Silver City, NM- On November 4th, Western New Mexico University hosted their fall open house, where they welcomed a total of 350 guests from Las Cruces, Gallup, Deming, Douglas and Bisbee, 187 of them being high school students and potential Mustangs.
Old James Stadium was decorated with balloons and had many booths handing out WNMU merchandise. Free coffee and donuts were also provided for the staff and students. This year’s Fall Open House was kicked off by a performance from Mariachi Plata, followed by a welcome speech from the Vice President of Student Affairs, Dr. Isaac Brundage. Brundage led the crowd in his signature greeting, “the Brundage,” where the crowd call themselves “outstanding” right after raising each of their hands and clapping all at once. The students were then taken inside the gym where they experienced a career fair, while parents and guardians were taken to explore Mustang Village via bus tour.
A guest from Animas, NM, Heather Clump, who plans on pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at WNMU attended the open house.
“I heard about this school from a counselor,” Clump said. “[WNMU] has the best [nursing] program in this area.” Clump also added that one of her teachers was an alumni, which definitely helped her in her possible decision.
Two other prospective students in attendance were Oscar Gulo and Edgar Lopez, two cousins from Nogales, AZ, who were attracted to WNMU by its affordability, wide variety of scholarships, and the healthy distance from home. Lopez hopes to become a veterinarian and Gulo shows true interest in entrepreneurship.
“Western is a place where you can find yourself and be successful,” said Ray Shelton, a history teacher from Douglas High School and a WNMU alumni from the class of 1973. “It’s also a place to relax and have a high chance of getting a job too.” Shelton is known for recruiting his history students to the university.
After lunch, a campus tour, and watching a bit of the football game, which WNMU won at 35-23, the students were lead back to the gym for a scholarship ceremony. A wide variety of prospective students were offered scholarships ranging from housing and academic, each based solely on their transcripts.
WNMU will host their next open house, the Mustang Showcase on spring 2018.
