Other NM universities announcements

More than 60 researchers from New Mexico State University's colleges have been appointed to serve on scientific journal editorial boards, according to a list compiled by the NMSU Office of Research, Creativity and Economic Development.

The list includes 12 editors from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, 18 editors from the College of Arts and Sciences, three editors from the College of Business, 15 editors from the College of Engineering and 10 editors from the College of Health, Education and Social Transformation. They have been appointed to various scientific and creative journals, including those published by Elsevier, Sage, Springer, Taylor and Francis, and Wiley.

Jim Stanfill is bringing more than 30 years of IT leadership experience to New Mexico State University as its new chief information officer. Stanfill was selected from finalists named by an NMSU committee after a six-month search. He started the CIO position Sept. 19.

Stanfill has worked with most major technology companies in the country, handling major IT transformations for Hewlett Packard, General Dynamics, General Motors and IBM. He was the founder, president and chief technology officer of InVinci Systems, Inc. and served as a strategic technology advisor and enterprise data architect to Fortune 500 clients across various industries before his retirement.

While New Mexico State University's Fabián García Science Center in Las Cruces is small compared to its sister centers throughout the state, it certainly packs a punch.

The center will host its annual field day Oct. 9, featuring the latest in research on chile and other crops, and the new home of NMSU's Chile Pepper Institute, which will be open during the field day.

The field day will begin with registration at 7:30 a.m. at the center, 113 University Ave. in Las Cruces. Attendees are asked to park at 500 W. College Ave. Along with several research presentations, participants can view poster presentations and sample food by students with the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management.

New Mexico State University is looking at the next steps to restore and rebuild its Alumni Pond, which was closed last August after losing a significant amount of water in a short period of time.

NMSU engaged with Molzen Corbin, a national engineering firm based in New Mexico with significant expertise in water resource engineering, to conduct an evaluation of the pond. The completed report was provided to NMSU in December 2023.

Some observations of this report include: The pond was created in the 1970s and is approximately one acre in size; 12-feet deep at maximum; and has a volume of 2.2 million gallons. At the point of closure, the pond had lost approximately 750,000 gallons of water in three days, about one-third of its capacity. The pond's liner is more than 45 years old and should be completely replaced.

The New Mexico State University Foundation kicks off a new crowdfunding campaign this month to raise funds to support ballet folklórico at NMSU. This vibrant cultural tradition enriches both the university and local communities.

"These much-needed funds will help preserve and promote the artistry and cultural significance of this dynamic dance form, ensuring that future generations can experience and participate in its enduring legacy," said Patrick Stewart, vice president of philanthropy and alumni relations at the NMSU Foundation.

Portales, NM – September 27, 2024– Eastern New Mexico University will recognize its 2024 Homecoming Honorees at the 48th Annual ENMU Foundation Homecoming Breakfast on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 8 a.m. in the Campus Union Ballroom. The annual banquet will present awards from the ENMU Alumni Association, ENMU Foundation, and the ENMU Educator Hall of Honor.

"It is a privilege to recognize great alumni, supporters, and friends of ENMU," said James Johnston, ENMU Chancellor. "This is a truly distinguished list, and I appreciate all they have done and continue to do for ENMU. I look forward to congratulating them in person and celebrating their awards."

New Mexico State University continues its streak of being ranked in the U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges for 2025.

NMSU earned a spot on the social mobility list (106 tied) and also ranked in top public schools (135 tied). As for best undergraduate programs, NMSU ranked in engineering (139 tied), psychology (146 tied), nursing (149 tied), computer science (193 tied) and business (198 tied).

"NMSU offers best-value programs with student success as the primary goal," said Lakshmi Reddi, interim provost. "Although ranking systems differ in their criteria, which may not include student success, we recognize the need to know how we compare with our peers. Many of our programs are moving up in rankings, and I congratulate our faculty and staff for their drive to excel."

Unofficial enrollment numbers for the New Mexico State University system show an increase of more than 4% systemwide over last fall, continuing a 3-year upward trend driven by the increased availability of Lottery and Opportunity scholarships and double-digit growth from NMSU Global.

While enrollment data is still being finalized and is subject to change, preliminary data from the university's fall census date of Sept. 6 shows a systemwide headcount for fall 2024 of 22,751 – a 4.2% increase over fall 2023.

Including NMSU Global, the university's fully online campus, the unduplicated headcount for NMSU's Las Cruces campus includes 15,417 undergraduate and graduate students, an increase of 4.2% over fall 2023. Undergraduate continuing student enrollment is up another 3.6% this fall, at 8,196 students. First-time freshman enrollment remained steady, with more than 2,400 new students in this year's cohort.

Renay Scott, vice president of Student Success, said the university system's continued investment in support programs like the Aggie Launch Pad, which provides students with a laptop and additional digital literacy training and workshops, and NMSU's Student Success Center, which provides tutoring and mentoring services, financial literacy programming, career development, graduate school planning, and support for first-generation college students, are helping those students persist and achieve their goal of earning a degree.

"While we are excited to have students join us for the first time each fall, we remain committed to help all students be successful by providing the support and experience they need until they reach the finish line of earning their degree," Scott said.

NMSU Global now has more than 2,800 students – a 36.6% increase over fall 2023.

"This year, NMSU Global attained a nearly 37% year-over-year growth in enrollment, which demonstrates our commitment to providing quality online education to our professional working adults," said Sherry Kollmann, Chancellor for NMSU Global. "Forbes Advisor recently announced NMSU Global as the No. 1 online college in New Mexico. This top ranking illustrates our steadfast dedication to putting our adult students at the center of our decision-making to ensure they attain their educational goals."

Graduate enrollment also increased 8.6% to 2,902 students after several years of fairly steady enrollment. Ranjit Koodali, dean of the Graduate School, attributed the increase in graduate enrollment to strategic investments, partnerships and collective recruiting efforts across campus units in targeted countries, along with new graduate degree programs being developed.

"The increase in enrollment is also a testimony to the availability of high-quality graduate programs and the opportunities for pursuing cutting-edge research under the supervision of world class faculty who are experts in their disciplines," Koodali said.

NMSU's Graduate School began offering a doctorate in transborder and global human dynamics among other new programs this fall, and NMSU's Board of Regents this month approved four new graduate programs for future implementation: a Ph.D. in applied and agricultural biology, a Master of Arts in borderlands and ethnic studies, and fully online Master of Engineering degrees in engineering management and systems engineering.

NMSU's community colleges also saw an overall enrollment increase this fall of 3.8% to 9,136. NMSU Alamogordo, with 1,153 students enrolled, is up 5.7% over fall 2023, while NMSU Grants was down 9.4% with 758 students enrolled. The largest community college campus, Doña Ana Community College, has 7,552 students enrolled, up 5.2% over last fall.

Once fall enrollment data has been fully verified and finalized, it will be available online at oia.nmsu.edu.

The full article can be seen at https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/scholarships--online-offerings-drive-continued-enrollment-growth-for-nmsu-system/s/93ee73c9-89c8-436b-960a-0225947fe49e