  • We also highlighted various state champions for West Las Vegas High School and Robertson High School at halftime 
• Here’s a great photo of Leon Bustos, Director of Health Education and Wellness, rafting with our students. Maybe next year I can get on the river myself: 
• This past weekend, I had the privilege of participating in the Las Vegas Fall Fiestas and Bean Day parades. I was able to spend some time with Senator Ben Ray Lujan and Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez and shared with them the great work taking place at NMHU.

Upcoming Events:

• I’ll be heading to an event at Los Alamos National Labs with Dean Veena Parboteeah this Thursday and Friday to learn more about the grants we have with them, and then we’ll be doing a more formal visit up to LANL in October to meet the Director.
• The Zuzu Acrobats will be performing on Friday, September 6th, at 7 PM in Ilfeld Auditorium. The ZUZU Acrobats are a Tanzanian troupe who base their performances on 2,000 years of history. They bring modern art, culture, and passion with them wherever they go. See https://www.nmhu.edu/ilfeld-auditorium/tickets/ for tickets.
• HU@Zoo is this Saturday, September 7th, at 9am at the ABQ BioPark.
  I’m headed down to Silver City for our football game against WNMU on September 14th at 6pm at Ben Altamirano Field. We’re having a “Meet the President” event at Javalina Coffee House on Saturday, September 14th, at 3:30 PM in Silver City. Please come by and say hi if you’re down there for the game!
• The New Mexico Painter’s show opens Saturday, September 15th, at 4 PM at the Kennedy Gallery.
• The volleyball season has also started–I’m looking forward to our first home game on Friday, September 20th, vs Adams State. Season tickets are on sale at https://nmhuathletics.com/tickets
• Highlands’ Harvest Fest is going to be Friday September 20th, 11-4 PM, in Melody Park, with a green chile roast, ristra and tortilla demonstrations, lawn games, and live music. Hope to see everyone there.
• The Annual “Out of the Darkness,” 5K Run hosted by CARES on Thursday, September 26th, 7:30 PM. This event is dedicated to shedding light on the critical issue of suicide and promoting mental health awareness within our community, with this years special focus being on supporting individuals within the LGBTQI+ community. Register for free at https://forms.office.com/r/FHVKwhy4F5.
• Get your tickets now for comedian Ralph Barbosa. The show is Saturday, September 28th, 8:00 PM in Ilfeld. Ralph Barbosa, known for his disarming and laid-back comedy style, has become a headliner across the country. This year, he starred in his first hour-long Netflix stand-up special. Notable achievements include his debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, a top-viewed Comedy Central stand-up set, and a Comedy special on HBO Max. Tickets at https://www.nmhu.edu/ilfeld-auditorium/tickets/.

Congratulations:

• Join me in extending a warm welcome to Dr. Paul Grindstaff, who will join us on September 9th as our new interim Vice-President of Advancement.
• Congratulations to our soccer coach, Amanda Evans. Amanda was nominated and selected to be the Chair of the United Soccer Coaches Women Coaches Community. In this position, she represents Highlands on a national and international level as she is at the forefront of the trends and progression of coaches and players in this ever-changing world. She continues to speak at the convention, create pathways for young coaches, and support all coaches. She is the master of ceremonies at one of the largest events at the United Soccer Coaches Convention, the Women’s Breakfast. As she enters her 2nd year as chair of the Women Coaches Community, we are proud to have her as part of the NMNHU family.
• Dr. P.J. Sedillo, Education, had his children’s book Embraced or Excluded? Fact or Fiction of Famous LGBTQ+ Persons (published by Pieces of Learning) has been selected as a finalist for best book from the New Mexico /Arizona Book Awards. P.J. is a previous winner of this award (from 2018) and is a finalist in the History (Other), Gay/Lesbian (LGBT), and Juvenile (3-8) categories. Wishing luck to P.J. for the awards ceremony in November.
• Join me also in welcoming Michelle Bencomo in her new role as the Director for the Center for Professional Development and Career Readiness beginning on September 9th. While new to this role, Michelle has held previous roles at NMHU in Financial Aid and Student Affairs.

If you have an item or event you’d like to be featured here, please forward that to your relevant Vice President.

Respectfully,
Dr. Neil Woolf
President, New Mexico Highlands University