UNM-Gallup receives money
$425,000 goes to different departments

By Bill Donovan
Staff Writer

GALLUP — The University of New Mexico-Gallup is looking at $425,000 in grants from the recent session of the state legislature.

Most of these funds are slated to be used to improve the college's technology programs with other funds to go to the library and to help create an archive for items given to the branch by the Gallup Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial.

Branch officials expressed happiness at the legislature's generosity.

"We're are very pleased that the legislature was responsive to our requests," said Beth Miller, the branch's executive director.

Larry Sanderson, a spokesman for the branch, said everything the branch asked for was approved by the legislature.

In fact, one of the grants that was approved $50,000 for the Ceremonial archives was approved last year by the legislature and then vetoed by Gov. Bill Richardson. The approval this year, he said, came after an agreement was made between legislative leaders and Richardson on how surplus appropriations would be used.

The branch plans to use the $50,000 to hire a conservator to catalog the archives, to purchase equipment and other organizational expenses.

The legislature also approved a $35,000 grant for the campus' Zollinger Library.

Sanderson said that this will be a recurring grant, which the library will use to offset the cost of purchasing electronic subscriptions and fees that would allow students to access, for example, the archives of journals and media outlets for research purposes.

Another $50,000 will be for maintenance and technology equipment used at the center the branch operates to train workers who also receive college credit for a number of local industrial employers, including Giant and Conoco Phillips.

Other grants that were approved were:

$30,000 for a consultant from UNM's Anderson School of Management to prepare a strategic plan for an entrepreneurship program at UNM-Gallup.

$100,000 for the purchase and installation of information technology and digital media technology, including related equipment and furniture. This program will involve 100 and 200 level courses in this field, with links to UNM for advanced training.

$160,000 in capital expenses for the campus' new technology/classroom building. UNM-Gallup has already obtained $2 million in general obligation funds to help pay for the cost of this building as well.