Dear NMHU Community,

On Monday, October 6, the New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute (NMFWRI) celebrated its 20th anniversary with an open house in the Student Union Building. Housed on the Las Vegas campus in the Lora Shields and Industrial Arts buildings, the NMFWRI has grown from three employees in 2005 to twenty-four this year. As President, one of the things I’ve been learning about over the past eighteen months is the important work this institute—and our other institutes such as the Native American Social Work Studies Institute and the Center for the Education and Study of Diverse Populations—do. Unlike our academic departments, these centers and institutes do not offer academic majors but instead focus on public service and research projects. Like other universities in the state, Highlands hosts these institutes on our campus, and they are funded by a mix of dedicated state funds through the Research and Public Service Projects (RPSP) program, as well as federal grants and other sources. Each of these institutes plays an important role in expanding our reach across New Mexico by addressing specific issues for the public good.

Focusing on the NMFWRI, the institute—as they describe it in their materials—has a mission “of supporting healthy forests to reduce catastrophic wildfires and restore resilient, fire- and climate-adapted ecosystems in New Mexico.” The institute works with communities around the state to reduce the risk of catastrophic forest fires and to promote healthy forests and watersheds. To accomplish this, the NMFWRI collaborates with state partners to monitor ecological conditions and changes in forests, provides resources and tools for state decision-makers, leads workforce training for forest restoration and landscape management, and offers workshops for landowners to restore their lands after fires. Here’s Director Alan Barton (on the right) hosting last week’s open house for the 20th anniversary of the NMFWRI:

You can access some of these tools yourself by going to these websites:
New Mexico Fire Viewer: Access real-time information and a map of wildfires currently occurring in New Mexico: https://nmfwri.org/mapping/the-new-mexico-fire-viewer/

New Mexico Fire Hubs Template: Communities can use this space to coordinate response to ongoing wildfires and post-fire recovery efforts. The site comes preloaded with information on wildfires: https://nm-fire-hubs-nmhu.hub.arcgis.com/ 

Collaboration Hub: Conservation organizations can communicate and coordinate projects and activities across large landscapes, and keep neighbors and partners informed of their ongoing work: https://collaboration-hub-nmfwri-nmhu.hub.arcgis.com/ 

Vegetation Treatment Geodatabase: A map that displays all historic and current vegetation treatments carried out to reduce fuels and wildfire risk on lands around New Mexico and southern Colorado. It provides a useful planning tool to prioritize where new treatments should occur: https://nmfwri.org/mapping/nm-vegetation-treatment-mapping/

I also want to highlight the ongoing marketing efforts of our University Relations team, which have reached New Mexicans at a scale rarely achieved by regional universities. Our television campaign airs across trusted local stations—KRQE, KWBQ, and KASY—and during NFL broadcasts viewed by tens of thousands each week. In September alone, Highlands had ten spots during Cowboys and Broncos games, placing the university in front of one of the most engaged audiences in the state. Through the KRQE Brand Builder package, Highlands accesses premium airtime typically beyond the reach of smaller budgets, ensuring our name remains visible and respected across every region we serve.

At the same time, our partnership with iHeart Media has extended that reach even further. The Studio Naming Rights sponsorship with 104.1 The Edge delivers more than 600,000 broadcast and streaming impressions each month, while the iHeart-managed YouTube campaign adds thousands of targeted video impressions every week. Together, these efforts provide Highlands with consistent, measurable visibility across multiple platforms. Alongside these initiatives, our digital branding campaign has already generated more than 1,000 direct clicks to our Apply page—a clear signal that Highlands’ marketing is not just working, but elevating Highlands in all the right ways.

Some Recent Highlights:

On Monday, November 13, for Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we displayed the flags of fifteen Pueblo nations—representing the students who are currently attending NMHU—in a ceremony in front of Rodgers Hall. At the event, we were joined by representatives from Acoma Pueblo and the Navajo Nation. One of my goals is to permanently display these flags in a similar way to how we display the flags of our international students around Centennial Park. We are currently working to secure funding for additional permanent flagpoles. For now, we will display the Pueblo nation flags in the SUB. Many thanks to Provost Dann Brown and his team—Benito Pacheco, Spintz Harrison, Kalyn Antone, Clint Weckerly, Alexis Duran, and Ted Gonzales—for organizing the event.

I was in Colorado for several days attending the annual Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) meetings, where we discussed important issues facing student-athletes in this new NIL era. While there, we finalized the selection of a new RMAC Commissioner—I served on the search committee—and I am pleased to announce the appointment of Danielle Harris. Read more about it here: Danielle Harris Named Commissioner of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The RMAC is one of the most competitive conferences in Division II, and NMHU has been a full-time member of the RMAC since 1990.

I attended my first Balloon Fiesta this past weekend—quite the event! I’m not sure what surprised me more: the sheer number of people wandering around or the incredible variety of balloons. It’s certainly an experience unique to New Mexico!

We were also honored to host four events at the President’s Residence over the past two weeks, including a gathering with our men’s wrestling team. It has been wonderful getting to know our students and seeing the dedication they bring to both their academic and athletic goals. Their season begins on November 7 with a match against Trinidad State College in Wilson—look for some exciting home matches coming up on campus soon!

As we prepare for the upcoming legislative session, we hosted a luncheon yesterday with New Mexico Speaker of the House Javier Martínez and Representative Anita Gonzales. We discussed how Highlands continues to play an increasingly important role in the higher education landscape in New Mexico, the strength of our academic programs, and how the momentum we’ve built can continue to grow in the coming years.

Upcoming Events:

This Saturday, we will be hosting a “Youth Day” on campus, where local students can visit NMHU, learn more programs, and attend Saturday’s football game versus Colorado Mesa.

On Monday, October 20, a team of our faculty and administrators will meet with UNM Taos faculty and leadership to increase Highland’s baccalaureate and graduate offerings in the Taos region and in partnership with Taos Pueblo.

And then there’s the big one – the Matanza is only two weeks away! You’ll find a few more details below, along with information on how to volunteer and help with the event. See you at 1:00 PM on Saturday, November 1!

Feel free to share this invitation with anyone you can think of:

We invite you to join us for our 2025 Matanza, to be held on Saturday, November 1, at Melody Park on the NMHU campus in Las Vegas, New Mexico. We’ll begin with brief remarks from me and others at 12:30 p.m., followed by food service from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. (see the menu below!).

This is a free event for everyone—so come out and enjoy a day of traditionally cooked foods, entertainment, and community. Please share this invitation with others—we’d love to see as many people as possible as we celebrate the long-standing Matanza tradition of Las Vegas and New Mexico.

You can register for free tickets on our website at www.nmhu.edu/tickets. Please register early, as these sign-ups help us plan how much food to prepare.

Please see the article in the Las Vegas Optic for additional details, https://www.lasvegasoptic.com/news/new-mexico-highlands-university-to-host-2025-biennial-matanza/article_75e0cb21-762a-4f79-ba46-db3b0a491563.html.

Our menu:

Presented by New Mexico Highlands University and the New Mexico Highlands Foundation,
with support from the City of Las Vegas Lodger’s Tax and other generous donors.

Head Chef and Matanza Mayordomo: Dr. Eric Romero
Assisted by volunteers from NMHU and the community

Proudly Serving:

• Traditionally roasted and locally raised beef and pork, prepared with carrots, jalapenos, celery, onions, and garlic, buried in coals and cooked overnight in our matanza pit
• Freshly prepared chicharrónes, hand-stirred and cooked over open flames in cauldrons
• Pinto beans (vegetarian)
• Posole (vegetarian)
• Tortillas (vegetarian)
• Churros (vegetarian)

If you’re interested in volunteering to help us cook or prepare food, please reach out to Josephine Sena, our Matanza volunteer coordinator, at jlsenag@nmhu.edu.

Melody Park is located at 1004 Mora Ave., Las Vegas, NM 87701. We’ll have parking available across campus, including at Wilson, the Champ Tyrone Music Building, and the Felix Martinez parking lot.

We hope to see you on Saturday, November 1!

Respectfully,

Dr. Neil Woolf
President
New Mexico Highlands University