Other NM universities announcements

In collaboration with Santa Fe County, New Mexico State University's Santa Fe County Cooperative Extension Service will host a new educational series focused on fruit tree and berry orchard production. 

The free series, Holistic Fruit Tree and Berry Orchard Establishment and Management, will take place on select dates this summer and continue into the fall at the Santa Fe County Open Space, Trails and Parks Pojoaque Sports Field, County Road 84 in Jacona, New Mexico. 

A new facility on New Mexico State University's Las Cruces campus is changing the way students work with animals. 

NMSU's Student Learning Center opened in November 2025, providing an indoor, hands-on learning environment designed to support students across multiple programs. The facility features a 150-by-250-foot arena and a classroom that can seat up to 40 people. It allows students to work with animals in a structured environment and develop practical skills through uninterrupted instruction that was previously difficult to maintain outdoors.

"We have wanted an indoor arena for a long time, specifically for the equine program because one of the inhibiting factors of teaching with horses is that we have to deal with the elements of the weather," said Hannah Bilovesky, director of therapeutic riding and equine science instructor at NMSU.

Each year, New Mexico State University's Department of Political Science, Public Law and Administration presents its Social Justice Award to an NMSU faculty member, staff or student who has worked to help create a more just society. This year's award goes to Guinivere Mayse, a senior double-majoring in history and art history, for her dedication to social justice issues inside and out of the classroom.

Neil Harvey, political science, public law and administration department head, presented Mayse with her award during the closing reception of the 2026 J. Paul Taylor Social Justice Symposium.

Karla Villalobos Porras considers it an honor and a great responsibility to be the first Ph.D. student in food science at New Mexico State University, working alongside her adviser at the NMSU Food Safety Laboratory.

"My motivation to pursue a Ph.D. in food science stems from a strong commitment to food safety, research and service to society," said Villalobos Porras, a native of Delicias, Chihuahua, Mexico. "I have always believed that scientific research should extend beyond the laboratory and translate into real-world impact."

Villalobos Porras has found those opportunities at NMSU, where agriculture, food systems and community engagement are central not just to the university's mission, but to the mission of the Food Safety Laboratory.

New Mexico State University undergraduate students in the Department of Political Science, Public Law and Administration presented their research at this year's Pi Sigma Alpha National Student Research Conference in Washington, D.C., along with others from around the world.

Pi Sigma Alpha has nearly 850 chapters with members from major research institutions to small liberal arts colleges. Seven NMSU students participated, joining more than 400 other students whose proposals were accepted.

New Mexico State University has been a driver of agricultural innovation and research since its founding in 1888.

To build on that legacy, the New Mexico Legislature and NMSU established an interdisciplinary research and education institute in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences focused on advancing sustainable agriculture and food systems.

NMSU's Center of Excellence in Sustainable Food and Agricultural Systems, or CESFAS, brings together experts from animal, plant, food, social sciences and other fields to address complex challenges across the entire food system. It runs on a mission to build a resilient agricultural economy in New Mexico through innovative interdisciplinary research that supports value-added agriculture. 

New Mexico State University has been recognized among the nation's top institutions in the newly released 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings, with several programs earning national distinction across a wide range of disciplines. 

Among the university's highest-ranked programs, NMSU earned placements in nursing-anesthesia (78 tied), social work (95 tied) and speech-language pathology (104 tied). Other programs receiving national recognition include fine arts (106 tied), physics (113 tied), English (120 tied), earth sciences (123 tied), mathematics (125 tied) and economics (126 tied). 

New Mexico State University's College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences drives community and economic development across New Mexico through its academic, research and outreach programs. 

Community members are invited to learn more about the college's impact and meet the dedicated staff, faculty and students who drive its mission at the 2026 ACES Open House. The free event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 25, at various buildings and facilities on NMSU's Las Cruces campus. 

"This is our seventh open house, where the community has the opportunity to learn more about the importance and impact of the College of ACES in New Mexico," College of ACES Dean Rolando A. Flores Galarza said.