BY DR. ANDREW FISCHER WRIGHT
Candidate for UNM-LA Advisory Board
My name is Dr. Andrew Fischer Wright, though many of y’all may know me as Andy. Based on my experiences over the past seven years working in higher education, I decided to announce my candidacy for a position on the UNM-Los Alamos Advisory Board last month.
One source of inspiration for my candidacy comes from my time at the University of Texas at Austin, where I taught courses on film history and media ethics while receiving my doctorate degree in Media Studies. At UT, I had chances to sit on committees impacting library services and undergraduate curriculum in the College of Liberal Arts as well as my own department’s curriculum development. Throughout all of these roles, I was able to advocate for the changing needs of a post-2020 generation of undergraduates who needed hybrid and Zoom options due to their part-time (and full-time!) jobs and family obligations, yet still desired in-person opportunities to network and meet their peers. My passion impacted my dissertation research as well as my work at UT’s University Writing Center, where I served as Assistant Program Coordinator and led the reforming of the Center’s professional development program for 60+ undergraduate writing tutors from 2021-2023.
My research and experience have led me to a fact that we all know intuitively: the personal and professional needs of students pursuing higher education have changed, and institutions need to change accordingly. UNM-Los Alamos is ahead of the curve by offering dual credit courses to high school students that give a head start into the world of higher education, developing and adapting certification programs, and offering a relatively low student to instructor ratio that allows for more mentorship opportunities. Higher education leads to a more just society, and I hope to help continue the work that the advisory board is already doing.
When my wife was offered a job at Los Alamos National Lab a few years ago, we knew that this community was where we would be living our adult lives. It is my foundational belief that when you think you can help your community, you should try to. I have already begun to do this through my nonprofit work with the Los Alamos Arts Council, where I serve as the Assistant Executive Director and get the opportunity to work with local and regional New Mexican artists on a daily basis. I am also a member of our County’s Arts in Public Places Board.
A spot on the UNM-LA Advisory Board strikes me as a way I could give back in a way that I am qualified for. If you share this opinion, I hope you will consider voting in the upcoming election. Early voting starts on Oct. 7 while election day is Nov. 4. If you would like to vote by mail, you can request a ballot at this link before Oct. 22:
https://portal1.sos.nm.gov/OVR/(S(tyngukxjgcnjtvsmypmxh4lv))/WebPages/AbsenteeApplication.aspx