Good afternoon Lobos –

Thank you for making our 2025 Homecoming celebration, Desert Boots and Lobo Roots, such an unforgettable success! From roasting s’mores in the SUB Atrium to reconnecting at alumni events, engaging with our basketball teams at Homecoming Hoops, and gathering under the lights at University Stadium, this milestone week honored generations of Lobos who have shaped our legacy and spirit.

The celebration reached its high point Saturday night, when our Lobos capped off the festivities with a hard-fought 24–22 victory over Nevada—the perfect way to commemorate our 100th Lobo Homecoming and a memorable ending to a week filled with tradition, enthusiasm, and pride.

Thank you to every student, alumnus, faculty, staff, and community member who joined in the celebration. Your excitement and connection makes this an especially magical time of the season, and helps keep the Lobo spirit alive and strong all year long.

Turning Gatekeeping into Gateways


A cross-disciplinary team at The University of New Mexico has been awarded a five-year, $2.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation to help more students thrive in STEM. Led by Vice Provost for Student Success Pamela Cheek, the project—Scaling and Sustaining Effective Practices to Drive Institutional Transformation—aims to make introductory “gatekeeping” courses more engaging, equitable, and effective pathways into science, technology, engineering, and math. The effort will explore innovative course designs, evidence-based teaching, and classroom-integrated supports that keep students connected to their goals from day one. By creating “curricular safety nets” and early applied learning opportunities, UNM is helping ensure that curiosity in STEM becomes persistence, progress, and ultimately, success.

Fisher Honored for Pioneering Work in Materials Chemistry

Ellen Fisher, UNM’s vice president for research, has been honored with the John A. Thornton Memorial Award from AVS, recognizing her groundbreaking contributions to materials chemistry. The award celebrates Fisher’s decades of research into plasma chemistries and plasma-surface interactions—processes vital to technologies ranging from contact lenses to microchips. Since coming to  UNM in 2021, Fisher has strengthened the university’s research ecosystem in countless ways, including through the WeR1 Faculty Success Program that supports faculty development and innovation across disciplines. Her national recognition reflects the excellence, curiosity, and mentorship that continue to define UNM’s energetic research community.

Route 66 Remixed: Art, Innovation, and the Spirit of Albuquerque

The University of New Mexico is proud to take part in Route 66 Remixed, one of Albuquerque’s most ambitious public art initiatives in decades and a highlight of the ongoing national Route 66 Centennial Celebration. This citywide project transforms Albuquerque’s 18-mile stretch of Route 66—now Central Avenue—into an immersive art corridor through murals, sculptures, and augmented reality experiences that celebrate history, culture, and creativity. A centerpiece of the launch is Mother: Moment, a striking mural at UNM’s ARTS Lab created by alumni and local artists Noé Barnett and Travis Black. Reflecting the movement and community that define both Route 66 and UNM, their piece underscores UNM’s enduring connection to Albuquerque’s cultural and creative landscape—and reminds us that The University of New Mexico stands at the very heart of the city’s past, present, and ever-evolving future.

Expanding the Special Education Teacher Pipeline

The College of Education & Human Sciences has earned a major federal award to launch the E3 Program—Effective Evidence-based Education—preparing new special education teachers through a fully funded graduate pathway. Over five years, the grant will support 28 scholars with full tuition, stipends, professional development, mentoring, and licensure preparation. Each January, a new cohort of seven students will begin part-time, accessible coursework offered online and in person, with a strong focus on literacy and mathematics for students with disabilities. Because licensure coursework is completed in the first year, many participants can enter classrooms within one to two years—helping fill urgent vacancies across New Mexico while maintaining high standards. Recruitment for the first cohort is underway now, with classes starting in January 2026.

Sharing—and Saving—New Mexico’s Untold Stories

The Department of Africana Studies is inviting New Mexicans to help build a living archive of community history through its new “Tell Us Your Stories” online hub. Inspired by graduate research from UNM alumnus David Jacobs, the first featured story highlights David “Happy Jack” Jackson, a Black homesteader who arrived in White Oaks, New Mexico, in 1897. Supported by the Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections, the project reflects Department Chair Kirsten Buick’s vision to strengthen the connection between UNM and the communities it serves. To learn more--or to share your story—please visit the Africana Studies “Tell Us Your Stories” website.

And the Favorite Campus Salsa Is . . .

The results are in, and we have a winner for this year’s Salsa Showdown, which kicked off our annual UNM Gives campaign and raised more than $500 to benefit the United Way of North Central New Mexico. The winner is salsa #3, submitted by Colton Newman, business manager at UNM’s Center on Alcohol, Substance Use, and Addictions (CASAA). Apart from having the cost of his parking covered by PATS, Colton also gets bragging rights as having UNM’s favorite salsa recipe. Second place went to salsa #1, submitted by Lobo student Cassie Chance, and third place was salsa #2, from Zoarder Nazifa Moqbul Tuba at UNM Hospital. Congratulations to all three of our showdown entries and thank you for sharing your recipes for such a worthy cause.