NMSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

Winter 2018

NMSU Homecoming 2017

Arizona Bowl ChampionsGiving Tuesday 2017

IN THIS ISSUE

Susan Raney Plantz is a member of the Foundation board. She graduated from New Mexico State University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics Communications. She married William Plantz, a 1985 NMSU alumnus, and moved further north to Chicago, Illinois, starting a new role as a test kitchen/manager of customer service with EKCO Housewares. Her talents later landed her at The Quaker Oats Company where she served in various capacities for seven years, managing thousands of contacts, writing reports, creating consumer materials and serving as a liason with quality assurance, marketing and promotions departments. After she and her husband started a family, Plantz’ passion for philanthropy began. Now living in Tennessee, she started investing her time at children’s schools by leading committees for dozens of classroom, sports or school-wide events and projects for 15 years. Plantz and husband live in Nashville, Tennessee, and have two daughters, Alyssa, 25, and Sarah, 22.

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Winter 2018 | NMSU Alumni Association | Aggie Alumni News1

NMSU Giving Tuesday drives in $2.5 million in student support, lights up New York CityMark your calendars for NMSU’s fourth-annual Giving Tuesday on Tuesday, November 27, 2018. In the meantime, enjoy this year’s recap video of the day’s festivities. CLICK HERE

AlumniRelationsOfficeLeslie Cervantes ’86AVP, Alumni Engagement & Stewardship-leslie86@nmsu.edu

Katherine VandertulipAsst Director of Alumni Relations-kwvander@nmsu.edu

Angel Mendez Marketing and Publications Officer-anmendez@nmsu.edu

Giving Tuesday for NMSU is all about the power of collective giving and the belief, devotion and passion for students across the NMSU system. This past November, that power drove in about $2.5 million in student support toward scholarships, including more than 60 new endowments, and lifestyle support, like the Aggie Cupboard fund. In a span of 24 hours, more than 1,700 tried and true Aggie alumni and friends contributed during NMSU’s third-annual Giving Tuesday. Several donors spoke throughout the event at Corbett Center Student Union, introducing their gift to the University and sharing their specific passion for NMSU and its students. Dr. Kimberly Martin of University Family Dental announced her $12,500 endowment called the BOSS Scholarship recognizing junior and senior female students in the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Business for being Bold, Original, Secure and Successful. “I didn’t want to create a scholarship for women only interested in dentistry,” Martin said. “I really wanted to encourage all females who want to go onto professional school or start a leadership track. This may be a woman who doesn’t have a 4.0, but she has an exceptional skill or passion that she isn’t already being recognized for.” Other gifts include a $150,000 investment to the Arrowhead Center from the New Mexico Gas Company, an El Paso Electric contribution toward various programs of $28,000 and support of more than $2,800 towards NMSU cancer research provided by Heather Allen Gandy of Allen Theaters.

New Mexico Gas Company invested $150,000 in the Arrowhead Center – one of the first gifts of the day to the NMSU system

Winter 2018 | NMSU Alumni Association | Aggie Alumni News 2

Dr. Bernadette Montoya [right] and Randall Chavez joined forces to invest $12,500 for students in the community colleges of the NMSU system.

The Salopeks, a local ag family, all graduated from NMSU, including their children, and together started an endowed scholarship with $12,500 for students in the College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental

New Mexico State University on Nasdaq Tower in New York City on Giving Tuesday.

Giving Tuesday 2017

Clifford L. Pelton made an investment in honor of his brother Bumpy to create a teaching endowed scholarship, a counseling endowed scholarship, a gap endowed scholarship and a study abroad endowed scholarship.

Alfredo Zendejas Rodriguez [left] and Desma Montellano, stewardship coordinator, [right] help celebrate a first-time donor to NMSU.

Winter 2018 | NMSU Alumni Association | Aggie Alumni News3

Homecoming 2017

Call for Nominations

Homecoming 2018 is just around the corner, which means it is time to open nominations for the NMSU Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Awards and James F. Cole Memorial Award for Service, presented by the New Mexico State University Alumni Association. Nominate a fellow NMSU Alumni for one of the following awards.

NMSU Alumni AssociationDistinguished Alumni AwardsThis award honors individuals from each academic college, who have distinguished themselves and thus brought honor and distinction to their alma mater.

James F. Cole Memorial Award for ServiceThis award reflects the tradition of excellence NMSU has upheld throughout the years, and each recipient is selected based on support to NMSU, involvement with NMSU, civic and humanitarian service and professional service.

Nominations are due by April 6, 2018, at 5:00 p.m.Nomination forms can be found at advancing.nmsu.edu/alumni/awards-and-programs/distinguished-alumni-award. For more information, call the NMSU Alumni Relations Office at 575.646.3616 or email at alumni@nmsu.edu.

NMSU Homecoming 2017 brought plenty of good times. NMSU celebrated reunions of the classes of 1957 and 1967 along with hosting a week-long spree of aggie traditions. From the Homecoming Game Day Parade to the Celebration of Traditions Memorial Ceremony and a bonfire and pep rally to the Alumni Association Tailgate, hundreds of Aggies came home to reunite and create new Aggie Memories.

Winter 2018 | NMSU Alumni Association | Aggie Alumni News 4

Students

Fall 2017 Outstanding Graduates

Jessica Gustin ’17College of

Agricultural, Consumer & Enviromental Sciences

Alma Sarahi Chavez ’17 College of

Arts & Sciences

Sandanee Turner ’17 College of Business

Kelcie Gerry ’17College of Education

Victor Meraz ’17College of Engineering

Kimberly Shipton ’15 ’17College of Health& Social Services

Jose Carlos Murguia ’17Graduate School-Master’s Degree

Virginia Bleu Knight ’04 ’06 ’17Graduate School-

Doctorate

If you have ever considered taking your skills or your career to a higher level, it may be time to get an MBA! NMSU’s College of Business is offering a Cohort-based Distance MBA program taught in an executive style format designed for working professionals. No matter what field you are working in today, an MBA is a valuable tool to help you think more analytically and bring greater value to your organization by enhancing your leadership and management skills.

You can earn your MBA in a 24-month program, in which classes meet synchronously online one evening per week and can be viewed in real time from work, home or live in the classroom. The online platform lets students ask questions, interact with both students and professors and participate in class discussions.

For more information, please contact Andrea Fletcher in the College of Business at afletche@nmsu.edu or (575) 646-7146.

Dr. Toni Hull, Principal at Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy.

NMSU’s College of BusinessCohort-based DistanceMBA program

Winter 2018 | NMSU Alumni Association | Aggie Alumni News5

The Seidel Family presented a check to Chancellor Carrurthers and NMSU for a new Chemicals and Materials Engineering Endowed Chair at a Denver Chapter Event.

Former NMSU Football Players at the NMSU vs. UTEP Alumni Tailgate.

The Fall 2017 NMSU Cap Contest Winner: @shellt00.

Fall 2017 Outstanding Graduates with Chancellor Carruthers at the Outstanding Graduates Luncheon in December.

NMSU Presidential Ambassadors with Chancellor Carruthers during the annual Presidential Ambassador Fall Retreat.

Aggie Alumni & Donor Highlights

Presidential Ambassador Brooke Coffeen at the Fall 2017 Graduation Fair at the NMSU Barnes and Noble Bookstore.

Winter 2018 | NMSU Alumni Association | Aggie Alumni News 6

Events

February 2018Friday, February 16- Saturday, February 17, 2018Fifteenth Annual Army ROTC Recognition Weekend

March 2017Wednesday, March 7- Saturday, March 10, 2018WAC Basketball TournamentTuesday, March 13- Wednesday, March 14, 2018Graduation Fair

April 2017Saturday, April 21, 2018President’s Associates Ball

May 2017Wednesday, May 9, 2018Official NMSU Ring CeremonyFriday, May 11, 2018Oustanding Graduates LuncheonSaturday, May 12, 2018Spring 2018 Commencement

Your gift supports students and programs at NMSU and makes you a member of the

NMSU Alumni Association!

Every Gift Matters! The Alumni Relations Office at New Mexico State University has recently launched its own smartphone app to better connect alumni and friends of the university. Find out about events, NMSU updates and other important information.

Apple Download Instructions 1. Open the App Store app. 2. Tap the Search icon at the bottom of the screen. 3. Tap Search on your keyboard. 4. Enter NMSU Alumni in the search box. 5. Tap the NMSU Alumni app. 6. Tap Get. 7. Tap Install when the icon switches. 8. Enter your Password when prompted. 9. Wait for the download to finish. 10. Press the Home button to go back to your device’s Home screen.

Android Download Instructions 1. Open the Google Play Store app. 2. Search or browse for NMSU Alumni. 3. Select NMSU Alumni app. 4. Tap Install (for free items).

Upcoming Events

NMSU Alumni App Download Instructions

Winter 2018 | NMSU Alumni Association | Aggie Alumni News7

Arizona Bowl

Day 1 The NM State Football team, along with Pistol Pete and the cheerleading team, made a stop at the Diamond Children’s Medical Center in Tucson to visit some of their biggest fans.

Day 2 NMSU Aggies showed up in swarms for the Battle of the Bands competition.

Later that night at Gentle Ben’s, hundreds of NMSU Aggie fans linked up to celebrate and prepare for the historic game the next day.

Winter 2018 | NMSU Alumni Association | Aggie Alumni News 8

Arizona Bowl

NMSU Aggies showed up in swarms for the Battle of the Bands competition.

Gameday

Larry Rose III takes the ball in for an OT Touchdown, putting the NM State Aggies win at 26-20 and ending the longest bowl-drought in College Football history.

Defensive Coordinator Frank Spaziani huddles the team together for the next game-changing play.

THOUSANDS of NMSU Aggies fans showed up on game day, something Head Coach Martin says helped the team pull off the win.

A celebration both on the field and in the locker ended a historic night for NM State Aggie Football and its devoted fans.

Football Success Fund

Join Head Coach Dough Martin, Tyler Rogers and Larry Rose III in supporting the Football Success Fund via our Make a STATEment crowdfunding platform. Your investment helps recruit new talent to the team as well as meet any equipment or team needs for the 2018 season. Make your impact at makeastatement.nmsu.edu/bowlbound.

Spring 2017 | NMSU Alumni Association | Aggie Alumni News

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