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New Mexico State University EXCELLENCE IN ACTION A Periodic Newsletter from President William B. Conroy The remarkable qualities of New Mexico State University's faculty members can be gauged in many ways, from the awards they receive to the research grants they win – more than $110 million annually in an increasingly competitive national arena. Some of the extraordinary contributions these teachers and researchers make to their communities, however, are not easily measured, because they are volunteer activities beyond the classroom and the laboratory. I was reminded of this while reading the cover story in the winter issue of Panorama, NMSU's quarterly newsletter for alumni and friends. A handful of faculty were profiled as examples of many who devote their time and talents to helping others. Geology professor Nancy McMillan has been a driving force behind the creation of the Community of Hope, an alliance of non-profit agencies helping the poor and homeless in Las Cruces. Government professor Nancy Baker is in her second year of board leadership at one of those agencies, a transitional housing facility called Hacienda del Sol. English professor Kevin McIlvoy, an acclaimed author, has taught writing classes for senior citizens for 17 years on his own time, with the conviction that "the writers who have the most to teach us are writers with many years of life experience." Now he is devoting part of a sabbatical leave to establishing free writing classes at senior centers throughout the state. Nancy Chanover of astronomy and Steve Stochaj, director of NMSU's Particle Astrophysics Laboratory, are bright young scientists who take to the field as Search and Rescue volunteers when someone is lost or missing. Becky Keele of nursing oversees the Teddy Bear Clinic, where she and her students use teddy bears to teach preschoolers the basics of health care. With remarkable men and women like these on the faculty – and on the staff as well – NMSU's service mission is in excellent hands.
Fulbright scholars circle the globe Another indication of the caliber of NMSU's faculty is the frequency with which they are selected for the federal government's Fulbright Scholar Program, which provides grants for teaching and research around the globe. Paul Huntsberger, assistant director of the NMSU Center for International Programs, says NMSU faculty have been increasingly successful in landing Fulbrights. Current Fulbright scholars include Joe Benson, professor of management, who will spend next spring in Korea, and Wenda Trevathan of anthropology, who will be in the Philippines through August 2000. Just returned from abroad are geography department head Bob Czerniak, who spent the summer in Malaysia, and Charles Townley of the university library, who was in China during the summer and fall. Zohrab Samani of civil engineering studied water issues on the U.S.-Mexico border as a Fulbright scholar. Journalism department head Steve Pasternack taught at the University of Latvia and consulted with working journalists in that country. The goal of the Fulbright program is "to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries" and promote peaceful international relations. An important side benefit accrues to NMSU students, because the faculty members bring new knowledge and experience back with them to the classroom. "Community cocina" and computers spell opportunity A "community cocina" at Court Youth Center in Las Cruces will bring the aromas and job opportunities of the culinary arts into the lives of Las Crucens. Working with community groups, NMSU secured a $370,000 Housing and Urban Development grant for Hispanic-serving institutions assisting communities. Once new facilities are built, the culinary arts training program will serve high school students, welfare-to-work participants, college classes and others. Already up and running at Court Youth Center is another NMSU program that combines computers and art. With equipment and money donated by US West, students from NMSU's Alliance for Minority Participation set up a lab, lead sessions there and serve as mentors for students at the center, who learn about computers by creating digital art. Helping the visually impaired use the Web NMSU researchers are working to help visually impaired users overcome some of the obstacles of navigating the World Wide Web in the classroom. With a three-year, $600,000 National Science Foundation grant, computer science department head Art Karshmer and his colleagues are developing new tools to convert forms and tables into formats that the visually impaired can use. NMSU, UNM collaborate on NAFTA's impact NMSU and the University of New Mexico will collaborate this year on research dealing with the effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Jose Z. Garcia, director of NMSU's Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS), says NMSU will focus primarily on NAFTA's impact on the U.S.-Mexico border region while UNM will look at the broader context of the trade agreement. The joint initiative was announced at the 20th anniversary of the New Mexico Consortium on Latin America, a partnership of the CLAS and UNM's Latin American and Iberian Institute.
Let us hear from you If you would like more information on these or other developments at NMSU, or if you have comments about this newsletter, please let me know. I'd like to hear from you.
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