WESTERN NEW MEXICO UNIVERSITY
CATALOG
2003-04

SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE

DEPARTMENT OF NURSING

Department Chair: McIntire
Professors: Kuthe, McIntire
Associate Professors: Schad, Nicholson
Assistant Professor: Alba, Escobedo

Degree: Western New Mexico University offers a two year nursing program leading to an Associate Degree in Nursing. Students who complete the program are eligible to take the licensure examination for Registered Nurses.

The Associate Degree in Nursing Program at Western New Mexico University is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, 61 Broadway, 33rd Floor, New York, NY10006, telephone (212)363-5555, extension 153. The Nursing Program at WNMU is approved by the New Mexico Board of Nursing, 4206 Louisiana NE, Suite A, Albuquerque, NM 87109, telephone (505) 841-8340. It is a limited enrollment program. All students interested in applying for admission must first be admitted to WNMU as specified in the Western New Mexico University catalog. Students may then contact the Department of Nursing Faculty to apply for admission to the program. All students admitted to the nursing program must have a minimum 2.75 cumulative college grade point average. Students planning to apply for the program are encouraged to enroll in supporting courses if they are not accepted into the program. The number of supporting courses completed is also considered in the student selection process in May.

Students who have been convicted of a felony involving immoral behavior or substance abuse may not be eligible for licensure in New Mexico. Any individual who has a felony conviction should contact the New Mexico Board of Nursing prior to enrolling in the WNMU Nursing Program. If during the two year program, a student is unable to complete a clinical rotation because he/she is excluded from a facility for criminal record, he/she will not be able to complete the program.

Licensed Practical Nurses may be admitted to the Nursing Program with advanced standing on a space-available basis. Eligible applicants must meet the following criteria:

1. Completion of the admission requirements for the Nursing Program.
2. The student must be a graduate of an approved school of practical nursing.
3. The student must hold an active license to practice nursing in New Mexico.
4. The student must have completed or received transfer credit for the supporting courses required in the first year of the Nursing Program.
5. Students must submit transcripts to the Admissions Office at WNMU when applying for admission. The transcripts will be reviewed by the Admissions Director and the Department Chair.
6. Students who have graduated from a state approved school of practical nursing must submit their transcripts for review.
7. The student must complete the Nursing Articulation course with a grade of C or better prior to enrollment in the second year nursing courses. Acceptance into the Nursing Articulation Course is on a space-available basis.

NURSING STUDENT SELECTION CRITERIA

Prerequisites: Minimum G.P.A. of 2.75, CMPS 160 Computer Literacy-PC and completion of NUR 100 Nursing Assistant or certification as a Nurse’s Assistant (CNA).

Supporting Courses (completion with a grade of C or better):

TWO YEAR DEGREE

SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE

DEPARTMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY and REHABILITATION SERVICES

Department Chair: Cassel
Associate Professor: Cassel
Instructor: Bradberry, Nordquist

Degrees: Associate of Science, Bachelor of Arts
Majors: Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation Services

FOUR YEAR DEGREE

TWO YEAR DEGREE

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSISTANT PROGRAM

Western New Mexico University offers a two year program leading to an Associate of Science Degree, with an Occupational Therapy Assistant major. The program is fully accredited with the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). Students who complete the program are eligible to take the National Certification exam for Occupational Therapy Assistants. Certification is conferred upon successful completion of the NBCOT exam. Most states require licensure in order to practice. State licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT exam.

The Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program at WNMU is a limited enrollment program. Twenty students will be admitted annually. All students interested in applying for admission should also apply to WNMU, as specified in the University catalog.

Admission Procedure

• Arrange for transcripts from high school and other colleges to be sent as soon as possible. You may apply on-line for both WNMU and the OTA department at www.wnmu.edu. You may also write, call or e-mail the OTA department at: Occupational Therapy Assistant Program, WNMU, P.O. Box 680, Silver City, NM 88062, phone (505) 574-5170, e-mail casselg@silver.wnmu.edu.

• The OTA program begins only in the fall of each year and 20 students are admitted. Applications to the OTA program are accepted until May 15th. After that, applications are accepted on a space-available basis. Student selection will usually be made by the first full week in June. The applicant is responsible for confirming that the department receives all necessary application materials.

• Students accepted into the program will have a cumulative GPA of 2.7 or higher from high school, or for college work, and University placement testing scores that place student in English 101 or better or completion of English 101 with a “C” or higher. Final student selection into the OTA program is based on a point system addressing grade point averages, health care or related experience, writing samples, and references.

• Students accepted into the program will complete all coursework with a grade of “C” or higher, and will maintain a GPA of 2.7 or higher in the OTA curriculum throughout the program.

• Students will maintain professional behavior, honor the AOTA code of ethics, and abide by departmental and university policy. Failure to do so may result in dismissal from the program.

• Occupational Therapy Assistant courses may be taken by students admitted into the program or with special permission from the department chair. Interested students may enroll in supporting coursework at any time.

Admission With Advanced Standing

This option is available only to those students who have either previously been accepted to an OTA program at another institution, or have completed much of the coursework toward the OTA degree at another institution. Proof of admission or course completion is required, as well as a letter of reference from the director of that program. Students who were admitted to the WNMU program, but were unable to attend at that time, will also qualify for advanced standing. Coursework related to the OTA classes will be reviewed on an individual basis by the faculty. The faculty, the department chair, and the Admissions office must approve determination of transfer credits. The student will be required to complete the same program application process as a new student.

Transfer Students

Students wishing to transfer to the OTA program must be admitted to the University and submit official transcripts from the school they attended to the Admissions Office. Any student wishing to transfer to WNMU should review the academic regulations regarding transfer credit in the University catalog. The Admissions Office and the Department chairperson will grant transfer credit after a review of transcripts. All transfer information is due by the May 15th deadline for application material.

Courses completed more than five years prior to entering the OTA program may or may not be counted towards the degree requirements, depending on individual review. Students wishing to challenge any course decision must follow the procedures outlined in the University catalog.

Program Accreditation

The occupational therapy assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220. ACOTE’s phone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA. Graduates of the program will be able to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapy assistant administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). In addition, most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination.

SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK

Department Chair: Woodard
Professor: Woodard
Assistant Professor: Niederman
Instructor: Owens

Degree: Bachelor of Social Work

Mission Statement

The Social Work Program is designed to build upon the University’s commitment to provide an education to a population that is diverse in age, culture, language, and ethnic background. The diverse multicultural and multilingual populations of this rural area underscore the importance of understanding, addressing and overcoming the mechanisms of individual and institutional discrimination and the resulting inequalities that result. The Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) provides a framework and guide for the obligations and practice for participants.

Given the program’s context, it is the mission of the Department of Social Work to promote leadership in the area by enhancing knowledgeable professional social work practice in a remote rural area, with a diverse population, while relying on the effective use of professional values and ethics. The program will encourage the use of advanced technology, emphasize the development of practice-relevant knowledge and focus on social change in increasingly larger systems so that social and economic justice can be achieved.

Admissions Information

Students must achieve a C or better grade in SWK 101 prior to applying to the Social Work program. In addition, students must have a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA prior to being admitted to the program. Admission packets are available from the Department of Social Work or the Student Development Center. Students must complete the Social Work program admission process prior to enrolling in SWK 386, Social Work Practice I. Academic credit for life or previous work experience will not be awarded.

FOUR YEAR DEGREE

SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE

DEPARTMENT OF WELLNESS AND MOVEMENT SCIENCES

Department Chair: Decker
Professors: Decker
Assistant Professor: Simonson

Major Programs: Athletic Training, Kinesiology, K-12 Pedagogy (teaching - see School of Education double major section)
Minor Programs: Coaching, Kinesiology, Sports Medicine, Wellness

The courses offered in the disciplines of Wellness and Movement Sciences are designed to provide an activity-service program for all students and to provide movement sciences professional preparation programs.

The objectives of the activity-service program are to develop: (1) physical well-being, (2) healthy skills needed for contemporary living, and (3) desirable attitudes toward physical activity. The professional teacher-training program courses are designed to provide: (1) academic preparation and/or the specific skills needed for teaching (2) appreciation of the place of physical activity in American society, and (3) foundation for graduate study. The kinesiology major is designed (1) to prepare students for careers in the fitness industry and (2) to provide a foundation for graduate study.

*All majors and minors must successfully complete department student outcomes assessment.

FOUR YEAR DEGREES

DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITIES

Department Chair: Baumhover
Professors: Amador, Baumhover, Hall, Heller, Juszczyk, Russell, Toth
Associate Professors: Cano, Griffin, Liebhart, Ollivier, Wallet-Ortiz

Degrees: Bachelor of Arts
Majors: English, Spanish
Minors: English, Latin American Studies, Pre-Law, Spanish

The Humanities Department offers courses and programs which focus on human experience in its own terms — as in literature and philosophy. These courses and programs may be used as preparation for careers in law, government, and teaching, but they are also essential to the critical thinking, value formation, and political decision-making required of citizens in a democratic society. The courses are designed for students choosing electives as well as for majors and minors.

The humanities curriculum is meant to function as a complement to curricula which are excessively specialized on one hand and exclusively practical on the other. It is committed to the cultivation of a thoughtful, broad, historical perspective; knowledge as an end-in-itself; and an awareness of the special value of human beings and their experiences — past, present, and future.

Students pursing the B.A. degree are advised to begin studying a foreign language in year one of their curriculum.

The Humanities Department includes courses in developmental reading and writing, Chicano Studies, Communication, English language and composition, Humanities, Literature (English courses), Philosophy, and Spanish language and literature. There are also two honors societies in the Humanities Department: Sigma Tau Delta and Sigma Delta Pi.

Developmental Reading and Writing

Undergraduate students new to WNMU are required to take the COMPASS placement test. COMPASS test scores are used to place students in appropriate university or developmental writing, reading and mathematics courses. Developmental Studies courses provide underprepared and “at risk” students with academic support to complete the transition from high school to college. They also provide academic support to non-traditional students who have been away from formal education for several years. Students must pass each developmental reading and/ or writing course with a “C” or better in order to move on to the next level.

Chicano Studies

Chicano Studies courses are designed to give students an insight into the Chicano culture by exposing them to language issues, history, art, music, politics, literature and other areas in which the Chicano has been impacted by the mainstream American culture and vice-versa.

Languages

English language and composition courses focus on writing as a tool of effective communication as well as the structure and development of the English language. Spanish courses are designed to provide a basic knowledge of the structure of the language and to teach the student to understand, speak, read and write Spanish.

Latin American Studies

The Latin America Studies Minor is designed to allow students to focus their studies toward the Latin American arena and prepare for a career in this sphere. The minor is comprised of 18 hours from a specific list of courses (See Latin American Studies Minor under Social Sciences for course list.). These courses deal exclusively with Latin American/Hispanic issues or have a sufficiently large module of study devoted to this region. At least 12 of the 18 hours must be at the upper division level. At least one upper division course is required in Political Science, Science or History and one in Spanish.

Literature Courses

These courses in American, British and World Literature sharpen critical and aesthetic insights and promote understanding of the cultural heritage as revealed in literature. They provide a strong foundation in subject matter for prospective teachers of English in the elementary and secondary schools and equip majors for graduate study in English.

Philosophy

Philosophy courses serve to provide students with conceptual skills needed to think critically and to confront fundamental questions in their lives. Historical and contemporary approaches to problems are presented.

Pre-Law

Requirements for pre-law training vary among the law schools from three years to the completion of the bachelor’s degree. The American Bar Association does not recommend to the law schools exactly what courses should be included for pre-professional education. High on the list of courses recommended by leaders of the legal profession, however, are English language and literature, government, economics, American history, and English history. Majors in English, Spanish, and History are all recommended backgrounds for law school, as is the broader and less specialized Humanities Major.

Spanish

Spanish offers a wide variety of courses in the Spanish language, literature and culture. These studies are practical since New Mexico lies at the gateway to Hispanic America, with the abundance of possible careers which such a situation implies. The study of Spanish is also intellectually broadening as it can provide much information about the cultural heritage of a large segment of our own population as well as the millions of our neighbors to the south.

Teacher Licensure

Students seeking teacher licensure in the state of New Mexico may combine a major in Elementary Education or Secondary Education with a teaching field in Bilingual Education - Spanish, Classical Language - Spanish, or Language Arts. Specific course listings are found in the Teaching Field section of the School of Education in this catalog.

FOUR YEAR DEGREES

DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

Department Chair: Cowling
Professors: Arasteh, Cowling, Gruszka, Johnson
Associate Professors: Beattie, Miller
Assistant Professor: McFarland, Medin
Visiting Professor: Atkinson

Degrees: Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in either Mathematics, or Computer Science
Majors: Mathematics, Computer Science
Minors: Mathematics, Computer Science

Courses in mathematics are intended for those who are studying the subjects for their own sake, for those who are interested in their applications as a tool in various fields, for those who are interested in teaching, and for those who are interested in graduate study. Students in this department are encouraged to study at least one area in which mathematics or computer science is applied. The employment opportunities are excellent for education majors with a mathematics major or minor. Career opportunities for computer science majors or minors are excellent in education, business and many other applied areas.

All classes presented for the major or minor in mathematics or computer science must be passed with a grade of C or better. Courses with credit hours marked with an asterisk (*) may be waived for students with the proper background.

FOUR YEAR DEGREES

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL SCIENCES

Department Chair: Ladner
Professors: Jennings, Ladner, Shook
Associate Professors: Dowse, Fischer, Miller
Assistant Professors: Norris

Majors: Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Forest/Wildlife, General Science, Medical Technology, Science Education, Zoology
Minors: Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Zoology

The Department of Natural Sciences offers Bachelor of Arts and Science degrees in a variety of subjects as preparation for a large number of professional careers. Pre-professional programs are offered for students interested in careers in dentistry, engineering, forestry, medicine, or pharmacy. Additionally, the Department provides appealing courses which not only fulfill undergraduate science requirements, but also prepare the student for the scientific realities of life.

The faculty is committed to scholarship and research. Research equipment, instruments, and library materials are available for student use.

General Education Requirements: The following Department of Natural Sciences courses, including their associated laboratories, are approved for fulfilling the General Education requirements for laboratory science. Some of these are restricted (for General Education credit) to students who have declared majors in specific fields. All courses, including designated General Education courses, required for a major or minor in the Department of Natural Sciences must be passed with a grade of C or better.

BIOL 101/103 and 102/104 primarily for non-science majors
BIOL 111/113 and 112/114 primarily for science majors
BIOL 254/256 and 255/257 for nursing & occupational therapy majors only
CHEM 121/123, 151/153, 152/154
GEOL 101/103, 102/104, 201/203
PHSC 101/103, 102/104, 115/116, 171/173, 172/174
PHYS 151/153, 152/154, 171/173, 172/174

Advisors: Each student has the option of choosing his or her advisor. Each major for the department however, has a suggested advisor listed at the beginning of the degree plan. These professors are the best qualified to advise a student in each of these areas.

FOUR YEAR DEGREES

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Department Chair: French
Professors: Behr, Bradfield, French, Lopez
Associate Professors: Culhane, de Oca, Manzanárez
Assistant Professors: Bourdette, Lavalle

Majors: Chemical Dependency, History, Psychology, Social Science, Sociology
Minors: Chemical Dependency, Geography, History, Latin American Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology

The primary purposes of the programs in the social sciences are to provide students with a broad and general understanding of human social life and to prepare students for varied careers in business, education, government, law, human services, and psychology.

General Education Requirements

All students are required to take two three hour courses selected from two different disciplines from the following courses:
ANTH 201, ANTH 202, ECON 200, GEOG 202, GEOG 205, POLS 201, PSY 102, SOC 101 or SOC 102.

In addition, three hours of history are also required. These are to be chosen from lower division courses in these two areas: World Civilization or American History.

GEOG 201/211 will fulfill four (4) hours of lab science credit for General Education.

All majors in the areas of Social Science must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the major field for graduation at the Bachelor’s levels. All majors require a minor degree program with the exception of the Chemical Dependency and Social Science majors.

Social Sciences Majors and Minors

Any student with a major and/or minor in the Department of Social Sciences may not count as general education hours the courses GEOG 202 and 205, if the student has a minor in Geography; the courses HIST 201 and 202, if the student has a major or minor in History; the course POLS 201 if the student has a minor in Political Science; the course PSY 102 if the student has a major or minor in Psychology; and the courses SOC 101 and 102 if the student has a major or a minor in Sociology.

FOUR YEAR DEGREES