Notes from the Oct. 22, 2002 Regents Meeting

by George Zamora

SOCORRO, N.M., October 24, 2002 -- New Mexico Tech's Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC) recently was named as one of 12 research facilities from around the nation chosen to receive the 35th Annual James S. Cogswell Outstanding Industrial Security Achievement Awards.

The New Mexico Tech Board of Regents were informed of this latest national award bestowed on the university at the governing board's monthly meeting on Tuesday, October 22.

The Cogswell Awards are the most prestigious in the industrial security field. Of the 11,000 to 12,000 contractors participating in the National Industrial Security Program, only a handful of them are selected each year to receive this Defense Security Service award.

In a separate presentation to the Board of Regents, New Mexico Tech Vice President for Research Van Romero provided an update on the university's strategic plan, specifically focusing on the plan's goal titled "New Mexico Tech will be noted for excellent and productive instruction and research."

In his overview, Romero noted that New Mexico Tech also has received recent acclaim in national rankings published by The Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report, Kiplinger's, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

New Mexico Tech President Daniel H. López also had good news for the regents, reporting that preliminary enrollment figures for Spring Semester 2003, as well as for Fall Semester 2003, at the university "are looking very encouraging."

The projections are based largely on incoming student applications, an area which is showing a significant increase this year when compared to last year's figures.

López also told the New Mexico Tech Board of Regents that a recently held annual fundraising golf tournament on campus had been "a great success," netting about $75,000 this year for a special financial assistance program which the President set up for Tech students some eight years ago.

In another report to the board of regents, Steve Bobinsky, director of the New Mexico Tech Advancement Office, briefed the regents on the status of the university's ongoing Commitment to Excellence fundraising campaign.

After having started with a "silent phase" over a year ago, New Mexico Tech's "Commitment to Excellence" campaign, now in its public phase, has garnered slightly more than $4.2 million in cash, gifts, and pledges, reported Bobinsky, who is also director of Tech's fundraising campaign.

"But though our base goal is $5 million, our challenge goal is $8 million, so we've still got a long way to go before we wrap up our campaign on April 2003," Bobinsky said.

The objectives of New Mexico Tech's Commitment to Excellence campaign are to increase faculty endowments; strengthen instructional laboratory support; boost student scholarships and fellowships; improve online library resources; and expand the university's Etscorn Campus Observatory.

In the only official action taken at this month's meeting, the New Mexico Tech Board of Regents approved a low bid submitted by A & A Pumping Services, Inc. of Belen for providing sanitary disposal services for several of EMRTC's field test sites.