UNM-LA Director of Title V Anne Jarrett, seated, Director of Development Karen Williams and UNM-LA Chancellor Mike Holtzclaw share the exciting news that UNM-LA met its Title V grant $250,000 endowment donation match. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
In 2020, the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos (UNM-LA) received some exciting news; it was awarded a $2.9 million Title V grant from the U.S. Department of Education. It gets better; a component of the grant was that a maximum of $250,000 would be matched to any endowment money raised. And exciting news kept rolling in because recently UNM-LA announced that it had raised $250,000 through the UNM Foundation and the Los Alamos Community Foundation.
This is all positive because it allows UNM-LA to benefit not only its students but also the community, UNM-LA Chancellor Mike Holtzclaw said.
He explained some endowments have specific goals but throughout UNM-LA’s fundraising efforts, the emphasis is geared toward the general endowment, which allows the college to pivot to where the needs are.
“I want that to build up because then if we are needing funds to start a new program … or help support students with basic needs I can use that money that is general endowment … it is very flexible,” he said.
One of the things UNM-LA is focused on is building programs for trades such as welding and plumbing and electrical work. Holtzclaw said there is a shortage of trade workers in New Mexico and Los Alamos. Therefore, UNM-LA is working with the high school to co-develop some of these pathways so students can start a program at the high school and finish that credential at UNM-LA. Holtzclaw said despite a polarized political environment, everyone seems to agree there is a need for workforce training.
Furthermore, he noted that UNM-LA does not receive any dollars from The University of New Mexico (UNM). The community college is fiscally separate from UNM.
“So, while we’re part of the university in terms of the policy and procedures and hiring processes and curriculum … we are a community college and like community colleges (we) are funded by local taxpayers and the state.”
As a result, UNM-LA can’t ask UNM for financial assistance, but on the flip side, UNM can’t take funds from UNM-LA.
“Our success and prosperity and our students’ success and prosperity are really incumbent on the community’s support and conversely, it is incumbent upon us as an institution to support the community,” Holtzclaw said.
He added it is about responding to workforce needs, economic development and training. UNM-LA strives to do more than give students their freshmen and sophomore- level-classes before they move on. It also responds to what the community needs. For instance, Holtzclaw said he was informed when he first arrived to UNM-LA that Los Alamos National Laboratory employees needed more childcare services, so UNM-LA started an early childhood training program.
“We are uniquely wired as a community college to serve the local economy and community,’ he said.
To have the community support this by contributing to the endowments is really appreciated, Holtzclaw said.
“The community of course is pretty wired towards higher education … it has been fantastic to see the support,” he said.
UNM-LA Director of Title V Anne Jarrett provided some background on the Title V grant and endowments. U.S. Department of Education awarded a lot of different grants for higher education and Title V is one of them, she said. To be eligible, applicants had to be what is called a Hispanic serving institution and have a minimum percentage of Hispanic students to apply for the grant.
In 2020, former Chancellor Dr. Cindy Rooney and staff submitted a Title V proposal called Pathways to Academic Success and Excellence or PASE.
“One of the main focus areas or the big focus area is student success but student success can also involve professional development, community engagement, workforce development, business development, things like that,” Jarrett said.
The grant was awarded – it is $2.9 million over six years. A component of it was $250,000 max or $50,000 each year that could be matched to any endowment money that was raised by donors for UNM-LA.
“The grant was awarded October 2020 … so the first few years it was really slow in getting matches and donations to the Title V endowment,” Jarrett said. “When Mike came and Karen (Williams, director of development,) started … there was a bigger push to meet this match, and we were allowed to … it didn’t have to be $50,000 each year but $250,000 total over the lifetime of the grant.”
Holtzclaw added, “The grant gave us money to do a lot of different student success initiatives as well as that $250,000 pot of money if we raised $250,000. It also allowed us to use the part of the $2.9 million we received to hire a development director … working with the UNM Foundation. We haven’t had a development director at this campus … who is actively out there cultivating potential donors. Karen came on in Spring 2023.”
Prior to Williams’ arrival, Holtzclaw said, some work was done through the Los Alamos Community Foundation, which has an endowment for UNM-LA.
“One of things in bringing Karen on board is we wanted to make sure that while we’re bringing in the UNM Foundation, we were also supporting the Los Alamos Community Foundation because it has been an important partner for UNM-LA all along,” he said.
Williams said when she came on board, she realized she needed to get to know the community.
“It was really kind of one-person-at-a-time, and I’ve been really fortunate that people have been so open to talking to me especially the Community Foundation because they are passionate about what they do and they just became a wonderful partner,” she said.
Collaborating with the Community Foundation means they can bounce ideas off each other and co-host events.
Throughout the process, everyone had a story, Williams said.
Donations are large and small and made by people from all walks of life although most are local.
“Which is amazing … most everyone who has given is already well engaged in the community, so it was just getting our message out … people really got it,” Williams said.
She recalls one donor was from Florida but graduated from UNM. A colleague recommended they give to UNM-LA, the donor agreed and contributed $50,000.
Another donor was a local woman who supported the UNM-LA cause. Williams said she had received a financial windfall and wanted to donate to the college’s welding program.
Still another donor lived in Los Alamos her whole life and has such a soft spot for UNM-LA because of the memories her children have with the college that she gave a significant gift.
“We are building these relationships with people for all kinds of different reasons and (who) are seeing the value of giving to higher education,” Williams said. “Even people who are sitting on other boards have given us really nice, substantial gifts …”
She added that when UNM-LA began to tell its story and its needs amid the crowded landscape of philanthropic organizations and ongoing social needs and challenges, many Los Alamos based donors, when asked, saw the value of including UNM-LA in their giving. There are many, in Northern New Mexico and beyond, who when asked, have been very generous, Williams said.
Fundraising efforts worked so well that not only did UNM-LA reach its goal but additionally raised approximately $100,000 in other areas, she said.
The secret to successful fundraising, according to Williams, is just asking. A lot of fundraising is just asking, getting in front of people and listening to them, she said.
“It’s asking because if you don’t ask, they definitely won’t give,” Williams said.
Here’s where the good news kind of falters; while UNM-LA’s Title V funds are secure, the federal government has eliminated all Title V grants. But the community continues to shine; Williams pointed out that a former UNM-LA faculty member contributed to the endowment.
As Holtzclaw said, “It does show how you never know how a place touches people.”