-= NMSU PANORAMA - Summer 2006 =- Message from the President

Message from the President

Alumni shine in many areas

By Michael V. Martin, NMSU President

Mike Martin, NMSU President

New Mexico State University has yielded so many amazing graduates. This issue of the alumni magazine reflects on the successes of our alumni in a variety of fields.

Our former student body leaders have gone on to make a mark in the world in a variety of ways and alumni from many different disciplines are making an impact in the film industry.

Graduate Kevin Johnson ’81 is serving as co-president at Microsoft and Dolly Montoya ’05 is one of few in the Navajo Nation to obtain a doctoral degree.

This issue of the alumni magazine also includes a history of our two-year campuses and a feature on the J. Paul Taylor Symposium on Social Justice. This year the focus was on Justice for Women for which the College of Arts and Sciences brought together international experts. This is the kind of service a university must be about – creating awareness of the great social issues of our days.

Many of our graduates attribute their successes to NMSU faculty who mentored them. This spring we are particularly proud of the work of Grace Ann Rosile in the College of Business who is making a mark tackling the issue of integrity in the classroom.

We also are excited about Blake Curtis of Clovis joining our Board of Regents and the selection of Paul H. Gutierrez as vice provost for outreach services and Lowell B. Catlett ’75 as dean of the College of Agriculture and Home Economics.

To honor one of his former professors, Brad Gordon ’78, a vice president at Celgene Corp., donated 10,000 shares of Celgene stock, valued at more than $500,000, to establish a distinguished professorship in marketing in the name of Robin Peterson.

Other alumni have come forward to make a difference in our “Doing What Counts” comprehensive campaign, including brothers Ed ’55 and Harold “Chub” Foreman ’61, who made a $1.5 million gift to the NMSU College of Engineering.

Campaign chairman Danny Villanueva and his wife Myrna were recognized in April by Gov. Bill Richardson for their contributions to the state and the university at the dedication of Myrna’s Children’s Village on campus. The village was named in her honor last fall as a “belated happy birthday” gift from her husband, who pledged $1 million for the village.

As the campaign progresses and we plan this summer for the next academic year, there will be many other successes to celebrate in 2006-2007.

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A Note from the Editor

By Julie M. Hughes '95, Panorama Editor

New Mexico State University is proud of its alumni all over the world. This issue features alumni who are making a mark in the film industry (click here) and former student body leaders and the variety of paths they have chosen (click here). It includes a story about partnerships that have benefited our faculty, students and alumni, such as the one between the Theatre Arts Department and the Creede Repertory Theatre (click here).

This issue also gives a flavor for some of the challenging issues being tackled on our campus today. A business faculty member is working with her students to bring academic integrity to the forefront of their learning experience (click here) and the J. Paul Taylor Symposium for Social Justice in March delivered a powerful message on the need for Justice for Women (click here). This issue also offers a historical perspective on the NMSU community colleges (click here).

Enjoy reading about your university and fellow alumni and I encourage your feedback at panorama@nmsu.edu. Please look for the next issue of Panorama in January 2007.

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