The New Mexico State University College of Business will host events next week to celebrate its many scholarship recipients and alumni of distinction. It’s part of a series of events during the 2016 Homecoming celebration, taking place Sept. 26 to Oct. 1.
The college will recognize 164 students who’ve received scholarships this academic year during its annual scholarship luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 30, at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Road.
Students in the college have been awarded a total of 104 scholarships totaling $222,205 for the 2016-17 academic year.
Scholars and alumni at the luncheon will hear from Corey Stevens, a double major in economics and finance. Stevens, who also currently serves as editor of the Round Up student newspaper, will talk about how receiving a scholarship has made his semester much more productive.
“This scholarship has given me breathing room at a critical time, as I transition from my general education classes to the more challenging core requirements of my majors,” Stevens said. “I couldn’t be more grateful to the donors who invested in my education.”
The college will host a reception from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday at the Traders Plaza on the south side of the Business Complex on campus to honor its 2016 Distinguished Alumnus, Loren Cook, and NMSU’s 2016 James F. Cole Memorial Award for Service recipient, Dino Camunez, another College of Business alumnus.
The Distinguished Alumni awards, established in 1956, recognize living NMSU alumni who have achieved national or international distinction through their accomplishments, leadership and meritorious service that reflects the quality and advancement of NMSU.
Cook, a 1986 and ’91 graduate of the College of Business, went on to earn his law degree from Texas Southern University in Houston. Licensed as both an attorney and a certified public accountant in Texas, he built a successful full-service business-consulting firm. Cook and his wife, Paula, have contributed significantly to current-use scholarships and endowments in the College of Business to support students and faculty in the accounting program. He also provides internship opportunities, mentoring and advice to NMSU graduates in the Houston area.
The James F. Cole Memorial Award for Service, established in 1966, recognizes those who have shown progressive support, dedicated involvement, and impactful civic and humanitarian service at NMSU and within the communities around them, and notable professional service.
Camunez, a 1980 graduate of the College of Business, is founding president and CEO of First Western Trust and currently serves as chief lending officer and director of commercial banking for its Arizona operations. Camunez and his wife, Heidi, have established student scholarships and a faculty lounge space in the College of Business and are members of the 1888 Legacy Society at NMSU. Dino Camunez has also served on the NMSU Foundation Board, and the couple is actively involved in the Alumni Association. They also support causes that benefit children and families in the Phoenix area, where they live.
Camunez, Cook and other 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients will be honored with a dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday in the Corbett Center Ballrooms.
For more information on College of Business events, contact Anthony Casaus at acasaus@nmsu.edu or 575-646-5817. For more information about other events during Homecoming week, taking place from Sept. 26 to Oct. 1, visithttp://advancing.nmsu.edu/homecoming.
Information from NMSU