Student Housing is placing extra emphasis on making the overall UNM residential community more appealing to residents.

“Student Housing is changing to exceed students’ expectations,” said Walt Miller, Associate Vice President for Student Life. The department began a rapid series of new initiatives this summer, designed to enhance housing programs, expand information technologies, improve building facilities and to increase customer service communication with students.

Although 85 percent of residents surveyed in 2007 stated that they were likely to recommend the dorms to other students, improvements were necessary. The department invested $2.5 million in improvement projects ranging in size and complexity.

About $1.2 million was spent to replace and repair outdated water lines and to install nearly 240 heating and air‐conditioning units and ventilation systems in the Student Residence Center (SRC) apartments. In addition, $500,000 was allocated to re‐roof the 14 building SRC apartment complex. “While both of these maintenance expenses were necessary, the simple fact remains that residents do not often visually see the monies the department is spending on our housing facilities,” Miller stated. (more…)

By Bob Roth
The “College & Career Success” Coach

For many college students, determining a direction and selecting a major can
be a daunting task. Parents and friends usually offer their suggestions, talk
about their experiences and voice their opinions. However, with so many
options and uncertainties tugging at them, students may find that little seems
clear. It is no wonder that they can feel overwhelmed and confused.

Although some students become paralyzed by the confusion, most of you will
eventually gravitate toward one of your options. If you are having trouble
selecting a direction, here are a few ideas and suggestions that should ease your
mind and improve your odds of making a good decision.

a. Recognize That You Don’t Have To Get Too Precise Too Quickly — You
probably won’t have to select a major until your sophomore year. (Check with your
advisor.) Even then, the courses you select in your junior and senior years
will determine your specific area of concentration. However, it is important for
you to be both active and diligent in gathering information, about possible
choices, throughout your freshman and sophomore years.

b. Start With Broad Areas Of Interest — When you are a bit unsure about your direction but think that you will be happy in a certain field, don’t
immediately settle on one job title in that field. Instead, it may be better for you to
come at it from a broader perspective. Since every field of study offers a wide variety of employment opportunities, start broadly and then methodically narrow your choices during the first few years of college.

c. What Have You Enjoyed Doing? - Reflect back. Make a list of the
activities and behaviors you already enjoy. Include any activities you think you would
like. Consider previous school classes, school and community activities, work, hobbies, sports, etc. What topics do you like to read about? What were you doing when you felt good about yourself? Where would you like to make a difference? Remember, you will be more successful when you enjoy the work you are doing. (more…)

The University of New Mexico is currently going through a process to identify and strengthen its brand. The intent is to set the university apart from other universities in an increasingly highly competitive industry. We feel that as a parent who has a child attending the University of New Mexico you can provide us with valuable information about our institution.

As part of the process, we would like to gather your attitudes and opinions about UNM in the form of a survey. We strongly encourage your participation, as it will tremendously help us in the branding process. Please know that your answers will be kept strictly confidential.

If you wish to participate in the survey, please follow this link below to begin: http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/13dc7g36987

All participants are entered into a drawing for a $50 gift certificate to Apple. If you wish to be considered for the drawing, please be sure to enter your phone number at the end of the survey. We will only use your number to contact you in the event that you win. The deadline to complete this survey is Sept. 24, 2008.

If you have any concerns or questions about this survey, please email University Marketing Director Cinnamon Blair at cblair@​unm.​edu. Thank you in advance. We appreciate your cooperation in taking part in our study.