General News

Dean of ENMU Ruidoso Instruction Center to Retire
Story and photo by Wendel Sloan
Communication Services

Dr. Jim Miller, dean of the Eastern New Mexico University-Ruidoso Instruction Center, has announced his retirement effective Jan. 8, 2005. He has been the director of the Center since its 1991 founding.

When it opened, ENMU-Ruidoso shared space with Region IX Education Cooperative at 300 Sudderth Drive. It then moved to 1400 Sudderth and remained there until December of 1995 when it moved to its current location in the old True Value building in Sierra Mall at 709 Mechem Drive. Under Dr. Miller's leadership, the Center has grown from 300 students in its first year to over 1,500 today.

In 1997 an adult literacy program was begun, followed the next year by a GED program. “One of the things I am most proud of is the establishment of our Adult Basic Education Program,” said Dr. Miller. “We give adults the literacy skills they need to pursue a GED (high school diploma equivalency). When we later started the GED program we had four students from Lincoln County and the Mescalero Reservation enrolled, and today we have more than 250 GED students. This program allows area residents to go on to college or get better jobs to better take care of their families. It also helps their self-esteem.”

Dr. Miller, who received a 1979 Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of New Mexico, noted that 55 percent of those receiving GEDs from the Center went on to college.

Dr. Steven Gamble, ENMU president, said that Dr. Miller has done an excellent job as dean of the Ruidoso Instruction Center. “Dr. Miller’s vision and leadership have been two of the major factors in the progress that has been made. The Center is now ready to advance to branch campus status and become a full-service two-year college. I give Jim, along with the citizens of Ruidoso and Lincoln County, full credit.”

Dr. Miller, who received a 1971 bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of New Mexico, noted that the Ruidoso region had been trying to get a college since the 1960s, and that the Center had made it a reality. He recalled that the first year he had a three-person office that did everything, including running a concession stand.

In 1993 the Center’s first two graduates went through commencement at ENMU-Portales. Both had been working at Wal-Mart and are now teachers: Ruth Guthrie in Roswell and Michelle Ashcraft in Mescalero.

“I am especially proud of the high number of Mescalero Reservation residents who have received degrees from us,” said Dr. Miller, a former superintendent of Farmington Municipal Schools from 1985-91.

Dr. Miller, who received a 1973 master’s degree in public administration from Ball State University, credited ENMU’s Portales and Roswell campuses with contributing to the success of ENMU-Ruidoso. “Many talented faculty and hard-working staff from the Portales and Roswell campuses devoted many hours to helping Ruidoso. Our success is a testament to their spirit of volunteering.”

Dr. Miller said that his decision to retire was prompted by health concerns. His future plans include pursuing a part-time position in the private sector and volunteering in the Ruidoso area.

“Dr. Miller will be greatly missed,” said Dr. Gamble. “He was the founding CEO of the Ruidoso Instruction Center and has led it through substantial enrollment growth and the addition of many new programs.”

Dr. Gamble said that a national search would be conducted to fill Dr. Miller’s position.

ENMU Professor Ponders the Physics of Music, Gravity, the Universe and Crumpled Paper
Story and photo by Scarlet Smith
Communication Services

The physics career of an Eastern New Mexico University professor began at an early age when he studied the motion of falling cats.

"When I was about five", Dr. Bill Andersen said, "my mother made the mistake of telling me that a falling cat always lands on its feet. My first thought was to find a cat and see for myself."

Using the cat of an outraged neighbor, the young Dr. Andersen, now an assistant professor of physics, set out to test this theory and found, to his amazement, that his mother was right. He advises, "Due to ethical considerations, I do not recommend that others try this."

Dr. Andersen came to Eastern in 1995 from Iowa with his wife, Gillian Andersen, an ENMU instructor of English. When not doing mad physics projects, he enjoys taking his two sons swimming at the Portales Country Club. "It is fun for the boys and easy on my pocketbook because the club offers a nice deal for a summer swimming membership."

"The Physics of Music" is one of the courses which Dr. Andersen teaches. "The physics of music is even more universal than the music, and older than the stars," Dr. Anderson writes in the course syllabus. "The purpose of this course is to enlarge an individual's view of the world so they can appreciate the perspectives of different cultures."

Dr. Andersen explained that physics "is the scientific study of motion. As a matter of fact, physics and music are closely related."

He demonstrated this by placing a two foot-long hollow PVC pipe (with a few layers of window screen near one end) over the flame of a Bunsen burner for a few moments. When removed from the heat the PVC produced a deep resonating pitch, much like an organ pipe, powered by the hot window screen. This demonstrated that heat energy can become sound energy; thus, sound is a kind of motion.

"There is also an important historical connection between physics and music," according to Dr. Andersen. "Vincenzo Galilei, a Renaissance musician and mathematician, was the father of Galileo Galilei, a natural philosopher and mathematician. It could be argued that modern physics began with Galileo's investigations of free fall. Early in his career, Galileo followed his contemporaries in the unproductive practice of relying heavily on reason and logic as indicators of truth. Progress came as Galileo came to the view that human experience, in the form of experiment and observation, was the final arbiter of truth in the natural world. Decades earlier Vincenzo Galilei had been the member of a renegade group of musicians who challenged established theories of harmony based on pure mathematics by demanding that harmonies should sound pleasing to the ear and not just satisfy certain mathematical propositions as to what 'should' be beautiful. Dr. Andersen contends, "One cannot help but wonder if Galileo's change in philosophy was not influenced by the example of his father Vincenzo."

Dr. Andersen explained some of the most intriguing mysteries that he ponders regarding the way the universe works. "I think the fact that humans are part of the universe is fascinating. Why am I me instead of that poor cat I tossed into the air years ago? Is the natural universe all there is or is there more? In my opinion, these sorts of questions are outside the realm of science.

" As far as scientific questions go, I think I most wonder about gravity. About three centuries ago, Isaac Newton invented a very successful theory which connected falling apples (and cats!) with planetary motions. About one century ago Einstein came up with an improved theory of gravity. Einstein's theory has survived exacting tests for systems no bigger than our solar system but does it hold for galactic and cosmic distances? If it does, observations indicate that most of the universe is made of stuff that we don't know about. If the universe is made out of ordinary matter, then Einstein's theory must fail at very large distances. Either way, it's big news. It is a very exciting time to be an astrophysicist."

His current research is done in collaboration with two Russian researchers (at the Volgograd Pedagogical Institute and the renowned Sternberg Astronomical Institute) in the investigation of the orbital motion of hierarchical triple-star systems. The work, recently accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, investigates the stability of stellar systems that consist of two stars orbiting closely together with a third star orbiting the two stars at a greater distance. "Due to unexplained anomalies in the variation of light coming from them, certain binary star systems are suspected of having an unseen companion. My colleagues and I are hoping to make use of the Magdelena Ridge Observatory being planned by New Mexico Tech and others to actually see the third star in some of these systems."

Dr. Andersen said the thing he most likes about teaching physics to college students at ENMU is trying to find out how students are thinking about things and prodding them to include scientific thought in their world view. "Science is not just about learning complicated words and facts. It is a way of finding things out."

Dr. Andersen also enjoys sharing the nature of science with younger students. He recently did an experiment at Eastern's Kids' College in which he took two identical pieces of paper and crumpled one up and kept the other flat. He asked the children which piece of paper was heavier. Most of the younger students said it would be the crumpled piece of paper, some explaining their belief on the basis that the crumpled paper hits the ground first when the two pieces of paper are released together. Some children recognized that air plays a role. Eventually, a child suggested using a scale to compare the papers. Not coincidentally, professor Andersen had a simple balance hidden nearby which he revealed to perform the experiment suggested by the student.

Dr. Andersen explained, "The most important thing about this little talk, as I emphasized to the children, is that they learned something about gravity by their own questions, ideas, and observations; not from me, and not from a book."

International Students Have Strong Presence in ENMU's Sciences Programs
Story and photo by Helena Rodriguez
Communication Services

Enrollment in Eastern New Mexico University’s chemistry graduate program has increased by over 300 percent since the fall of 2000, according to Dr. Juchao Yan, assistant professor of chemistry. More than half of these graduate students are from other countries.

Major universities across the country have seen a significant decline in international students following Sept. 11, 2001, due to new laws making it harder for foreign students to get visas. ENMU has also seen a decrease from 48 international students in the fall of 2002 to 39 international students in the fall of 2003. However, the number of international students in ENMU’s graduate chemistry program has grown from two in the fall of 2000 to nine in 2003, with most of the students being from India and African countries.

“These students bring a diversity of opinions to ENMU’s graduate program,” Dr. Yan said. “The reason why Eastern is drawing international students is because we put students’ success as the number one priority, our programs are designed to satisfy a student’s interest and because of our unique location and reasonable cost of living in Portales.” Dr. Yan pointed out, however, that there are currently no graduate students of Chinese descent, something he hopes changes in the near future.

Loubna Jebbanema, originally from Morocco, came to ENMU because she heard through word-of-mouth of ENMU’s good chemistry program. “I’ve been in New Mexico a while. I have a brother who works at the national lab in Los Alamos and many people working there attended ENMU,” she said. “That’s why I came. I want to pursue a career in industrial chemistry. The school is also very affordable,” she said. Ms. Jebbanema is planning to complete her master’s in May of 2005.

Another international student, Daniel Dei of Ghana, an independent country in West Africa, said he came to school in the United States because he wants to be exposed to a new culture and to also take advantage of more advanced facilities and research opportunities here. “Back home, we are encouraged to go into the sciences. The motivation and challenge is to study sicknesses and the research opportunities here are more beneficial. The professors at this small university have more time to work with me.” Mr. Dei said he has already recommended ENMU to a former colleague of his who now plans to attend ENMU as well.

Federal research grants, such as the National Institute of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF), is helping ENMU to purchase needed equipment for its sciences programs as well as recruit more minority students. Dr. Yan said that while most students from India are coming with degrees in pharmacy, many are realizing the future is in chemistry so they are pursuing advanced degrees in chemistry. “Chemistry is the central science,” he said. In fact, he said that one graduate student is currently researching nanomaterials and is trying to get a review paper published in a chemistry magazine.

Dr. Yan will start his third year of teaching at ENMU in the fall of 2004 and is monitoring the international student enrollment in the chemistry graduate program. According to the April 5 issue of Chemical& Engineering News magazine, 58 percent of schools responding to a survey indicated that the impact of visa delays on their overall chemistry program has been minimal. However, schools expected to be the hardest hit by foreign application declines are the schools with small graduate programs that are more heavily populated by foreign students, such as ENMU.

As for the one-third of the schools that reported in the survey that they have been impacted by the decline in international students, they say the decline has dramatically affected individual students and their research and several schools have estimated monetary losses ranging from several thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. Dr. Yan is thankful that while the international student enrollment at ENMU has decreased, it has not affected the chemistry program. While some international students at ENMU are majoring in other disciplines such as communications, Dr. Yan said the majority of international graduate students are going into science and engineering.

ENMU Names New Faculty Athletic Representative
by Robert McKinney and Wendel Sloan
Sports Information/Communication Services

Gene Smith, instructor of accounting, has been named the new Faculty Athletic Representative for Eastern New Mexico University. Mr. Smith will be Eastern’s official faculty contact with the Lone Star Conference and the NCAA. He will also chair the ENMU Athletic Committee.

As Eastern’s Faculty Athletic Representative, Mr. Smith’s primary responsibility will be to carry student-athlete concerns to the LSC, NCAA and ENMU faculty. He will encourage policies that facilitate ENMU’s commitment to student success, while maintaining strong relationships between the Department of Athletics and the above mentioned groups.

In announcing the appointment, Dr. Steven Gamble, ENMU president, said, “Mr. Smith has a broad background in athletics. He is committed to the academic and athletic success of Eastern’s student-athletes. Eastern is very fortunate to have such a qualified person to represent the best interests of our student-athletes.”

Mr. Smith played professional baseball in the Detroit Tigers’ farm system. He played for the Lakeland Tigers in Florida (Class A) and the Jamestown Tigers in New York (Class A). As a student at Carl Junction High School in Missouri, he was selected All-Conference in football, basketball, baseball and track. He has earned All-World honors four times while playing Over-50 softball for the Georgia Merchants in Atlanta, Georgia.

Mike Maguire, ENMU athletic director, said, “Gene has a genuine concern for our student-athletes. Eastern is fortunate to have an individual of his quality and background in athletics to take

over as our Faculty Athletic Representative. We are very confident in his abilities.”

Mr. Smith replaces Thurman Elder, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “I’d like to thank Dr. Elder for his 13 years of service to athletics,” said President Gamble. “He did an outstanding job and Eastern has reaped the benefits of his dedication.”

Mr. Maguire reiterated President Gamble’s comments. “We greatly appreciate the 13 years of dedicated service to athletics from Dr. Elder. He did an outstanding job and leaves some big shoes to fill.”
(photo by Scarlet Smith)

ENMU, Along with Group of Schools, Nominated for ChemLuminary Award
by Helena Rodriguez
Communication Services

Eastern New Mexico University is part of an American Chemical Society (ACS) section that has been nominated for a prestigious ChemLuminary Award. Although the award is for an original community hands-on activity or chemical demonstration conducted by Texas Tech professors and students, Dr. Newton Hilliard Jr., an assistant professor of chemistry at ENMU, said the nomination is providing good visibility for Eastern as well.

The ACS section ENMU is involved with includes Texas Tech, Lubbock Christian University, Wayland Baptist University based in Plainview, Texas, and South Plains College in Levelland, Texas.

“Through the ACS section our faculty and students are able to work with these institutions and, because of our close work with them, we are establishing collaborations.” Dr. Hilliard said. “We also have better student accessibility. We are trying to work out grants between our schools and to work together with students who transfer from one of our schools to the other.” Most importantly, however, Dr. Hilliard, who is an alumnus of Texas Tech himself, said leadership for the ACS section is split between Texas Tech and ENMU. Dr. Hilliard is currently serving as the chairman of the ACS section and last year’s chair was Dr. Robert Long of ENMU.

The 6th annual ChemLuminary Awards will be presented in December at the American Chemical Society meeting in Austin, Texas.

Dr. Hilliard said there is currently a major push by the government to get more students into the sciences. “Jobs and careers of the future will be in biotechnology,” Dr. Hilliard said. “A lot of this is coming from President Bush’s agenda to go back to the moon and to Mars, and also to remain competitive in the global market.”

Dr. Hilliard noted that ENMU students have access to Texas Tech facilities though the ACS partnership. “Students can come here to ENMU and get the same quality of education as if they went to a larger school. They have access to the same, and sometimes even better, equipment here and they get to do their own lab work. They leave here with a resume that gets them jobs almost immediately.”

There are also several collaborations between ENMU and Texas Tech in terms of research projects. “Texas Tech is easy to work with,” Dr. Hilliard said. “A lot of our faculty here are alumni of Tech. There is a long history between the schools.” He also noted that ENMU students have also been spending a lot of time in public schools such as in Hondo and Dora, assisting with science programs. “It is nice to be recognized in a section that is heavily involved with outreach.”
(photo by Jillian Butler)

ENMU Grad Donates Two Rare Wind Instruments to Music Department
Story and photo by Scarlet Smith
Communication Services

Wayne Gunn, a 1942 Eastern New Mexico University graduate, recently donated two valuable wind instruments to the Eastern music department. The French clarinet, made of granadilla (black African wood) and solid silver keys, is a one-of-a-kind Penzel Mueller dating back at least 80 years.

Mr. Gunn purchased the second, a Conn Alto saxophone, in 1939, with detailed engravings on the body of the horn. Dr. John Olsen, professor of music, said, "We are deeply grateful how our alumni show loyalty and dedication to the music department through so many generous gifts of both instruments and scholarship support. Mr. Gunn's donation epitomizes this spirit of generosity."

Mr. Gunn came to Eastern in 1938 when the school was a junior college. By 1940 Eastern was a four-year school, and he received a bachelor in music with a minor in math/accounting in 1942.

"So much has changed since I was a student at Eastern," said Mr. Gunn. I remember when the football practice field is where the fountain is today. The library was in the administration building; music performances were either in the tower room in the administration building or at the YAM theatre downtown. Our music building was an old three-bedroom house where the Student Academic Services Building stands today. We would practice in the main room of the house and have classes in the three bedrooms."

In the time that Mr. Gunn was a student at Eastern, the country had just begun to pull out of the Depression and World War II was underway. "Those were hard times. The agricultural department allowed students to keep their cattle on campus so they could sell the milk for tuition money. I managed to work and pay for my tuition."

Alice Johnson an ENMU alumnae wrote, produced and directed the musical variety show the “Campus Capers," Mr. Gunn and his classmates would perform musical
numbers. Faculty members were not allowed to participate. Another musical performance was with the "Swanee Singers" where students would perform and faculty would direct; this was to raise money and scholarships for the music department, according to Mr. Gunn.

"Those were fun times for all. The war was going on and performing was a great way to think of something else," said Mr. Gunn. "One year we were fortunate to get a grant to help pay the salary of Professor Arbuckle from Notre Dame. It was a great experience taking lessons from such a great musician. While he was in New Mexico, Dr. Arbuckle visited Carlsbad Cave and then wrote a musical piece about it."

Mr. Gunn has lived most his life in Portales. After graduation he used his degree in a bookkeeping accounting practice. He married his first wife, Kay, in 1946. He lost her to cancer in 1991. Mrs. Gunn worked for Eastern for 35 years as Registrar and in other positions – including being a secretary to an ENMU president – as well as teaching courses at Cannon Air Force Base. She retired in 1978. His second wife, Marjorie, passed away in 2001, also succumbing to cancer. She also worked at Eastern. Mr. Gunn has a stepdaughter, Diane Cook, and two goddaughters.

"We are honored that an alumnus would donate two wonderful and unique musical instruments," said Dr. Tamara Raatz, assistant professor of music. "The instrument will be a wonderful addition for our music majors."

ENMU Registering Students in Albuquerque
Eastern New Mexico University will register incoming freshmen in Albuquerque on Friday and Saturday, July 23-24, for the fall semester. This will save students from having to drive to Portales to register. Students from anywhere in the state may register in Albuquerque.

Registration will be held in ENMU's Albuquerque Field Office at 1540 Juan Tabo Blvd. NE, Suite D in the Eastridge Plaza. Registration will be from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, July 23, and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 24.

For more information, call the Freshman Advising Center toll-free at 1.888.366.8238 or Christina Gregg at 505.562.2856, or e-mail christina.gregg@enmu.edu.

Read the July Issue of ENMU-Roswell's Monthly Newsletter, The Grapevine – [read]

Special Thank You

Thank you to AEOP and everyone who participated in their campus picnic last week. (see photos in Candid Camera section below.)

If you would like to publicize a special thank you to someone, e-mail information to monday.memo@enmu.edu.

Don't Forget

To be nice to everyone who deserves it.

Quote of the Week

"Gossip is the ignorant person's insecurity disguised as superiority." – Merlin Jawar

Employee Briefs

Dr. Newton Hilliard, assistant professor of chemistry and chair of the South Plains Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS), has received notification that the local ACS section has been selected as a finalist in the 6th Annual ChemLuminary Awards for the Committee on Community Activities' Most Original Hands-on Activity or Chemical Demonstration.

Dr. Phillip Million, associate professor and chair of Communicative Disorders, has had a paper accepted for presentation at the 2004 annual meeting of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, in November in Philadelphia, Penn.

Mr. Prem Lawrence with Sodexho Campus Services has accepted the General Manager position at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz. He will be leaving on the July 5. Trevor Ivy will be the interim General Manager for Sodexho at ENMU until the position has been filled. Please direct all Campus Dining questions and concerns to Mr. Ivy.

Dr. Donald C. Elder III, professor of history, had a book review included in the June issue of the journal Space Times. He reviewed The Secret of Apollo: Systems Management in American and European Space Programs (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press) by Dr. Stephen B. Johnson.


Top

Candid Camera

ENMU's Low Tuition Rates (photo by Richard Salas)

Help Students Save for a Rainy Day.

Scenes from AEOP Picnic (photos by Richard Salas)

Journey of Hope Passes by Campus (photo by Richard Salas)

Riders Average 75 Miles Per Day (also get good gas mileage) – The Journey of Hope is made up of Pi Kappa Phi riders from 33 universities. Their mission is to provide service and education to promote a greater understanding of persons with disabilities. Last Monday they were escorted to the Portales town square by an ENMU vehicle. At the courthouse, they were addressed by Portales mayor en ENMU employee Orlando Ortega.

The Monday Memo is published by the Office of Communication Services Editor Wendel Sloan Monday.memo@enmu.edu 505.562.2253 Staff Writers Scarlet Smith Marc Schoder Helena Rodriguez Staff Photographer Richard Salas Jillian Butler ENMU-Roswell Contributing Editor Donna Gutierrez ENMU-Ruidoso Contributing Editor Jim Miller Technical Support ENMU Web Team