The next installment in UNM’s free Parent Talk series is Wednesday, Sept. 2, from 6 – 7 p.m. in the Student Services Center, Dean of Students Conference Room (rm. 260). Students and extended family are welcome to attend!

Each semester hundreds of student organizations are active with support from the UNM Student Activities Center –  learn what’s out there and how your student can get involved and stay connected. Our speakers will include Ryan Lindquist, SAC assistant director, and a panel of students active in various organizations. (more…)

UNM is planning far in advance for what could be a very significant flu season. Not only is the UNM Health Sciences Center planning for the annual seasonal flu, but also the next anticipated wave of the H1N1 flu, sometimes called “swine flu.”

For the seasonal flu, HSC has ordered 45,000 doses of vaccine to administer through HSC’s clinical facilities on – and off‐campus. When the vaccine is received, HSC will publicize dates, times and locations where people can get a flu shot. Locations will include UNM Hospital, Student Health Center, Lobo Care Clinic and UNM family clinics throughout the city.

While the seasonal flu vaccine is important for people who fall into high‐risk categories, it will not be effective against the H1N1 influenza. That’s why the Centers for Disease Control and vaccine manufacturers are hard at work developing a separate vaccine, expected to be available in September or October. Unlike the seasonal flu vaccine which takes only one dose, the CDC anticipates protection against the H1N1 virus will require an initial vaccination followed by a booster at a later date.

One reason UNM is working hard to prepare for a potential H1N1 outbreak is that unlike the seasonal flu, which primarily affects infants and the elderly, the World Health Organization reports that the H1N1 influenza has disproportionally affected people 6 – 24 years old. That age group is a CDC priority for receiving the vaccine, and HSC and UNM will work with the New Mexico Department of Health to administer pandemic vaccine to students within that age group when it is available. (more…)

G. Randy Boeglin, UNM Dean of Students, has announced that the Parent Relations Office and Parent Association will now be units in the Dean of Students Office, which also oversees LOBO Orientation for  incoming freshmen as well as the Family Connection Program, an orientation for parents and family members.

“All of these units are committed to enhancing student success and all share a common core value of embracing and facilitating connections and partnerships with UNM parents and family members,” Boeglin said today in a memorandum to the UNM Parent Association.

Boeglin, a UNM alumnus, has worked at several institutions that includes a 30‐year tenure at UNM.  He has served as Dean of Students for the past 13 years. 

 “I am excited and energized to be a part of this organizational design, " Boeglin added. “I am confident our combined efforts will produce a strengthened UNM effort to connect to and partner with you, your family, and your student.  I look forward to sharing what I know will be a rewarding future for all of us who care about and work with our most precious institutional asset:  Your sons, daughters, and family members.”

Laurie Mellas is senior program manager for the Parent Relations Office and executive director of the Parent Association, both relatively new UNM programs.  For more information, visit the About section of this site.

UNM Residence Life and Student Housing has teamed with the UNM Parent Association to host “Parent Roundtables” from 2 – 3 p.m. each day from Aug. 18 – 21 in the Student Residence Center (SRC), room 205. The casual chats, held as part of move‐in week activities, are designed to introduce parents to UNM residence life and parent programs.

All residence hall check‐in desks will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. beginning Tuesday, August 18.  Students must be officially checked‐in by Monday, August 24, at 7 p.m. to avoid cancellation of contract and a no‐show fee. 

For more information about living on campus, visit http://housing.unm.edu

Tradition welcomes new students

The University of New Mexico will celebrate Freshman Family Day on Sunday, Aug. 23. Held the afternoon before the start of fall classes, the event has become an annual tradition at UNM welcoming incoming students and their families to the college community. The festivities begin at 4 p.m. with the Freshman Convocation at Popejoy Hall.

A ceremonial event held at most colleges and universities, Freshman Convocation is a combination of the serious and light‐hearted providing an opportunity for the administration, current students and parents to address families.

The convocation is followed by a social celebration from 5 to 7 p.m. near University House and the Duck Pond. Freshmen and their families are invited to stop by for food, fun and music. There will be a variety of activities for kids including jumpers and slides. Ice cream will be served on the lawn at University House. Additionally, the UNM Parent Association will have a table with information for parents.

A class crawl begins at the UNM Duck Pond at 5:30 p.m. Students can print out class schedule and tour guides will provide a campus tour to help students locate their classrooms. The event concludes with the movie, ‘X‐Men Origins: Wolverine,’ at 8 p.m. on lower Johnson Field.

The event demonstrates how the university partners with the families to ensure student success.

For more information and to register visit: Freshman Family Day, an event organized by the Office of the University Secretary.