By Felix Hernandez, Staff Writer for ENMU The Chase | November 1, 2018

Eastern New Mexico University administrators Patricia Caldwell and John Houser were the guest speakers at the Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce quarterly luncheon on Oct. 25.Caldwell started out by mentioning the great turn out for the grand opening of the Golden Student Success Center, and how the center has been coming along.

“Students are buzzing over this and making their own little nest everywhere. It’s 94,000 square feet, and we plan on using every square foot,” said Caldwell.

Next, she touched on parents weekend and on the many events that were taking place the following weekend Oct. 26-27.

Caldwell then went on to talk about the hours that many of the students at Eastern our putting towards the local community of Portales.

She said volunteer hours are as followed:

Volunteering with K-12: 2,790 students

Volunteering in the work force: 272 students

Volunteering in civic Engagement: 6,245 students

Next, she brought up a new recruiting tactic that ENMU will soon be having.

“Our plan is to bring in students virtually before they enroll … making them feel a bit more comfortable, because they would have already seen what the campus looks like,” said Caldwell.

The virtual tour of the campus is for those students who don’t live close enough to campus, so they may not get the opportunity to view the campus. The university has a high rate of international students, who currently attend the university, she said.

Caldwell also talked about Bond D and what the school plans on using the funds for if the Geo Bond passes. She then introduced John Houser to speak more on the Bond.

“We have sent over 25,000 postcards out at the beginning of August, and we then sent out flyers with the local Portales students to give to their parents, to advertise and go vote,” said Houser.

Houser also mentioned there would be no tax increase if the bond passes.

Caldwell concluded the luncheon by talking about how this school year is the second highest enrollment in ENMU history.