SPECIAL EDITION
Interim Chancellor Dr. Patrice Caldwell Making History at ENMU
JULY 2020
Green&Silver MAGAZINE
EASTERN NEW MEXICO UNIVERSITY
Caldwell Takes on a New Challenge This spring, Eastern New Mexico University entered a new era with a familiar face at the helm, as the Board of Regents appointed Dr. Patrice Caldwell as interim chancellor and president.
Dr. Patrice Caldwell (left) stands with Dr. Jack Williamson (MA 57, BA 57) at the 2004 dedication of a bust in his honor outside of the Jack Williamson Liberal Arts Building. Dr. Caldwell counts her collaboration with Dr. Williamson among her happiest teaching memories at ENMU.
Dr. Caldwell is more than an experienced administrator, she is also the first woman to hold the president’s post in the school’s 85-year history. “Eastern has been my life for so many years. I look forward to the next eight months and for a continued relationship with Greyhound Nation,” explained Dr. Caldwell. “ENMU is and forever will be my family.” Dr. Caldwell began her academic career at ENMU in 1980, serving as assistant professor and the director of freshman composition from 1980–84. As a faculty member, Dr. Caldwell happily taught grammar, composition, literature, women’s studies, and her favorite, Victorian literature, to ENMU students. From 1984–88, she chaired the Department of Languages and Literature. Dr. Caldwell received the Presidential Award for Teaching Exellence in 1986. Her happiest teaching memories are team-teaching creative writing and science fiction with worldrenowned science fiction writer Dr. Jack Williamson (MA 57, BA 57). After a national search in 1988, Dr. Caldwell became dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Her efforts to advance ENMU’s services for students didn’t stop there. When ENMU received the prestigious Pew Leadership
Award for Institutional Renewal in 1997, she became the director of that grant, which launched ENMU’s Freshman Seminar initiative and substantially enhanced campus technology. The next year, Dr. Caldwell moved to the Office of Planning and Analysis, where she continued her work with grants, strategic planning and institutional management. In the summer of 2018, she was promoted to vice president for planning, analysis and governmental relations and ENMU chief of staff. Dr. Caldwell has been a board member of the ENMU Friends of Music since 1997 and has served as their president for the past 18 years. She actively supports the arts on campus and is a loyal attendee during ENMU Athletics and student activities. In her new role as interim chancellor of the ENMU System and interim president for ENMU-Portales during this
Brian Stein (BS 05) Alumni Association President (left) and board member Nikki Kull (BS 69) (right) presented Dr. Caldwell with the Honorary Lifetime Award during Homecoming 2018.
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Green & Silver Special Edition | July 2020
“On behalf of ENMU’s Student Government Association (SGA), we are excited and eager to work with Dr. Caldwell in her new position as interim chancellor and president. Dr. Caldwell’s leadership, commitment and involvement with ENMU’s student body and SGA has been tremendous.” Hannah Stout, President ENMU Student Government Association challenging time, Dr. Caldwell said the focus is – and always has been – about the students’ educational experience. “We have to keep our eyes on what’s best for students. We’re using as much information as we can to determine how we can provide the best and safest experience for our students,” Dr. Caldwell said. “We’re also approaching this with a lot of optimism.” As COVID-19 has caused a disruption in so many lives, Dr. Caldwell hopes many can look to the University as an economic engine for the future. “There are a number of programs that speak to what we have learned from the pandemic. ENMU’s nursing and teacher education programs are strengths of the University. Now more than ever, we all keenly appreciate how important nurses and educators are to our community,” Dr. Caldwell said. “A college education allows someone to do more than earn a living; it can teach them to lift the community. The future of New Mexico, our nation and the world depends on the success of our students. We are in this for the long haul.”
Serving ENMU Students During a Pandemic Following the Governor’s executive order in March, ENMU did our part to protect students, faculty and staff.
Maintaining Academic Standards and High Level of Service to Students We extended spring break for a week to convert all classes to online delivery. Faculty embraced this challenge head-on, converting their spring 2020 classes, contacting students, and accommodating students’ circumstances. For semester-long classes, 578 courses previously offered face-to-face were converted to online or alternative distance delivery formats.
Student Services We refunded housing and dining charges from Spring Break through the end of the school year for students who had been living on campus. Arrangements were made with the Office of Housing and Residence Life to accommodate students living on campus if they were unable to travel home or had no other housing arrangements. We paid all student employees their average number of weekly hours” through May 8. Graduate assistants and student employees on special stipends continue to be paid according to their agreements. We refunded the $30 graduation application fee to all graduating students. Financial aid, tutoring, counseling, advising, returning student registration and new student registration are now fully online.
Listening to Faculty, Staff and Students We are keeping communication lines wide open. A COVID-19 information website is linked from the top of every web page on the ENMU website. An online form for people to ask COVIDrelated questions is available from the main page.
Supporting our Community The ENMU Department of Public Safety shared surplus protective equipment with Roosevelt General Hospital and tirelessly continues to patrol the campus and the community.
Virtual Commencment Ceremony Partnering with KENW-TV, student government leadership and faculty leadership, ENMU planned and implemented a virtual commencement ceremony which was aired on May 30, 2020. The ceremony was pre-recorded and featured a mix of candid and formal photos provided by graduating students. Additionally, all graduates were invited to participate in the Fall 2020 Commencement in-person. The ceremony was broadcasted on KENW 3-1 and 3-2 statewide and a link to view the streaming video was available on the front page of the ENMU website.
Summer and Fall 2020 Summer 2020: Classes were already offered fully online, and all on-campus events were canceled until July 31. Fall 2020: By July 15, we will announce the decision about fall classes — whether ENMU will continue with online classes or re-open campus for face-to-face instruction. This decision will be made after discussion with the Board of Regents and the Emergency Planning Committee.
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Aiding Greyhounds In Need As the pandemic hopefully abates and we slowly return to normalcy, many are suffering, including ENMU students. If you can, please join us in contributing to help ENMU students in this time of need. Established by a generous donor, the ENMU Student Fund helps students struggling financially. Administered by the Office of Student Affairs, the ENMU Student Fund helps students who urgently need help with food, rent, transportation or health costs.
Donate online at enmu.edu/Donate
As of June, Homecoming events are tentatively scheduled for the weekend of Sept. 26, 2020. The 10-, 25and 50-year reunions have been postponed until next year. To stay up-to-date on Homecoming events, please visit: enmu.edu/Homecoming