New Mexico State University’s With Us campaign celebrates how, in classrooms, labs, out in the field, or working in your community, together we make a difference.

TV Commercial: Dr. Pookie Sautter, Department of Marketing, is part of the NMSU With Us Campaign

See the With Us campaign billboards, outdoor signage, print samples, desktop wallpapers, YouTube videos.

Tom Gale, seated, celebrates his Branding Iron Award Oct. 21 with, from left, daughter-in-law Gail Gale, Alexandra Nason Hall and New Mexico State University Emeritus President Gerald Thomas at the NMSU Foundation’s Partners in Excellence Dinner. The Branding Iron award is the highest honor the NMSU Foundation gives to an individual. (Courtesy Photo)

The New Mexico State University Foundation celebrated its annual Partners in Excellence Dinner as part of Homecoming 2009 Oct. 21 by honoring many distinguished partners and announcing that the Doing What Counts campaign has reached $214 million to date.

The comprehensive campaign is the most ambitious fundraising endeavor undertaken by the university and has already exceeded expectations. The original goal of $150 million by December 2008 was met early in the effort causing the NMSU Foundation Board of Directors to revise the goal to $225 by December 2010.

“As we honored those who contribute to NMSU everyday at our Partners in Excellence Dinner, we wanted to celebrate the campaign’s success. The generous gifts we have received are the reason we continue to grow and transform NMSU,” said Nick Franklin, vice president of university advancement and executive director of the NMSU Foundation.

Awards presented at the dinner included the Branding Iron Awards, the Spirit of Service Awards, and the Circle of Excellence Awards.

The Branding Iron award is the highest honor the NMSU Foundation gives to an individual. It recognizes significant and unique contributions to the university. Receiving the award this year were Tom Gale, Ed Lujan and Waded Cruzado.

Gale came to NMSU in 1971 to be dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. His impact on the university, community and state was immediate and continued long after his official retirement from NMSU in 1991. Even after retirement, he worked to establish the Center for Latin American Studies, worked with the College of Education to improve the level of teacher education in New Mexico, served on the state Commission on Higher Education, created the Academy for Learning in Retirement, served on the NMSU Foundation Board of Directors and several other university and community boards. He and his wife, Mary, have supported many campus programs and established the Thomas M. Gale endowed fund for excellence in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Lujan earned two degrees from the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. After a brief teaching career, he joined the family insurance business in the late 1960s. From 1968 forward, he served as the chief executive officer for the Manuel Lujan Agencies in Albuquerque. Now retired, he continues to serve as the company’s chairman of the board. He is a very loyal Aggie and has served on many boards and supported many programs at the university. He received an honorary doctorate from NMSU in May 2000.

Cruzado was appointed executive vice president and provost at NMSU Sept. 1, 2007. From August 2008-May 2009, she served NMSU as interim president. Prior to her service as provost, she led NMSU’s College of Arts and Sciences as dean for four years. During her interim presidency at NMSU, achievements included gains in the university’s Comprehensive Campaign despite a troubled economy and success at the 2009 session of the New Mexico Legislature that included $5.5 million in additional funding for the Center for the Arts. She will leave NMSU in January 2010 to become the president of Montana State University.

NMSU benefits each year from the intangible contributions that come from alumni and friends. The Spirit of Service award is designed to recognize those contributions. This year’s recipients were Walter Hines, Bruce Ritter and Danny Villanueva.

Hines, who has two degrees in mechanical engineering from NMSU, has been active with the alumni association wherever he has lived, raising money to support student scholarships and just promoting NMSU. He and his wife, Bette, also established a deferred gift annuity to support NMSU athletics well into the future.

Ritter earned his accounting degree from NMSU in 1971. He has been a CPA in Roswell for many years. Ritter is a behind the scenes man who has been a quiet supporter of the business college, the President’s Associates scholarship program and Aggie football.

Villanueva has given back to NMSU in many ways. One of the most impactful has been the Chicano Program’s scholarship breakfast held at the start of Homecoming for the past several years. At this event, guests were able to hear nationally recognized speakers invited by Villanueva. He has continued to match funds raised during these breakfasts each year. The endowment reached its original $500,000 goal this summer.

Circle of Excellence donors also were recognized at the dinner. Those recognized in the Circle of Excellence – Gold category for achieving a cumulative giving history of more than $1 million are Jacobs Technology, Lockheed-Martin/Sandia Laboratories, Wells Fargo Bank, the Wolslager Foundation, the late Mr. and Mrs. W.F. “Dub” Martin, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. There are 25 other donors at this level.

Those recognized in the Circle of Excellence – Silver category for achieving a cumulative giving history of $500,000-$1 million were John Yates Sr. and his wife, Charlotte. There are 29 other donors at this level.

Those recognized in the Circle of Excellence – Bronze category for achieving a cumulative giving history at the university of $250,000-$499,999 were Rama and Ammu Devasthali, Lumina Foundation for Education and Belva Roark. There are 52 other individuals, corporations and foundations at this level.

The New Mexico State University Alumni Association will honor and recognize nine Distinguished Alumni and the recipient of the 2009 James F. Cole Memorial Award at a dinner during the Homecoming 2009 celebration.

The 2009 honorees are:
•Jack Benjamin Pruett, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
•Ann C. Gates, William D. Newell and Alexander M. Parsons, College of Arts and Sciences
•Brenda Alvarez, College of Business
•Eula Fern Thompson, College of Education
•Tom H. Hill, College of Engineering
•Judith Bauer Creegan, College of Health and Social Services
•William “Bilo” Wallace, Office of International and Border Programs
•Shari Jones, James F. Cole Memorial Award for Service

Pruett earned his degree in animal science from NMSU in 1962. He was named an outstanding graduate for his graduating class in his college. During his time as chief estimator and project manager of Wooten Construction Company from the 1980s to 1998, the firm completed construction projects in the Las Cruces area and several of NMSU’s campuses, including Knox Hall, Engineering Complex Buildings 1 and 3, the Business Complex, Hardman Hall and the Doña Ana Community College Library. He became an honored member of the Sam Steele Society in 2001.

Gates earned her Ph.D. in computer science from NMSU in 1994. She, in collaboration with other researchers, has received more than $23 million in funding from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Sandia National Laboratories, Army Research Laboratory, the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation (NSF). In 2006, Gates led a successful effort to secure NSF funding to form the Computing Alliance for Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI), which is focused on the recruitment, retention and advancement of Hispanics in computing. NMSU is included in the core of CAHSI’s founding institutions.

Newell earned his degrees in criminal justice and Latin American studies from NMSU in 1988. In 1989, he became a special agent with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Over the course of his career, Newell has held several positions in which he was responsible for oversights of ATF’s international and domestic firearms and explosives trafficking jurisdiction. He has represented ATF and the U.S. at the United Nations and the Organization of American States as an expert on international firearms and explosives trafficking matters. He currently serves as the special agent in charge and director of the ATF’s Phoenix Field Division, which presides over Arizona and New Mexico.

Parsons earned his master of arts from NMSU in 1999. He is the author of the novel “Leaving Disneyland,” which won the 2001 Associated Writing Program’s Award for the Novel, the Writer’s League of Texas Violet Crown Award and was a finalist for the PEN West Award. His second novel, “In the Shadows of the Sun,” is set in his home state of New Mexico and deals with the Bataan Death March and the testing of the first atomic bomb on what is now the White Sands Missile Range. The novel was a 2005 Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writer selection and was nominated for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Parsons has received various recognitions for his writing, including a National Endowment for the Arts Literary Fellowship, and he teaches creative writing at the University of Houston’s nationally ranked master’s of fine arts and Ph.D. Creative Writing Program and the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers.

Alvarez earned her degree in business from NMSU in 1981. She and her husband founded EMI Technologies in 1985, a mechanical and electrical engineering, consulting and fabrication services company that has completed more than 300 custom built vehicles. Alvarez currently serves on the Wells Fargo Advisory Board, the Arrowhead Advisory Board and the Las Cruces Country Club Board. She has also served on the boards for the NMSU Alumni Association and the Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce.

Thompson earned her bachelor’s degree in business education in 1963 and her masters in educational management and development in 1983 from NMSU. Her teaching career has spanned for 33 years, which includes teaching at Mayfield High School, Mayfield Night High School, the International Business College and the Dona Ana Community College. She has received the Donald C. Rush Award for Excellence in Teaching from NMSU in 1985 and the National Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Texas in 1989. Thompson is still active in the NMSU College of Education as she currently serves on the college’s board of advocates and the Children’s Village Board. She has worked as a fund-raiser for Aggies for Kids at the Children’s Village, and she has worked to establish the J. Paul Taylor Endowment in Early Childhood Education and the Warren Woodson Endowment for the Aggie football program.

Hill earned his degree in mechanical engineering from NMSU in 1967. After working for the Humble Oil Company, now ExxonMobil, he left and founded T.H. Hill Associates, which works on difficult, drill-string mechanics problems and on drill-string failure prevention. The company develops, writes, publishes and enforces the DS-1 Standard. This standard, with Hill as its principal author, was first published in 1993 and has been translated into Spanish and Chinese. It has become the worldwide specification for manufacture, design and inspection of oil and gas drill-string components. Hill is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and has published about 50 books, technical articles and papers.

Creegan earned her associate degree in nursing in 1983, her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1986 and her master’s of science in nursing in 1996 from NMSU. She is the director of nursing and health services for the Gadsden Independent School District. She is responsible for the oversight and management of student and employee health services for 17,000 individuals on 26 campuses and remote sites. She manages a SAMHASA Suicide Prevention grant, working with a group of middle and high school students on a suicide prevention program. Creegan was an instructor for NMSU’s Department of Nursing in 2001 and 2002, and she is currently earning her doctorate in curriculum and instruction at NMSU.

Wallace earned his degree in range and animal science from NMSU in 1968. After graduating, Wallace took on the responsibility of managing the Corralitos Ranch near Casas Grandes in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, which had been run by his family for two previous generations. He currently serves as president of the Union Ganadera Regional of Chihuahua, a cattle growers association. For the past 10 years, Wallace has served as the Mexican representative to an international tuberculosis committee that works closely with Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture and the USDA to eliminate tuberculosis in cattle.

Jones earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1980 and her master’s degree in business administration in 1981 from NMSU. In 2001, she joined the executive council of NMSU’s Alumni Association, which she served for four years including one year as president. She has also served in the association’s international board of directors. Jones is a member of the Aggie Athletics Fund Board and the President’s Associates Board. She received the NMSU Foundation’s Spirit of Service Award in October 2007 in recognition of her role as the co-chair of the Hospitality Committee for the 2007 WAC Basketball Tournament held in Las Cruces, a role she also undertook for the 2008 event.

Criteria for the James F. Cole Memorial Award are based on non-monetary support and involvement with NMSU, civic and humanitarian service, and professional service.

For more information contact the NMSU Alumni Association at (575) 646-3616.

BusinessWeek: September 14, 2009

“Graduates lucky enough to land a job may find the prospect of responsibility and rapid advancement surprisingly strong….

“Miranda Azzam’s title at Aflac’s (AFL) Columbus (Ga.) headquarters is college recruiter, but that doesn’t begin to describe what she does for the $16.6 billion insurer.”

Read the article.

See the list.


College of Business Notes:

• The top four “Best Places to Start Your Career 2009″ are the Big Four accounting firms: DeLoitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and KPMG.
• Industries listed are Accounting, Consulting, Consumer Products, Financial Services, Hospitality, Insurance, Investment Banking, Manufacturing, Nonprofit/Government, Retail, Technology, Transportation and Utilities.
• The majority of the “Top Degrees Among Entry-Level Hires” were labeled “Business/Economics”.

NMSU’s Feral Cat Management Program makes sure between 110 and 150 feral cats on campus are fed, neutered and up-to-date with their shots. (NMSU Photo by Darren Phillips)

If you’ve ever met Patti Benzie, you probably noticed she likes cats. And, like many cat lovers, she keeps pictures of her pets (past and present) at her desk as the secretary for the Department of Accounting and Information Systems in the New Mexico State University College of Business. She even has a cat pin on her jacket and keeps a toy stuffed cat within arm’s reach of her chair.

Unlike many animal lovers, Benzie takes her commitment a step further, volunteering her time with NMSU’s FCaMP (Feral Cat Management Program). FCaMP started in 2002 as a resource to help manage the cat population on campus – then estimated to be between 200 and 250. Today the population is between 110 and 150, thanks in large part to the efforts of FCaMP volunteers who make sure every cat on campus is neutered and up-to-date on their shots. Volunteers also provide food and water for the cats and make some available for home adoption.

FCaMP is a recognized campus organization, but not funded by the university. Benzie is one of more than a dozen volunteers with the group.

Feral cats eat a morning meal provided by Patti Benzie (photo by Darren Phillips)

“Cats have been on campus forever. And they will always be here, no matter what anyone does,” Benzie said, noting that universities across the country have cat colonies.

She attributes some of the cats to students who keep them as pets and later abandon them. Others might be strays that find a good food source on campus. Before FCaMP, the cats were trapped and taken to the pound where they were euthanized – a strategy Benzie said wasn’t working because the cat population never shrank.

As part of her work, Benzie manages one of the several feeding stations around campus. She also keeps a look out for new cats that may need to be taken in to be fixed and to have their shots.

She said some of the largest cat populations are around the NMSU libraries, where they can be seen either in the early evening or early morning. She said the cats also come in handy for keeping down the university’s rodent population. FCaMP’s website is at http://www.nmsu.edu/~fcamp.

For their outstanding academic performance, leadership, scholarship and participation in university and community activities, the New Mexico State University Alumni Association honored nine Outstanding Graduates for Spring 2009.

An outstanding graduate was chosen from each of NMSU’s academic colleges, as well as an international student and two graduate students. They will be honored at a luncheon at 12:30 p.m. Friday, May 8, in the Corbett Center Student Union West Ballroom.

The College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences will honor Colleen Keri Boyd of Alamogordo, an agronomy major. Boyd earned a 4.0 GPA, is on the Dean’s List and was inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars in 2007. She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and has received the Dr. and Mrs. Cotter Scholarship, the Smart Grant Scholarship and the Billy Melton Scholarship.

The College of Arts and Sciences will honor Jenna Michelle Painter of Las Cruces, a microbiology major. Painter earned a 3.97 GPA, is a Crimson Scholar and received the 2008 Danny Villanueva Hispanic Scholarship. She has served as a mentor in Big Brothers Big Sisters, has received the Llave Award for Leadership and Diversity and was a undergraduate teaching assistant for a microbial genetics class in Fall 2008.

The College of Business will honor Cecilia Diaz of Silver City, an accounting major. Diaz earned a 3.96 GPA, is a Crimson Scholar and is on the Dean’s List. She has received the ACFE Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship and the Ernst and Young Business Leaders Scholarship, and she serves as vice president for the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting.

The College of Education will honor Kayme Burkeen of Carlsbad, an elementary education major. Burkeen earned a 4.0 GPA, is a Crimson Scholar and is on the Dean’s List. Burkeen is a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society, Who’s Who Among American College Students and the Alpha Chi International Honor Society.

The College of Engineering will honor Dorothy Lanphere of Las Vegas, an electronics and computer engineering major. Lanphere earned a 3.75 GPA, is a Crimson Scholar and is on the Dean’s List. She is the president and founder of the NMSU chapter of Engineers Without Borders, has served as treasurer for the Tau Alpha Pi Engineering Honor Society and is a recipient of the 2008 Arizona Public Service Scholarship.

The College of Extended Learning will honor Suzanne Whitter of Las Cruces, who will receive a bachelor’s degree of applied studies. Whitter has earned a 4.0 GPA, is a Crimson Scholar and is on the Dean’s List. Whitter served as the treasurer for the College of Extended Learning College Council and has received the Ada P. Mills Memorial Scholarship and the American Association of University Women Scholarship.

The College of Health and Social Services will honor Amanda Kay Coull of Las Cruces, a social work major with minors in psychology and Spanish. Coull has earned a 4.0 GPA, is a Crimson Scholar and is on the Dean’s List. She has served as both president and vice president for the Student Social Work Association and as president for the Alpha Chi National Honor Society.

The International and Border Programs will honor Paulina Zuniga of Guadalupe, Mexico, an industrial engineering major with a minor in environmental management. Zuniga has earned a 3.87 GPA, is a Crimson Scholar and is on the Dean’s List. She is a member of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and was a Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar Athlete. She has played for the NMSU Tennis Team since 2005 and was chosen as WAC Player of the Week in February 2007.

The Graduate School will honor R. Iliana Ruiz-Cooley as the Outstanding Ph.D. Graduate Student and Rachel Tofteland as Outstanding Masters Graduate Student.

Ruiz-Cooley will receive a Ph.D. in evolutionary ecology. She has worked in research labs around the world, producing new insights on whales and squids. She has been invited to present her work in several countries, including the International Symposium of cephalopods in Lima, Peru, and the International Sperm Whale Workshop in Cape Town, South Africa. Her leadership at NMSU includes serving as a role model and mentoring undergraduate students interested in marine biology.

Tofteland will receive a master’s degree in communication studies. She has given five conference papers at the National Communication Association Conference, including one titled “Change: Visual Code Words in the 2008 Presidential General Election.” She is president of the Department of Communications Graduate Student Association and is regarded highly by her fellow students. She has also worked as a teaching assistant and an adjunct instructor on NMSU campus, taught English to 15 Japanese students from Kobe University and last summer she volunteered to teach English to school children in Tanzania, an East African country.

For more information contact the NMSU Alumni Association at (575) 646-3616.

The Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting has brought NMSU national attention for two years and is going out again, this time to Boston for the annual KPMG Case Study Competition.

The NMSU student chapter was invited back to the 36th ALPFA Annual Convention in August, which is held in select cities and sponsored by many high-end cooperative companies. They were one of first of 25 universities in the country to be invited back on an invitation-only basis and ALPFA has 36 chapters. Their good work at the two previous conventions in Phoenix and Orlando guaranteed their return to the conference and competition.

“Our ALPFA chapter has given NMSU national exposure,” said Bill Smith, an assistant accounting professor and ALPFA co-faculty adviser. “I’m certain that this year will be the same.”

Smith picked six students in accounting to compete; Rosetta Morales, John Ordorica, Maura Najera, Emma Lane, Manish Saxena and Deborah Brown. They will do a full, professional analysis of Merck & Co., Inc., a pharmaceutical company. They will look into the company’s background, draw up a risk assessment and look into its management and accounting issues, Smith said.

Last year the students took three months to prepare for their final 20-minute presentation in front of a panel of professionals, Smith said. They came in third in the regional competition. A 2-inch-thick package of documents is their starter kit.

“I feel a lot of pressure for NMSU to compete with Big East colleges,” said Rosetta Morales, a senior and second-time competitor. “NMSU doesn’t really get to compete with the big schools in the East.”

Accounting is not something that has a competition like sports does, Morales said. They’re not just number crunchers, there’s a lot more to the competition than numbers. Most NMSU students don’t get this sort of opportunity to compete at a national level, she said.

“I feel very privileged,” Morales said.

Morales said sacrificed her summer and some time from her personal life to prepare for the competition last year in Phoenix and will do the same this year. The group of competitors will meet more often and start practicing very early. She will also be taking a full load of school to start off her master’s degree in accounting because she graduates in May.

“You meet a lot of new people,” said Eliza Ortiz, senior majoring in accounting.

Although Ortiz is not going to compete this year, she’s going to the convention again to network. Ortiz said seminars on Hispanic professionals, in addition to the professional speakers, help to educate and inform students the conventions.

“It’s so much fun,” said Cecilia Diaz, a previous ALPFA competitor.

Diaz liked all the networking at the convention and the socials and dances afterward. As many as 2,500 professionals, sponsors and students will attend the annual event. It’s a good opportunity to make that transition from school to the real work world, she said.

Although ALPFA at NMSU is really part of the El Paso Professional Chapter, it’s a strong force, said Diana Telles, president of the NMSU ALPFA chapter. Their student membership has grown from just eight to 35 active members, she said.

ALPFA is an organization that offers students mentoring and networking. In ALPFA, accounting and finance students are given a push out into the professional world. ALPFA is a place where students can relate through similar interests.

The convention is the main focus for now and the ALPFA group is raising funds for their trip to Boston, Telles said. They will be selling the “Class of 2009″ T-shirts and hosting other fundraisers for the rest of the semester and into summer. They will also get help from ASNMSU and the Hispanic Council, Telles said.

“Last year, we put our name out there,” Telles said, “and we’ll do it again.”

Gold Standard Staff Award, Academic Department awardee Leona Silva pictured with Dean Garrey Carruthers (left) and Dr. Larry Tunnell, head of the Accounting and Information Systems Department (right).

Gold Standard Staff Award, Professional Staff awardee Paul Hamilton with Associate Dean Kathy Brook (left) and Dean Garrey Carruthers (right).

The annual College of Business Gold Standard Staff Award for Outstanding Service honors staff members in an academic department, dean’s office, and a professional staff member for outstanding service. The award is based on total ranked scores from college employee votes.

The 2008-2009 awardees are:

• Leona Silva: Academic Department, Department of Accounting and Information Systems
• Yvonne Mendoza: Dean’s Office
• Paul Hamilton: Professional Staff, BC Computer Lab

See the winners archive.

Members of New Mexico State University’s ALPFA student group participate in numerous community service projects, including raising money for the El Caldito Soup Kitchen; participating in “The Big Event,” an Associated Students of NMSU activity to reach out to the community to provide volunteer work; and organizing the Fall Mid-Term Bash, an event to help students in the NMSU College of Business come together through student organizations. (Courtesy photo)

Focusing on midterms, class projects and the occasional part-time job is enough to max out the schedule of any typical college student, but that isn’t the case for students in New Mexico State University’s Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA). The group regularly handles coursework while organizing community service projects, out-of-state case competitions and meeting with professionals.“For me, interacting with professionals in my field is my favorite part,” said Diana Telles, a graduate student and president of the NMSU Student Chapter of ALPFA for the last two years. “This organization brings professionals and students together, where students can receive mentorship. That’s incredibly valuable.”

ALPFA is unique because the student chapters are organized with professional chapters. It was founded in 1972 by a group of accounting professionals who wanted to provide mentorship to students making the transition from college into their professional careers. ALPFA was established at NMSU in 2005 under the El Paso Professional Chapter. Its primary mission is to create opportunities, add value and build relationships for its members. While the group has “Latino” in its name, being Hispanic is not required for membership. Telles said ALPFA welcomes the involvement of all who share its core values and commitment to community service and providing opportunities and mentorship for its members.

Its first semester the NMSU Student Chapter had just eight members. Today it has more than 35 active members who participate in numerous community service projects, including raising money for the El Caldito Soup Kitchen; participating in “The Big Event,” an Associated Students of NMSU activity to reach out to the community to provide volunteer work; and organizing the Fall Mid-Term Bash, an event to help students in the NMSU College of Business come together through student organizations.

“I am very excited about the opportunities that ALPFA provides our student members,” said Bill Smith, an assistant professor in accounting and the NMSU ALPFA co-faculty adviser. He and Maria De Boyrie originally helped establish the ALPFA Student Chapter. “Thanks to Luis Avila, our first president, and now Diana Telles, we have really taken our chapter to the next level as a recognized student organization.”

The group regularly brings professional speakers to talk with students at their meetings. These speakers provide guidance and professional development in a variety of topics that include technical presentations, the importance of networking, getting a foot in the door at a company and time management.

Nationally, ALPFA holds an annual convention where professional and student members throughout the U.S. meet. At the convention, the accounting firm KPMG sponsors an intensive case competition where students from selected universities compete on a national level to present their technical findings of actual companies. Only 25 universities are invited to compete. Some of the past invited universities include Arizona State University, the University of Texas at Austin, Rutgers, the University of Massachusetts, University of California at Berkeley and New Mexico State University. Because of its past performance, an NMSU team has been invited the last two years and will be competing again this August at the national convention in Boston.

“The student team members have performed at a professional level that is truly outstanding. Their dedication and commitment to the team has put NMSU in the spotlight. I am very proud of their accomplishments, and I look forward to another outstanding performance this year in Boston,” Smith said. “I have no doubt these students will be very successful in their future professional careers.”

New Mexico State University is now offering a variety of mini-semester courses to students that include all the same instruction and content as regular courses.

The courses, which give full-credit, but only last half a semester, will run March 10-May 8, and are currently available for registration.

“The faculty adjust the syllabi to account for the shortened schedule, but the teaching and learning objectives remain the same,” said Robert Moulton, interim executive vice president and provost.

More than 100 face-to-face and online mini-semester courses are available, and are especially well suited for students who have dropped below full-time status required for financial aid.

“Mini-semester classes give students another way to fit courses into their busy schedules. They can also help students boost their GPA and maintain eligibility for financial aid,” said Carmen Gonzales, vice president for student success.

Subjects include communication; criminal justice; education; English; government; health sciences; industrial engineering; hotel, restaurant and tourism management; music; and women’s studies, as well as courses in study skills.

“There are many courses being offered in study skills, and if a student did drop a course for grade reasons, one of these courses could help that student learn skills that would help them become a more effective student,” Gonzales said.

“Mid-semester courses are but one way that we accomplish the academic and service components of our mission,” Moulton added.

For more information, visit http://success.nmsu.edu/mini-semester/.

With bleak reports of job loss in nearly all labor sectors, the ailing economy continues to slash employment opportunities for college graduates.

The unemployment rate increased to 3.7 percent for those who hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher, which is up 1.7 percent from one year ago, an economic report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site indicated.

Sean McCleneghan, an academic adviser and journalism and mass communications professor, said he advised undergraduate students to pursue higher education.

“This economy is brutal,” McCleneghan said. “This is the time to continue in college.”

McCleneghan said he advised students to meet with a graduate advisor and learn about the requirements to earn an assistantship for graduate school.

“You’re not going to get a high-paying job in this economy,” he said. “Get paid to go to school.”

He said economic stimulus packages are going to allot more money for individuals who wish to continue in school. However, with fewer people landing jobs directly after graduation, McCleneghan said to expect more people pursuing degrees past the baccalaureate level.

Meanwhile, some NMSU students said they remain optimistic, despite the economic downturn.

“I’m very optimistic,” Stephan Courter, a senior international business student said. “During the recession and during economic crises there are always opportunities.”

Courter said he just got a job setting up a point-of-sales system for a local business and added “there are always investments” during a recession.

Bailey Walter, a junior business management and accounting major, said she will remain optimistic about finding a job in the current economic climate.

“I want to work for a non-profit company,” Walter said. “I think I will have a job when I get out of school, but I don’t know if I will have a job in that field.”

Walter said she eventually plans to attend graduate school, but not immediately following graduation.

“I’m not too worried about finding a job,” said Ashley Blackwell, a junior criminal justice and biology student.

However, since the start of the recession in December 2007, a reported 3.6 million jobs have been lost, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site. And nearly half of the job losses have been within the past three months.

Among a reported 598,000 jobs lost during January, only two employment divisions, education and health services and government, bolstered higher employment numbers than in December, the report indicated.

Promoting entrepreneurship and local economic development is only a small fraction of the several opportunities that the NMSU Arrowhead Center offers to New Mexicans and students.

The Arrowhead Center helps out a wide variety of businesses around the state by providing them with a schematic to develop or initiate their ideas.

“Our mission is to promote economic development in New Mexico by generating jobs and wealth for New Mexico citizens and bring companies to our local area,” said Sara Sanders, director of entrepreneurship at the Arrowhead Center. “We’ve helped start salsa businesses with homemade recipes and created a business plan for the New Mexico Spaceport.”

However, the Arrowhead Center is quite different because most business research projects are developed and created by NMSU students.

“The experience at Arrowhead that students get is unlike anywhere else on campus,” Sanders said. “It exposes students to all different types of industries, business sectors, local and statewide companies. It provides networking opportunities for students and gives them large exposure to research and business plans.”

Albert Mays, a graduate student in economics, has been working at Arrowhead for almost a month.

“I am a research analysis employee,” Mays said. “We help out various companies with developing business and marketing plans. Also, we help out the state with future economic projections.”

Currently working on a policy analysis of sexual education for the Deming School District, Mays is researching different ways to teach sexual education like contraceptive education and abstinence-only education.

“I am getting statistics and I will eventually present them with an analytical report [to the Deming education department],” Mays said.

Also working on developing a future project for NMSU, Deanna Bonjione is a graduate student in accounting.

“I’m working on implementing a new research laboratory, somewhat like a library, which is going to be used by all the grad assistants that work here,” Bonjione said. “It will be for any of the clients that come [to Arrowhead]. It’s going to have a lot of useful resources for them to help them start up their own business.”

Arrowhead helps by providing graduate students with real world experiences and community businesses with feasible marketing plans.

“We work with small business owners, existing businesses and anyone looking at starting a business in New Mexico,” said Matt Elgersma, business research and outreach coordinator for the Arrowhead Center. “Typically what we offer to our clients in business plans is feasibility studies, marketed analysis and strategic plans.”

Elgersma explained if someone is looking into offering a new product or service and want someone to see if it is a viable opportunity then the Arrowhead Center can offer that opportunity.

“We do about 12 to 15 projects per semester as well as in the summer,” Elgersma said. “People can find project submission forms online and how many students we have [coincides] with how many projects we can accommodate.”

Sanders said she highly encourages NMSU students if they have a business idea or looking to join the team to contact the Arrowhead Center.

Elgersma said the center typically looks for graduate degree-seeking students.

“We are always open to a diverse work group,” Elgersma added. “We would like to try to get the most competitive students possible to fill our positions. This is one of the best graduate assistants on campus, as far as I am concerned.”

He explained the hours are flexible and students can gain good work experience, but are very selective in their decision.

“I would like to have all colleges represented beside the business college,” Elgersma said. “We have high expectations and we produced high quality work. If somebody is really interested in what we do, in either working here or presenting a project, I heavily encourage them to come down and talk to us; we’re here for the community.”

For more information about the Arrowhead Center visit the Academic Research Center or check out www.arrowheadcenter.nmsu.edu.

Ed Scribner (photo by Darren Phillips)

It’s 6:15 a.m. Monday morning. Many college students will most likely be asleep for another four to five hours. Many college professors are hitting the snooze button on their alarm clocks, dreading the thought of leaving a nice, warm bed. This is the time of day Ed Scribner seizes. He’s ready to start the day strong – out for another invigorating morning run across the campus of New Mexico State University.“It’s more like waddling these days. It used to be running,” says Scribner, a professor in accounting and business computer systems at NMSU. He usually runs (waddles) with his friend and mentor, Ray Mines, a former professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. The two met when Scribner was a math student at NMSU 35 years ago.

He earned a master’s degree in mathematics before heading to Oklahoma State University for his Ph.D. in accounting.

“NMSU was always my favorite university,” he says.

He keeps a poster of the 1960 Aggie football team on the wall of his office – the first and only undefeated football team in the NMSU history. “That cemented my affinity for NMSU.”

Like many professors, Scribner says the best part about his job is teaching. “I enjoy going to class. To me, it’s meeting the students and getting attached to them. I hate to see them go.”

Scribner likes to stay in contact with former students. He estimates “a couple hundred” alums receive his “unauthorized newsletter,” where he keeps everyone up-to-date with the latest happenings in the College of Business and the university.

Among those he stays in regular contact with are more than 40 former students who now work as recruiters, searching for the next batch of accountants fresh out of college. He says a lot of his students will end up in places like Albuquerque and Dallas, where large accounting firms are based.

“Accounting employers seem to really like our students. I think it’s because they are very good, honest,” Scribner says. “Our students have perseverance. They work an amazing number of hours and still make it to class. It makes me tired just thinking about it. Some are raising families too, and still they make it through.”

For many of his students, the affinity is mutual.

“I like Dr. Scribner’s class because he is one of the very few professors who manages to deliver a lecture about accounting with humor,” says Susanne Berger, a senior at NMSU. “His class is really interesting. He is able to interject humor and fun, even in a rather dry topic. He also is able to laugh at himself.”

“I will always remember Dr. Scribner,” says Robert Wharff ’89 ’91, a former student and current certified public accountant who runs his own business in Albuquerque. “Accounting is not the most interesting subject to study, but Dr. Scribner always did an outstanding job. He taught the classes in a manner that made the material easy to understand without making it boring. He has a great sense of humor; dry, just like mine. His door was always open. I knew that if I had a problem with a particular topic, he would be available to help me understand.”

Scribner estimates he’s now taught 75 percent of the classes offered in his department. Even after 26 years, he doesn’t think students have changed all that much.

“There is very little that’s different. They become very professional very quickly. They turn from students in shorts and flip flops to business people in suits amazingly fast. I’m honored to think I have something to do with that,” he says.

Anyone looking to catch up with Scribner can find him during his morning jog around campus, Monday through Thursday, 12 months a year. He starts at the Activity Center. Neither flip flops nor business suits are recommended during the run.

For their outstanding academic performance, leadership, scholarship and participation in university and community activities, the New Mexico State University Alumni Association honored nine Outstanding Graduates for Fall 2008.

An outstanding graduate was chosen from each of NMSU’s academic colleges, as well as an international student and two graduate students. They were recently recognized at a banquet held by the Alumni Association last week.

The College of Agriculture and Home Economics and the International Programs both honored Trista Cox of Belize City, Belize, who majored in hotel, restaurant and tourism management. Cox earned a 4.0 GPA, is a Crimson Scholar and has been on the Dean’s List since Fall 2006. She is a member of the Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management Student Association and Eta Sigma Delta Honor Society.

The College of Arts and Sciences honored Carlos Cisco of Las Cruces, a film major through the Creative Media Institute (CMI). Cisco earned a 4.0 GPA and exhibited faculty-like leadership and commitment to the CMI program. He founded Students for Digital Arts (SOPA), led the Insomnia Film Festival crew and organized a study abroad trip to Hong Kong.

The College of Business honored Kourtney Nicole Oligney of Spicewood, Texas, an accounting major. Oligney earned a 4.0 GPA, is a Crimson Scholar and is on the Dean’s List. She has received the Jessie Casad Rhodes Memorial Scholarship, the Allan H. Savage Accounting Scholarship and the Business Administration and Economics Alumni Scholarship. She has volunteered during freshmen move-in day and is a member of the Baptist Student Union.

The College of Education honored Kira Peters Claussen of Polvadera, N.M., an elementary education major. Claussen earned a 4.0 GPA, is a Crimson Scholar and has received the Jerald and Owen Reece Scholarship, the W.F. and Wanda Martin Scholarship and the John and Dodie Knight Scholarship.

The College of Engineering honored Alissa Lee McDowell of Clovis, N.M., an industrial engineering major. McDowell earned a 3.9 GPA, is a Crimson Scholar and is on the Dean’s List. She served as president of the Chi Omega Sorority in 2006 and is a member of the American Institute of Industrial Engineers, the Order of Omega Greek Honor Society and the Rho Lambda Panhellenic Honor Society.

The College of Extended Learning honored Luis Campos Jr. of Las Cruces, who received a degree in applied studies. Campos has served 12 years of active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps and currently holds an administrative position with human resources at White Sands Missile Range. He is a full-time student despite working 40 hours a week and exemplifies the challenges people in our military face while also trying to pursue their educational aspirations.

The College of Health and Social Services honored Marlene St. Hilaire of the West Indies, a nursing major. Hilaire earned a 3.85 GPA, is on the Dean’s List and is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society for Nurses. She has previously studied at Winthrop University where she graduated summa cum laude in 1995.

The Graduate School honored David Hudak as the Outstanding Ph.D. Graduate Student and Nathan Pessaroff as the Outstanding Masters Graduate Student.

Hudak, received a Ph.D. in industrial engineering, is a career officer in the U.S. Army who began his graduate education at NMSU in 2003. He has held positions of director of Soldier and Systems Analysis Directorate and senior military and operations research analyst at White Sand Missile Range. He is currently the director of the Training and Doctrine Analysis Center at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.

Pessaroff, who received a master’s of fine arts from the English department, has served as a graduate assistant, tutor and a team member of the major outreach projects of the creative writing program. He has served as the managing editor and the associate editor of Puerto del Sol for three years, which publishes fiction and poetry and raises national awareness of the NMSU Creative Writing Program. He also has presented three papers at the American Writing Programs conference and was a nominee for Best New American Voices in Literary Journal.

For more information contact the NMSU Alumni Association at (575) 646-3616.

LAS CRUCES – With tax season just around the corner, a New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service publication has been revised to remind agriculture producers to be aware of various taxes that affect their operation.

There are several forms of taxation that producers might overlook if they are not aware, including fuel tax, gross receipts tax and the impact of how cattle are reported on the producer’s income and self-employment tax, said Jim Libbin, professor of agricultural economics and agricultural business.

According to the publication titled “Taxation and Livestock Production in New Mexico,” progressive tax management can facilitate successful management and reduce the overall stress associated with livestock management. It provides a basic understanding of the tax liability of a typical ranching unit in New Mexico, Libbin said. The publication was co-written by Libbin and Jerry Hawkes, extension specialist and assistant professor of agricultural economics and agricultural business. To view the publication visit http://www.cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_circulars/CR-635.pdf, or contact your county extension agent.

“One tax deduction that is easy to overlook is fuel tax for off-road implements, such as tractors,” Libbin said. “If the gasoline is purchased through a distributor for a farm-storage tank, a road-use tax should not be charged. Traditionally, that fuel is dyed to indicate a tax has not been assessed. But if the fuel used for off-road equipment was taxed, the agriculture producer can claim it back with a special tax form.”

Another tax that a producer needs to remember is the gross receipts tax if they sell agriculture commodities, such as vegetables at a farmer’s market. Producers are responsible for paying the gross receipts tax to the state.

“Because the producer is not selling wholesale, but rather retail, they are required to pay a gross receipts tax on the sale,” he said.

An agricultural producer needs to be clear about the self-employment tax and the income tax, which they could be paying both.

“One mistake I see livestock owners doing frequently is that they don’t separate their breeding livestock from their market livestock on their income tax return. They report the sale of cows and bulls held for breeding purpose on the incorrect form,” Libbin said. “There is a special form, Form 4797, for breeding stock sale. If a producer reports their cull cow sales on the Schedule F, they will pay self-employment tax on the breeding stock when they shouldn’t have.”

With the use of Form 4797 the income slides past the self-employment tax and goes straight to the income tax. Market livestock income is reported for the self-employment tax before it moves on to the income tax.

Libbin suggests that if agricultural producers are not up to date on the tax laws, they should seek help from accountants who have experience in agricultural tax preparation. “I suggest using a tax accountant that is familiar with agricultural production. It’s almost impossible to do one or two agricultural tax returns a year and keep up with the various tax laws related to this industry,” he said.

ConocoPhillips recruiter Maria Schick, second from the left, presents the company’s annual gift to Garrey Carruthers, NMSU College of Business dean, Liz Ellis, finance department head and Larry Tunnell, accounting department head. (Submitted photo)

A recent $22,500 donation from ConocoPhillips to the New Mexico State University College of Business is just the latest in a series of annual gifts from the energy company meant to broaden opportunities for both faculty and students. ConocoPhillips delivered the check during the annual NMSU career fair.

“ConocoPhillips has a long history of doing business in New Mexico as well as recruiting students from New Mexico State University,” said Maria Schick, a ConocoPhillips recruiter and director of commercial development and planning. “We recognize NMSU cannot continue to provide high caliber graduates and a dedicated staff without corporate sponsorship; therefore, we make contributions to universities to keep their programs improving to meet the needs of today’s business world.”

The money is used to support various departments in the College of Business. The department of finance uses the money to offer scholarships and to buy specialized software for faculty and students to use.

“The ability to offer scholarships like this helps us attract and retain highly motivated students to our program,” said Liz Ellis, head of the Department of Finance. “When we talk to employers, they tell us that our student’s familiarity with industry-specific software gives them a real competitive edge when they are compared with students from other schools that don’t offer this experience.”

Schick is just one of many former NMSU students now working for ConocoPhillips.

The New Mexico State University Alumni Association has chosen the Fall 2007 Outstanding Seniors and will recognize their achievements at an honors banquet at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14, in the Corbett Center Student Union Ballrooms.

An outstanding senior was chosen from each academic college, as well as one international senior and two graduate students, based on outstanding scholarship, leadership, ability and participation in university and community activities.

The College of Agriculture and Home Economics (CAHE) will honor Roxanne Kidd of Des Moines, N.M., a hotel, restaurant and tourism management major. Kidd has a 3.65 GPA, was a member of Collegiate FFA and served as the public relations chair for CAHE in 2004. She also was the secretary and president of the Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Student Association in 2004 and 2005 respectively.

The College of Arts and Sciences will honor Kimberly Arnold of El Paso, an English major. Arnold has a 4.0 GPA, is a Crimson Scholar and was on the National Dean’s List in 2004 and the Dean’s Honor List of the NMSU College of Arts and Sciences in 2005. In 2004, she participated in the Summit, a worldview and leader seminar focusing on global perspectives, in which she went to Ethiopia as staff for a team of 35 American teenagers who worked with Mother Teresa’s home for orphans and mentally disabled children.

The College of Business will honor John Sebesta of Albuquerque, a finance major. Sebesta has a 3.97 GPA and served as the vice president and treasurer of the Association for Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting. He also had two co-ops with NASA and won the NASA Johnson Space Center Fall 2006 Outstanding Achievement Co-op Award.

The College of Education will honor Bobbi Wahle of Fort Collins, Colo., who will graduate with a major both in Spanish and in Secondary Education with a focus on Social Studies. Wahle has a 3.75 GPA, is a Crimson Scholar and earned the Sunbelt Conference Student Athlete Award while competing on the NMSU Swim Team. She also studied abroad one month in Mexico and seven months in Spain.

The College of Engineering will honor Jose Alanis of Las Cruces, an engineering technology major in electronics and computer programming. Alanis has a 3.87 GPA, is a Crimson Scholar and was on the Dean’s Honor List. He served as president of the Tau Alpha Pi National Honors Society of Engineering Technology and is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

The College of Extending Learning will honor Leo Paz of Las Cruces, a management, accounting and economics major through the individualized studies degree program. Paz has a 3.94 GPA, is a Crimson Scholar, is on the National Dean’s List and is a member of the Alpha Chi Honor Society. He also is a member of the City of Las Cruces Parks and Recreation Board and serves as vice president of the Hacienda Acres Neighborhood Association.

The College of Health and Social Services will honor Ruth Romero of El Paso, a nursing major. Romero has a 3.83 GPA, is a Crimson Scholar and is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing. She served as a senator for the College of Health and Social Services in the student government in 2006, was the lead coordinator for the Nursing Career Fair in 2006 and is a member of the Student Nurses Association.

The Graduate School will honor Sri Raga Sudha Garimella of Las Cruces, who will receive a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering. Garimella has a 3.7 GPA and is treasurer of the Electrical Engineering Graduate Student Association. She has earned scholarships from the Hispanic Engineering National Achievement Award Corporation and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and she won first place at the national level All India Mathematics Talent Test in 2000.

The Graduate School also will honor Xiumin Diao of Las Cruces, who will receive a doctorate in mechanical engineering. Diao has a 4.0 GPA and he received the NMSU Merit-based Enhancement Fellowship of the Graduate School in 2006 and 2007 and the Paul W. Klipsch Graduate Scholarship in 2006. He also won the Excellent Graduating Graduate Award from the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronauts in 2003.

The International and Border Programs will honor Katharina Martina Andrea Sosna of Plettenberg, Germany, who will receive a bachelor’s degree in both business management and international business. Sosna has a 4.0 GPA, is a Crimson Scholar and is on the Dean’s Honor List. She received the Holloman Officers’ Spouses’ Club Scholarship in 2005 and is a member of the Pi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society.

View the Accounting Alumni Newsletter for Spring 2007 (PDF).

Francisco A. Moran believed he had three options. He could join the military, work on a farm in his hometown of Salem, N.M., or attend a university. He decided he wanted to go to New Mexico State University, but as a migrant farm worker he didn’t know how he would pay for it.

“When I was 12 years old we would go to work at 2 a.m. during onion season,” Moran said. “Since it was still dark, we would use the car lights to start working. During high school, I would work on the weekends and part of the summer. I did this until I was 20 years old.”

Moran is now an accounting major at NMSU and he, along with four other College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) students, will graduate on May 12.

“Graduating from NMSU means that I have reached one of my goals,” Moran said. “It also means that my parent’s dreams have been achieved. They came to the U.S. to give us a better life and seeing us graduate from the university lets them know that their struggles were not in vain.”

Moran has four older siblings that have attended NMSU or Doña Ana Community College.

CAMP provides financial, educational and emotional assistance to students from migrant and seasonal farm working families. CAMP is primarily funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Since the program was introduced in 2002, 117 students have participated in CAMP at NMSU.

“CAMP has had a great influence on my success at NMSU,” Moran said. “CAMP paid for my dorm and meals for my first year in school, they helped me write an application letter for an internship and they gave me a job.”

Marisela Bobadilla is another graduating student who has been aided by CAMP.

“Being one of the five children of a migrant worker, I have lived at the mercy of mother earth – literally,” Bobadilla said. “My grandfather left his family behind in Zacatecas, Mexico, at the age of 14 to come and pursue a better life for everyone in his household. Now, more than 60 years later, he is still working these unpredictable fields.”

Bobadilla’s father, who began working with her grandfather at the age of 13, still works the fields.

Bobadilla will graduate with a double major in criminal justice and Spanish and a minor in government and has been active during her time at NMSU. In addition to CAMP, she is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), the NMSU Honors College and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). She also served as a member of the residency appeals board of NMSU during 2005-2006.

Bobadilla has been a crimson scholar and listed on the dean’s list in the College of Arts and Sciences since 2003.

“Through my active participation in CAMP, I have had the opportunity to further expand my education horizons,” Bobadilla said. “Last year I participated in an internship in Washington, D.C., with the nonprofit organization, ‘Presidential Classroom,’ and learned how to work in a fast-paced environment and about the changing political setting in our nation’s capital.”

Bobadilla also participated in an internship with the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C., during the summer of 2006.

“I owe so much to CAMP,” Bobadilla said. “This program has helped me achieve many of my undergraduate goals and maintain my overall goal of graduating from college. CAMP has made my time at NMSU the best time of my life with all the aid it provides.”

Bobadilla has a younger brother who was accepted to CAMP as a freshman this semester.

The other graduating CAMP students are Daniel Ramirez, Misael Mendoza and Jubilee Olivas.

CAMP students receive a monthly training stipend, housing and dining plan, health exams, financial and individualized academic planning and peer mentoring and tutoring.

“CAMP offers a break from the cycle of farm work,” said Cynthia Bejarano, who directs the NMSU CAMP program. “The students serve as an example for younger siblings and parents to continue their education.”

The CAMP program maintains an open door policy and provides students with a computer lab, weekly tutoring sessions, employment advice and positive support.

“We see ourselves as an extended family,” Bejarano said. “Students sit with advisers weekly and go over their progress and there are monthly progress reports to check for tutoring needs. We direct students to counseling if necessary and offer an ear to students who need to vent.”

To be eligible for the program, students must be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S., hold a high school diploma or GED and must be accepted at NMSU through their admissions process. In addition, they must have either participated in or be currently enrolled in a U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Investment Act, Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Youth Program or participated in a migrant educational program while in a public school. The student or his/her family must also have worked at least 75 days in agricultural employment in the last year, not including food processing.

For more information call (505) 646-3316.

The New Mexico State University Alumni Association will honor the Spring 2007 Outstanding Graduates at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 11, at the Stan Fulton Athletics Center.

Each semester the Alumni Association selects outstanding graduates from each of the university’s seven colleges, two graduate students, one international student and one American Indian student based on outstanding scholarship, leadership and participation in university and community activities.

The College of Agriculture and Home Economics will honor Adrian Wise of Las Cruces, an agricultural economics and agricultural business major. Wise has a 3.5 GPA, is an ambassador for the College of Agriculture and Home Economics and is a member of the NMSU Block and Bridle Club. She also was an intern for Sen. Pete Domenici in Washington, D.C., in 2006.

The College of Arts and Sciences will honor Danielle Deemer of Las Cruces, who is majoring in English and anthropology. Deemer has a 4.0 GPA, received the McNair Scholarship, the Verna Newman Rule Scholarship and Lambda Alpha National Dean’s List Scholarship. She also was executive vice president of the Alpha Chi Honor Society and the president of the Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society.

The College of Business will honor Justin Sims of Rio Rancho, who is majoring in finance and marketing as well as German. Sims has a 4.0 GPA and received the Congressional-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals Scholarship and the James R. Hanssen Memorial Scholarship. He is a Crimson Scholar, vice president of the NMSU German Club and studied abroad at Friedrich-Schillen University in Jena, Germany, from July 2005 to July 2006.

The College of Education will honor Laura Marie Dosher of El Paso, a communication disorders major. Dosher has a 3.79 GPA, is on the Dean’s List of Academic Achievement and has received the Garrett, Owen, Wood Alumni and Friends Endowed Scholarship. She also served as president of the NMSU National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association from April 2006 to April 2007.

The College of Engineering will honor Kevin Konchalski of Las Cruces, a mechanical engineering major. Konchalski has a 4.0 GPA, has made the Engineering Dean’s List seven times and received the 2007 Outstanding Senior Award in the NMSU Mechanical Engineering Department. He also earned the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America, is a member of ASME and Pi Tau Sigma and is the president of the NMSU Hockey Club.

The College of Extended Learning will honor Erin Weech of Hayden, Idaho, an individualized major in art history and English literature. Weech has a 4.0 GPA, is on the Dean’s List and has received the New Mexico State Alumni Scholarship. She tutors in English at the NMSU Dona Ana Community College, is an Art Society member and won first place in black and white photography at the NMSU DACC Spring 2006 Art Show.

The College of Health and Social Services will honor Catherine Mitchel of Alamogordo, a social work major. Mitchel has a 4.0 GPA, is a Crimson Scholar, is on the Dean’s List, and is recognized as an Exemplary Black Scholar at NMSU. She also is a member of the Phi Alpha Kappa Omega Honor Society and has been the president of the Otero County Boys and Girls Club TEENSupreme for three years.

The Graduate School will honor Jean Reece Wilkey of Las Cruces as the Outstanding Master’s Graduate Student and Marti Morales of Las Cruces as the Outstanding Ph.D. Graduate Student.

Wilkey, who will receive a master’s degree in fine arts, has a 4.0 GPA and has received the Catto Scholarship Fund Award, the New Mexico State Commission on Higher Education Fellowship and a Study Grant for the Vermont Studio Center. Wilkey has worked as a graphic designer and art teacher in Central America, managed a multimedia historical archives library in Israel and has taught drawing and painting at NMSU as a graduate assistant.

Morales, who will receive a doctorate in biology, has a 3.62 GPA, has received the Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement Fellowship and was a Southern Regional Education Board-Alliance for Graduate Education and Professoriate Doctoral Scholar in 2003. She won first place for an Oral Graduate Research Presentation at the NMSU Biology Symposium in 2006 and is a member of the Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society.

The Center for International Programs will honor Christian Ryan Daniel Halligan of Starnberg, Germany, a finance and accounting major. Halligan has a 3.71 GPA, is on the Dean’s List and is a Crimson Scholar. He has received the NMSU Alumni Out-of-State Scholarship, the Allan H. Savage Scholarship and the Commissioner’s List Award. Halligan also is an All-Academic Scholar Athlete, a Beta Alpha Psi member and is on the Student Athlete Advisory Board.

The American Indian Program will honor Tiffany Lovato of Santo Domingo Pueblo, an environmental science major with a minor in environmental management. Lavato has a 3.01 GPA, was on the National Dean’s List in 2004 and was a Bill Gates Millennium Scholar from 2000 to 2005. She is an ambassador for the NMSU American Indian Program, the secretary for the Environmental Science Student Organization and a member of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society.

For more information, call the NMSU Alumni Association at (505) 646-3616.