The Big Squeeze

THE BAD NEWS

The State of New Mexico is low on revenue, and that affects higher education because in trying to balance the budget, the state must look for ways to cut costs. At present it appears that revenues for the 2009-2010 fiscal year are going to be between 150 million and 250 million lower than projected, primarily because the price of oil and gas has dropped. That shortfall is relatively small compared to other states such as Arizona and California, where they have already begun laying off tenured faculty, instituting mandatory unpaid furloughs and setting enrollment caps. But it is still a lot of money to come up with.

According to UNM-Taos Executive Director Dr. Kate O’Neill, the local fallout from this predicament is already taking its toll: “The tuition that students pay does not fully cover our costs, so the state matches those dollars according to a formula based on credit hours and head count each semester. But this past year the state was forced to cut the UNM-Taos budget by eight percent. That translates as $322,000 from the I. and G. (Instructional and General) fund, also called formula dollars.”

THE REALLY BAD NEWS

The irony is that even as resources are dwindling, the need for academic and technical training has never been greater. A recent Time Magazine report named community colleges as “…one of the best tools the U.S. has to dig itself out of the current economic hole,” because they “educate nearly half of U.S. undergraduates….These institutions are our nation’s trade schools…”

“We really are the lifeline for the community, O’Neill maintained. “When people get laid off or their particular business sector is not performing well, they look for opportunities to retool, get new skills. That’s where we step in with workforce training, certificates, degrees and lifelong learning.”

To put pressure on higher education at a time of great need in order to reduce deep deficits is somewhat like the dilemma of a subsistence agricultural community being forced to eat their stores of seed corn to survive. The immediate problem might be solved, but where will the next harvest come from?

Just this past week it was announced that there will be another five percent recession—money deducted from the present operating budget—on top of the eight percent already withdrawn.

FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS

“We’re pulling rabbits out of a hat here,” O’Neill explained, “trying to produce extraordinary results with very minimal resources. But we are holding steady at $57 per credit hour, and word is getting out that people are getting more value for their dollar here at home. We might have to be more attentive to minimum numbers of students per class, but we have no cap on enrollment. Students will not be turned away. Construction plans will continue unchanged, but we do have a hold on new hires and salary increases.”

These tough times call for more collaboration on the local level, and stimulus money is already beginning to help, O’Neill maintains. Furthermore, according to a recent article in USA Today, President Obama is rolling out a 12 billion dollar program that will put community colleges at the top of his economic recovery priorities. “Among his goals: to modernize community college facilities, to increase the quality of online courses and to ensure that more students complete their programs.”

“Just so people understand,” O’Neill said, “we place a great deal of emphasis on keeping the faculty and staff we have, despite the fact that we might have to conserve or cut back in other areas. We have a balance of priorities in keeping people first: students, faculty and staff.

“At a time when people are struggling, community colleges are the single premiere institution available in northern New Mexico to reach out a hand and help people get back on their feet. And when we do that, we help the whole economy get back on its feet.”

The UNM Taos Report

“More sustainability equals more self reliance. Taos understands that.”

It’s a really big deal.

To date, it’s the biggest built in New Mexico. See for yourself—click on our webcam at taos.unm.edu.

When completed, the 3 ½ acre solar generation station currently under construction on the UNM-Taos Klauer campus south of town will produce 500 kilowatts of power—more than enough to run the entire campus. What’s left over goes into the grid.

That doesn’t mean we get free electricity. Just like every other member of Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, we’ll get a bill each month. UNM-Taos provided the land and the Coop funded the construction, owns the hardware and is responsible for maintenance and repairs. The difference is, the energy is clean, it’s renewable and it comes directly from the sun by way of advanced technology and the forward thinking of community and national leaders.

Join us at Klauer on Wednesday, July 1 for the first annual Energy Independence Day celebration. Sponsored by UNM-Taos Student Government and Kit Carson Electric, it’s a way of recognizing the significance of the new solar generation station not only to the Taos community but to the entire state.

Among a long list of state and local dignitaries, Senator Jeff Bingaman and Congressman Ben Ray Lujan are planning to be there in person, along with a representative from Senator Udall’s office. You’ll learn the history of the project from Kit Carson CEO Luis Reyes and get a first hand look at the site, slated to go online in about a month. We’ll be out there from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with booths, demonstrations, a first look at our plans for the new Library Learning Center, free commemorative tee shirts and more. But try to get there at high noon, because that’s when the official ceremony gets started with a Declaration of Energy Independence. Our own home grown solar radio station KTAO will be broadcasting events live from the campus that day, and we are hoping to get coverage on the Albuquerque broadcast television stations.

Why all the fanfare?

It has taken more than two years to get to this point since Reyes first applied for a five million dollar, zero percent federal grant, and with the help of Senator Bingaman started to realize his vision to make “renewable energy…the strongest engine for economic development in Taos County”.

The impact on the community college will be substantial. The demonstration site will be the focus of an expanded curriculum of courses in sustainability and renewable resources, and our green jobs program will start producing opportunities for students to enter the burgeoning job market.

Tom Anderson, Southwest Business Operations Manager for American Capital Energy, the national firm responsible for overseeing the construction of the array, emphasized that “UNM-Taos is the first campus of its kind in the nation to be completely powered by renewable solar energy”.

He went on to express his appreciation for the positive reception the project has had in Taos.

“It’s all about how to get renewable energy out to the grid dependably and efficiently, and that’s important because more sustainability equals more self reliance. Taos understands that. I’m seeing widespread excitement around this progressive vision, and our company has been able to put local resources to bear on the project. The roughly 24 local jobs we have provided represent a base of trained people with experience in renewables that will be around long after we have gone.”

If we measure success for Taos in terms of building a healthy community that supports a healthy environment, this truly is a defining moments in our history. Come join us July 1 to celebrate Energy Independence Day.

One more important event on July 1: our friends at the Harwood are hosting a groundbreaking ceremony starting at 10 a.m. at their fine facility over on Ledoux street to commemorate the start of their 5 million dollar expansion. State and local officials are invited, and it is a great time to get a look at their ambitious plans for the museum.

Every Day is a Learning Experience

I had a chance to talk with four remarkable women, sisters, all born and raised in Ranchos, who share a love of community, a lifelong commitment to education, and dedication to their professions. And one thing more: they are all graduating from UNM-Taos at Commencement ceremonies May 15.

They have families of their own now and careers in their chosen fields, but they have all been able to commit the time and summon the perseverance to reach their educational goals. Rose Marie Martinez will receive an Associate of Arts in Early Childhood Multicultural Education. Joella Frances Apodaca will get her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. Victoria M. Romo will graduate with a BUS degree in University Studies in Sociology and Psychology, and Teddie Angela Zarasua will get her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education.

The four sisters were so busy they didn’t realize until recently that they were all going to graduate at the same time, and I wanted to know how this came about.

“We support one another,” Teddie explained, “and our kids have encouraged us. Rose and Joella volunteered at school when their kids were young, and I’d volunteer when my son was young.”

“Our mom, Evangeline Martinez, had an eighth grade education,” Joella said, “and I think we had different influences within the community as well. For me, it all began with Headstart. I loved school and teachers were my inspiration….then UNM-Taos provided the avenue where I could put my family first, take classes at night and not have to leave Taos.”

“I got on the job training in special needs while I was still in high school,” Rose said. I love being a teacher’s aide with special needs kids because you get to focus more on the child. I love touching hearts.”

“I work in the courts,” Victoria said. “and I enjoy helping the public. When people get in trouble it is a hard time for them, and when they don’t have a friendly face or someone they can come to it can be frightening….You can’t turn your back on them. You have to do the best you can to lead them in the right direction, get them educated so they can become self sufficient. It’s a personal choice to say I want to be a better person for my child, my family, my community, myself.”

All four women spoke of the significance of role models in their own lives, and the importance, now, of being a positive role model for kids trying to stay in school and lead productive lives.

“I like to be friends with my students, but they know that when I put my teacher cap on it’s time to learn,” Joella said. “I need for them to respect me as a teacher. I don’t baby them but try to bring them up to a higher level because I want them to get the best of what’s out there.”

“My fifth grade students know I’m graduating, and I took my cap and gown in and told them, if I can do this, you can do this,” Teddie said. “It has taken me many years and I’m a mother of two, but I’ve never sacrificed my children’s interests. I’ve always been there for them and UNM-Taos has really helped to support that, because classes are small, teachers are excellent, and you get that one-on-one attention. The professors take the time to get to know you. They care about you because they are community members as well. We are blessed to have these teachers; they really are our role models.”

They acknowledged that college is not for everyone, but there are many available alternatives, and it is essential for young and old alike to find career paths that not only provide income but produce a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment as well. Rose put it simply:

“Every day is a learning experience.”

And Victoria added:

“It takes a community to bring forth a productive community member.”

All four sisters agreed.

Springtime for the arts

CIRCLE OF SUPPORT
Alexia Mellor had lived in England and France, upstate New York and Seattle by the time her mother Jan suggested she come to Taos for a visit. What started out as a two week vacation turned into a two year introduction into the world of the practicing artist. At 28 she took Gary Cook’s art class at UNM-Taos and began to explore the local art scene.

“I had heard great things about Gary and thought this’ll be something fun to try,” she explained in a phone call last week from Boston. “Something I had never done before. And it just opened up from there.”

Mellor worked at the Millicent Rogers Museum, studied painting with Ray Vinella and worked in his studio, and enrolled at the Taos Institute of Art. This spring she is graduating with an MFA from The School of the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, and the Boston Globe has just recognized her as one of six up and coming artists in the region. “There are a lot of art schools in Boston, so it was really a privilege to be a part of that group,” she said.

This summer Mellor will be going to Turkey on a travel grant to complete her thesis, and if time allows before teaching duties begin in the fall, she plans to return to Taos for a quick visit. I asked her if she had any advice for artists who were just beginning their careers.

“The key for me is in trusting that inner voice, and seeking out people who will support it. You need that circle of support: the conversations, the structure, the formalizing of your ideas. Then you can explore whatever medium is appropriate to that idea, whether it is monoprint, photo, painting or a performance piece. You need to expose yourself to different ways of doing and making art.”

TEO MORCA RECOGNIZED
Internationally known Flamenco dancer and UNM-Taos instructor in the Arts Academy Teo Morca has just been named dance teacher of the year by Dance Teacher Magazine of New York. This is the first time a Spanish Flamenco dance teacher has been selected for this award, and a three day celebration is scheduled for July in New York City.

SPRING ART SHOW
The UNM-Taos Art Academy’s annual Spring Art Show is slated to begin May 3 with an opening reception from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the TCA Stables Art Gallery. According to Gary Cook, head of the Art Academy, it is the largest annual public event produced by UNM-Taos. Sponsored by a generous grant from UNM-Taos Student Government, the non-juried exhibition will showcase paintings, drawings, jewelry, prints, ceramics, sculpture, photographs, short films and woodworking by students of all skill and experience levels alongside seasoned professional artists. The opening reception will be catered by the Culinary Arts Program, and the show will run through May 14.

KEVIN MAHONEY PRESENTS PLAY
Kevin Mahoney, Coordinator of Film, Video and Theater Programs at UNM-Taos, has been invited to participate in the Script-to-Screen event sponsored by the Screen Actor’s Guild of America in Houston, Texas. His original screenplay, Clayton, will be given a full staged reading before an audience comprised of industry professionals, actors, directors and producers.