The Luna Light - Luna Community College
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The Luna Light
“Crea ng Opportuni es for You!”
Second Volume 2, Issue 4 January 15, 2019
Luna Student
Services Advisor
Janice Medrano
assists Manuel
Martinez with setting
up his schedule on
Thursday. First day of
classes for spring
began on Monday,
Jan. 14. Martinez, a
Mora native, intends
to major in Media Art
and Film Technology.
For more information
on spring classes,
please call 505/454-
2550. The last day to
register for classes is
Tuesday, Jan. 22.
Spring registration underway
Schedules and related certificate — a full list of
Deadline information necessary for which is available on the
online registration are website — should consult with
to sign up is available via the newly an advisor to ensure that they
Jan. 22 updated Luna website, develop the appropriate
www.luna.edu. Students may course schedule and take
Registration for the also visit the registrar’s office other necessary steps for their
spring semester is up and on campus for assistance with chosen program.
running at Luna Community registration. Luna also offers a
College, and students are For those seeking an number of classes at
encouraged to sign up for associate degree or certificate, convenient times for personal
classes now through Jan. 22. Luna offers programs in the enrichment and benefit for
The first day of class for departments of allied health, the non-degree student.
spring 2019 began on business, education, These are also listed in the
Monday, Jan. 14, and the last humanities, nursing, STEM current semester schedule
day to add or drop classes is and vocations. A student who available online.
Tuesday, Jan. 22. wishes to pursue a degree or
2
Eventful 2018 paves way to
promising 2019 at Luna
The following is a column written by Luna interim Integral to shared governance was the
President Ricky Serna. It has been published in several establishment of the college’s first Staff Advisory
newspapers across the region.
Senate. The senate serves as a source of input on issues
and decisions that relate to regular full-time/part-time
F or many, this time of the
year prompts much
reflection on the reasons to be
and non-faculty staff at the college. Within the past
year, the senate has conducted elections, completed
drafting its bylaws and marked its one-year
thankful — the challenges
anniversary by re-establishing the college’s Years of
overcome throughout the last 12
Service Celebration for employees.
months, and goals we hope to
In May, the college completed construction of its
accomplish in the new year.
Media Arts Auditorium. The 18,000-plus square foot
For Luna Community
auditorium is among the largest public venues in
College, 2018 was far from typical.
northern New Mexico with a total capacity of 1,200.
The year was marked with several Serna
Just two weeks after its grand opening, the auditorium
challenges that called for a
reached capacity when hundreds celebrated the spring
community to establish an institutional culture built
2018 commencement.
on collaboration, transparency, assessment and quality
Following a study, the board of trustees approved
outcomes. Although the past year brought about
a $300,000 salary parity proposal aimed at raising
difficult and uncertain times, we now look back and
employee compensation to a level consistent with
celebrate the changes that came from the most
sister institutions throughout the region. The proposal,
challenging time in the college’s history.
which yielded salary increases for 70 percent of college
The year began with a sense of urgency to
personnel, raised the college’s minimum wage to above
complete the college’s Show-Cause Report that was
$10 per hour. Salary adjustments took effect prior to
due to its accrediting agency on Feb. 1. Just months
the end of the fiscal year to ensure the 2 percent state-
prior, the Higher Learning Commission placed the
mandated salary adjustment was applied to increased
college on a Show-Cause Order. The order provided
salaries.
Luna with 90 days to make notable changes in its
In addition to addressing staff compensation, the
governance and administrative practices, all while
college has grown by more than a dozen new positions
drafting a comprehensive report that demonstrated the
that have been created to increase student services,
college’s compliance with all criteria for accreditation.
completion and graduation rates. New positions
In response to the Show-Cause Order, college
include a Director for Institutional Research,
faculty, staff and administration came together to
developmental education specialists, a total of seven
develop and adopt a shared governance policy that
faculty/advisors – one for each academic department,
provides for a collaborative model of decision making
a Director for Student and Career Services, and a
that includes the board of trustees, the president,
Veterans Resource Coordinator.
administration, faculty, staff and students. It is now
the process by which institutional direction and
Continued on Page 8
policies are developed, modified and implemented.
3
Health care services open to Luna
Students at Luna Community College now have
access to services at the Student Health Center at New
Mexico Highlands, thanks to a new agreement
between the institutions.
The memorandum of understanding signed Jan.
8 between Highlands and Luna also includes El
Centro Family Health, which currently delivers
medical and behavioral health services to Highlands’
students on the main campus in Las Vegas.
“We recognize that there is a need for college
students to access care, and Highlands has had a
great partnership with El Centro for 27 years,” said Photo by Rick Loffredo, NMHU
Kim Blea, dean of students at Highlands. “The idea NMHU President Sam Minner, El Centro CEO Lore
for this new agreement is for the parties to work Pease and Luna interim President Ricky Serna sign an
agreement that enables Luna students to use the
together for the mutual benefit of supporting our Highlands Student Health Center run by El Centro.
students’ holistic well-being through medical and
behavioral health services.” “This collaboration is an opportunity to join
Blea said the agreement is designed to serve as a forces with Luna and El Centro to provide medical
pilot project in extending services to Luna students. and behavioral health services in a cost-effective way
At Highlands, students pay a student health fee that so that students from both institutions can lead
gives them access to services. Luna students will pay healthy lives of great meaning and purpose. This is a
their own student fee. win-win for all of us,” Minner said.
“El Centro is well known for the quality of its Ricky Serna, interim president for Luna
service and commitment to serving underserved Community College, said: “It’s a pilot project that
populations in rural Northern New Mexico and local allows us to gauge the long-term needs for our
Las Vegas public schools,” Blea said. “El Centro is students in health and behavioral health services. We
very community minded and it’s exciting that we can look forward to working with Highlands and El
now extend this kind of care to other college students Centro to increase overall capacity and access to
in our community through this new collaboration services in this region.”
with Luna.” El Centro Family Health was previously known
Blea said Highlands has a strong, long-term as Health Centers of Northern New Mexico.
commitment to ensure that its students are supported “I’m really pleased that this new partnership
in every aspect of their life, including physical and will ease the stress of students going through college,”
emotional well-being. said Lore Pease, CEO for El Centro.
Highlands University President Sam Minner The new health center agreement is for spring
said another benefit of the Highlands agreement with semester 2019 with the option for the three parties to
Luna and El Centro is that the cooperation will lead to renew the pilot project if all approve.
cost savings through the shared usage of space at
Highlands. — Margaret McKinney, NMHU University Relations
4
5
Davi and Jose Mondragon,
shown celebrating their
recent graduation from
Eastern New Mexico, both
got their start in higher
education at Luna
Community College. The
brothers credit Luna for the
beginning of their
promising careers in the
STEM field.
‘A stroke of luck’ Mondragon brothers
got good start at Luna
J
(but) I still wanted to play baseball Mondragon said. “She also secured
past high school. The program at scholarships for my brother (Davi)
ose Mondragon has LCC allowed me to continue to do and I to continue our education at
been good at math and science for a that, so I chose to got to LCC Eastern New Mexico University,
long time. So it’s a natural instead. It turned out to be a which set us up for an amazing
conclusion that he’d pursue a beneficial choice for my future future. Her kindness also extended
career in engineering. career.” to any other LCC student that she
talked with … I will be forever
But it took the opportunity “The experiences at Luna
grateful for the help (she) gave me.”
presented via Luna Community taught me very well about how
College’s baseball program to give college works and what it takes to “I decided to pursue the
him a kick start. And it took the be successful in college,” he said. engineering field because I knew I
caring approach of at least one LCC “Attending Luna helped strengthen had strengths in math and some
faculty member to guide him along me for my future college years.” sciences,” he said, noting that he’d
his way. been enrolled in Advanced
Betsy Sanchez, who oversaw
Placement math classes throughout
“Attending LCC was a stroke the pre-engineering program at the
high school and did well in them. “I
of luck for me,” Mondragon time, was a particularly helpful ally.
figured that would be the field that
recalled of the days after his “She always made sure I was
would best suit my strengths. The
graduation from Albuquerque’s in the correct classes and was
design and creating different things
Valley High in 2013. “I intended to making sure to do all my work to
is what piqued my interest the
go to the University of New Mexico the fullest of my ability,”
most.”
6
Although he had a natural “My dad (Frank Mondragon) working his way up in the company
aptitude for math and science, showed me how to work hard and or moving to a research position at
Mondragon encountered his share have perseverance and drive. My a national laboratory. “The sky is
of challenges in finishing his hard work ethic is due to him.” the limit,” he said.
studies.
“The best advice I could give Like his brother Jose, Davi
“The biggest challenge I high school students is to always graduated from Albuquerque’s
would talk about is the semesters I continue your education,” he said. Valley High. He spent plenty of
took an overloaded class schedule “I can promise you that if you go to time growing up in Taos, his father
to maintain my double major,” he college and take it seriously, it will Frank’s hometown.
noted. “I think the credit hours I create a tremendous future. College
His parents – Frank
took was around 18 to 20 for two is definitely the hardest thing I’ve
Mondragon, a mechanic who ran
semesters. The whole school year done, but it pays itself off in great
his own business, and Juanita
was comprised of 12- to 15-hour value.”
Lujan, a Duke City native who
days of classes and homework to
*** earned an accounting degree from
stay up to date with my classes.
UNM – both were major influences,
That year took a lot out of me, but it From his childhood days,
albeit in different ways. Juanita, he
sure has paid off.” when he’d accompany his dad into
said, “always instilled in me the
his mechanic’s workshop, his young
Upon graduation from importance of education.” Frank
mind full of wonder about how
ENMU, Mondragon secured a job taught “the importance of a good
things worked, Davi Mondragon
with Oncor Electric Delivery, an work ethic and gave me expeireince
was a natural fit for the world of
electric transmission and working with my hands, which was
engineering.
distribution company in north- very fun for me.”
central Texas. In school, he did well in math
Between its affordability and
and “loved to build and design
“I work on the protection the fact it provided an opportunity
things in classes like wood and
equipment for high voltage for him to play collegiate baseball,
metal shop.”
transmission and distribution Luna emerged as the college of
equipment,” he said. “This job is Today, Mondragon is choice for Mondragon. But he got
very fun and technical. I feel employed as a technician for Oncor more out of the experience than
accomplished every day from my Electric Delivery in Texas, getting he’d anticipated.
work and am very happy with the to do what he loves – using his
“My experience at Luna
job.” mind and his hands to help provide
played a very important role in
a vital service to the public.
Mondragon said he’d like to where I am today and what I was
Mondragon, who used his
either get further into professional able to do after I left,” he said.
education at Luna Community
engineering or continue his While he felt confident in his
College as a springboard to an
master’s in electronic engineering. academic abilities going into
engineering degree at Eastern New
college, Mondragon was unsure of
He’s grateful to Sanchez, Mexico University, said it’s “an
what to do with his life beyond
whom he called the best teacher, extremely fun and fulfilling job,”
graduation and he didn’t know
and to his parents. “My mom that’s given him opportunity to
what he needed to do to get there.
(Juanita Lujan) always pushed me build his career. He also is
educationally and made sure I was considering earning his master’s in
continuing my education,” he said. engineering and potentially Continued on Page 8
7
Luck... Continued from Page 7 2018...
“The great instructors at Sanchez and Collins, he said, Continued from Page 3
LCC and my advisor helped me “inspired me to dream bigger …
not only build on my confidence and helped me move on to a four- Following a site visit and
as a student but find and year university.” Sanchez committee hearing in Chicago, the
maximize opportunities that set introduced him to the field of Higher Learning Commission
me up for the future,” he said. engineering and got him to look at Board voted in July to remove the
“The personal and one-on-one several universities. Collins
college from Show-Cause and place
relationship with everyone at helped interest him in computer
the institution on probation. This
Luna was amazing and is science, in which in he attained
measure recognized the significant
something you just don’t get from certification.
work and changes achieved by the
large universities or junior
After graduating from Luna institution over a short period.
colleges. At the end of my
in May 2015 with as associate Just a few months ago, the
community college career, I had a
degree in pre-engineering, college went live with its all-new
lot of experience on my resume
Mondragon went on to earn his website. The new site, which is still
and was set up to go to an
bachelor’s in engineering and located at luna.edu, captures the
excellent university.”
computer science this past May. increased levels of sophistication,
In addition to completing professionalism and service that
“The aspect of
his basic core classes and getting can be found throughout the
understanding how things work
individual attention at Luna, campus.
and developing new ways to
Mondragon benefitted through All this, and so much more,
improve products with new
extracurricular activities like has given Luna Community College
technology and designing
visiting university campuses and reason to celebrate a wonderful
completely new products
the state legislature, serving as a
intrigued me the most about 2018. It also sets the stage for a
student ambassador, and working
engineering,” he said. “Also, being wonderful new year. In the past 12
on a summer research project.
able to improve people’s lives months, we learned much about
“Luna helped me find out through this gives me our ability to persevere under
more what I wanted to study when satisfaction.” pressure. We learned much about
I did move on,” he said. “I always the undivided support of the
“The advice I have for high
had a general knowledge of what I communities we serve. However,
school students is to find
wanted to do but in the end I had most important, we learned that we
something that you love doing and
a better focused idea of what to can never be successful if we don’t
work hard at becoming the best at
study when I moved on.” first face trials.
it,” he said. “Life is too short for
Advisor Betsy Sanchez, you to be mediocre and not give it On behalf of the campus
Nichole Collins and Lorraine your all. Never make any excuses community and board of trustees,
Martinez proved especially for yourself because no matter thank you for helping make 2018 a
helpful. “They all truly cared how bad it is, there are others out wonderful year! Thank you for your
about my future,” he recalled, there who are not getting the support, honesty and for holding us
“and without a doubt I can say opportunities you’re getting, so it accountable. We wish you a very
that I wouldn’t be where I am is important to make the most out prosperous new year.
today without them.” of them.”
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