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Thursday, January 17, 2008

College Classes Coming to Moriarty

By Laura Nesbitt
Mountain View Telegraph
    College-level classes may be offered as soon as this fall in the Moriarty area.
    "That's our goal," said Christine Doughtery, Mesalands Community College director of instructional services.
    New Mexico Highlands University is performing a needs assessment to "look at the possibility" before making a commitment, said Sean Weaver, a university spokesman.
    On Jan. 10, representatives from both degree-granting institutions met with Moriarty-Edgewood School District and city officials, as well as area business owners and others, to discuss an undertaking that began in August 2006, said Geri Salazar, the Moriarty city grants administrator.
    University committee members chose NMHU and Mesalands from several institutions to work with on the effort to bring college-level classes to the area, according to Lori Miller, head of guidance at Moriarty High School.
    At the meeting, university committee members discussed results of a June survey that showed 588 of 652 respondents, or 90 percent, said they would be interested in attending college classes offered in the area.
    The Edgewood area made up the largest group of respondents at 253 people or 40 percent. People in the Moriarty area comprised 23 percent of those responding to the survey.
    Another Edgewood group, which began at roughly the same time, also has been contemplating offering classes through Central New Mexico Community College.
    Janelle Turner, who is on the Edgewood advisory committee, said the group would like to find a way to complement what the Moriarty group is doing. The Edgewood group is not as far along as the Moriarty group, Turner said.
    "What Moriarty is doing is great and wonderful, but we think CNM would be a better fit for Edgewood," Turner said. "The general impression is that there will be enough growth in the East Mountains to justify more than one institution."
    Although the Moriarty group appears further along than their Edgewood neighbors, funding for the Moriarty venture has not been considered yet, Salazar said.
    Dougherty and Evonne Roybal-Tafoya, from the educational outreach services for NMHU, responded to questions from the group regarding different classes including: vocational, remedial, online and televised, undergraduate and graduate, along with teaching high school and adult students, and student funding.
    "Where do you guys want to set up?" Saul Araque, Work Force Connection, said to general laughter from committee members who then began to discuss those possibilities.
    "Let's hold an educational fair. Let's see who comes and that's where we'll draw our base," said Karen Couch, Moriarty-Edgewood school superintendent. "(This is) our opportunity to demonstrate the need in the East Mountain area."
    Preliminary dates for the event are May 2 and 3 at the Moriarty Civic Center.