A Message from the President

Dear Alumni,

Lisa is, at this moment, on her way out the door for a few weeks of UWC-related travel. We decided to send this from my inbox so that I can answer any follow-up queries you might have while she is traveling. --Elizabeth (assistant to Lisa)

Dear Alumni,

I certainly intended to email you earlier in the year to report on campus news, but, as you will see, it has been a jam-packed, breathtakingly exciting term. And now it is already April. Where did the time go?

25^th Anniversary Kick-Off

We started the year by celebrating the retirement of UWC-USA’s original employee, Dave Bennett. Dave was not only the first UWC employee but also the first campus resident. We held a dinner party in his honor, inviting back early faculty and staff members. It was a great time to remember our years together and to note the development of the College that so many people had been involved with. This event kicked off what will be an 18-month celebration of our 25^th anniversary (1982-2007)

The Passing of Dan Tyson

Mere days after this celebration of our history came the very sad news of the passing of former faculty member and campus resident Dan Tyson. In celebrating his life, we recognized the contributions Dan had made in his many years of service to our College. His memorial was a gathering of friends, colleagues and family, and it reminded all of us of the value of story, the value of laughter and the value of living thoughtful, examined lives.

Tuberculosis

A few weeks later, as the spring semester started in earnest, one of our students became ill with active tuberculosis. What an education! The entire community geared up to make sure that our student received the best possible care and to understand the facts of this illness. The College worked very closely with regional infectious disease experts, who provided screening, counseling and good information to all of us. We all are now much better educated about this global health concern, and, even better, the sick student has made a complete recovery and is back on track.

The Strategic Plan

In the midst of this, we held our February Board meeting in which our Strategic Plan was unanimously approved. Implementation of the plan is now being designed. The plan is comprehensive, challenging and will be transformational. Based on the many, many sessions held last fall with the entire array of UWC constituencies, the Plan has no fewer than 39 projects being tackled between now and 2012.

The projects fall within the six broad categories: Student Programs, External Relations & Program/Mission Expansion, Employees & Governance, Facilities & Operations, Finance & Development, and IT & Communications. Each project comprises delineated action steps with assigned deadlines and parties responsible. We are looking forward to being able to report our progress and celebrate the completion of each project with you.

Since the existing catalog of projects is, as of this email, 49 pages, I will spare you the details here. It calls for the following areas of College life to be addressed over the next five years:

• The student experience, including reviews of the academic and co-curricular programs and issues related to student life
• The employee experience, including professional development
• A review of the optimum enrollment size at the College
• A review of the College’s relationship to Las Vegas and Northern New Mexico as well as to the international UWC movement
• A re-assessment of the relationship of the College to its alumni, seeking to redefine a student’s two years at the school as only the beginning of a lifelong commitment to the UWC mission
• An analysis of the campus, creation of a master facilities plan, the upgrading of technological systems on campus, including in the classrooms, and the development of programs to create a sustainable institution
• An enhancement of the Board of Trustees

A related piece of news is that biology teacher Fernando Mejia was selected as our new Director of Facilities and Operations, replacing the retired Dave Bennett and taking on supervisory duties for Security and Transport as well as Maintenance. Fernando’s “green” outlook will serve us well as we strive to meet sustainability goals.

Project Week

Project Week in mid-March provided opportunities for a myriad of experiences, some familiar to you, some new. The newest Project this year was an on-campus option for second years who wished to participate in some local community service projects as well as catch up on work and sleep. The off-campus projects were

• exploring Big Bend National Park
• working with a variety of local organizations that serve migrants and displaced people in Juarez, Agua Preita, Nogales and Tucson
• engaging in cultural exchange with villages in Copper Canyon
• helping with housing restoration in New Orleans
• studying desert and marine ecosystems in Tucson and Baja
• studying astronomy in Star Hill
• exploring baseball and watching spring-training in Phoenix
• visiting museums, zoos and other cultural activities in San Diego
• Facilitating a Youth Summit Conference in Denver

International Board Meeting

Three days after the return from Project Week, UWC-USA hosted the UWC International Board, a group comprised of the Heads of the each UWC, the Chairs of each UWC Board, National Committee volunteers and alumni—including four UWC-USA alumni, one parent of a UWC-USA alumna, and a spouse of a UWC-USA alumnus! The International Board’s presence on campus reminded all of us here that we are indeed part of a larger—and growing--movement

Gracias Amigos

That weekend was also the second major event of our 25^th Anniversary celebrations: an international show called Gracias Amigos held at Ilfeld Auditorium on the campus of Highlands University in Las Vegas. The purpose of the show was to thank Northern New Mexico, and Las Vegas in particular, for being such a warm and gracious home to the College for these 25 years. This show was a huge success and is still the talk of the town.

Beyond Borders: Immigration, Education and Cultural Exchange

Last weekend the Bartos Institute for the Constrictive Engagement of Conflict (CEC) co-hosted, with Monte del Sol Charter School, a high school youth conference, the theme of which was "Beyond Borders: Immigration, Education and Cultural Exchange". Students and community members led workshops and gave presentations.

And that is just a taste of what has been happening this term. Much MORE has happened—performances, expeditions, service projects, Global Issues speakers, coffee tables, cafes. This week is the last week of classes for second-years—IB exams are just around the corner.

Never a dull moment, as I’m sure you’ll remember.

Best to all of you,

Lisa