New Mexico State University in 3D: Dedicated, …4 NMSU Accreditation Self-Study New Mexico State...

1NMSU Accreditation Self-Study

New Mexico State University in 3D: Dedicated, Diverse, Dynamic

A Self-Study to the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) 2008

Introduction

New Mexico State University (NMSU) is the state’s land-grant university, serving the

educational needs of New Mexico’s diverse population through comprehensive programs of

education, research, extension education, and public service. The New Mexico State University

System consists of a comprehensive, doctoral level university and four community colleges:

NMSU Alamogordo, NMSU Carlsbad, NMSU Doña Ana and NMSU Grants. As a system,

NMSU continues to work for greater efficiency, effectiveness and cohesiveness as it builds a

“One University” culture statewide. In this chapter we present our accreditation history and

current agenda, identify our self-study process of engagement, provide background information

about our University System, its campuses and commitments, and identify the contents of this

self-study report. In addition, we present progress on prior HLC concerns.

2 NMSU Accreditation Self-Study


NMSU Accreditation History and Current AgendaNMSU has been regionally accredited since 1926, and has held preliminary to full accreditation

status at the doctoral level since 1963. Our most recent reaccreditation was given by the Higher

Learning Commission of the North Central Association (NCA) of Colleges and Schools (HLC)

in 1998.

The April 1998 self-study process resulted in reaccreditation for a ten-year period. The insti-

tution was commended by HLC during the 1998 self-study process for its:

• student-centeredfaculty

• encouragementofstudentleadership

• diversityandstudentachievements

• commitmenttoprovidinglow-costaccesstohighereducation

• graduateprogramsaimedatmeetingtheneedsofthestate

• exemplarypreparationoftransferstudentstofour-yearorprofessionaldegree programs by NMSU Grants in a tri-cultural area

NMSU successfully submitted a monitoring report addressing concerns regarding its rela-

tionship with Doña Ana Community College in 2001 and a progress report on the assessment of

student learning in general education in 2002. NMSU also successfully completed two focused

visits to enhance degree programs available at a distance (2000 and 2003).

Within the NMSU System, NMSU Alamogordo is separately accredited (PEAQ since 1973).

NMSU Carlsbad is separately accredited (PEAQ-1973 to 1999, and AQIP since 2000). NMSU

Doña Ana, established in 1965, and NMSU Grants, established in 1968, have previously been

accredited within the NMSU regional accreditation (PEAQ). NMSU Doña Ana is now applying

for independent accreditation (PEAQ) within this self-study process, an action strongly supported

by the NMSU Board of Regents and administration.

The NMSU self-study agenda is an ambitious one. We seek:

•ReaccreditationforNMSU(itsLasCrucescampusanditsNMSUGrantscommunitycollege campus) with a special emphasis on the Foundations of Excellence® in the First College Year (FoE)

•ApprovalofadistanceeducationchangerequestthatwillallowNMSUtodeliveranyof its existing academic degree programs at a distance without program-specific future action by the HLC

•ApprovalofindependentaccreditationforNMSUDoñaAna

NMSU in 3DNew Mexico State University in 3D: Dedicated, Diverse, Dynamic (NMSU in 3D) was chosen as

the title for this self-study because it reflects much of what is unique about NMSU and much

about the depth and breadth of the self-study engagement process. NMSU in 3D is the culmina-

tion of a focused, yet inclusive, effort that engaged students, faculty, alumni, and other external


constituents in candid evaluation and reflection in varied ways. We are confident that the evi-

dence presented in NMSU in 3D and our work together with the HLC Consultant-Evaluator

Teams during the April 2008 visit will demonstrate that NMSU meets the five criteria for accredi-

tation, has the capacity to build on its institutional strengths, and is able to address institutional

challenges in the future.

We view NMSU in 3D with pride. It shows the level of collaboration and engagement

achieved among faculty, administrators, staff and students participating in the writing and review

of the self-study report, and in the self-study process and its special emphasis, the Foundations of

Excellence® process. The NMSU self-study process included the recommended steering commit-

tee, its subcommittees, and focus groups; interactions with alumni and other constituents; and

surveys of constituents. We examined various forms of data and information. We engaged many

of the NMSU faculty and staff who are the most dedicated to student learning and success in our

special emphasis, the Foundations of Excellence® in the First College Year project. Further infor-

mation on specifics of the self-study process is available in the Resource Room.

In addition, we also engaged in a University system-wide Leadership Summit (August 2006)

that included University-level administrators, program directors, deans, department heads,

faculty, and student leaders. The summit was an opportunity to expand understanding of the

self-study’s FoE special emphasis in our community, to examine the FoE Task Force draft recom-

mendations, and to examine carefully the factor analyses of faculty, student, and staff surveys

generated through the FoE project. This Leadership Summit provided a welcome opportunity for

over 150 participants to spend two-days in deep discussion of this project.

The Foundations of Excellence® Task Force made eleven recommendations which became the

platform for seven work sessions on the first day of the Summit. Fifteen groups of 9-10 people

each were carefully structured to provide diversity of expertise and perspective. These groups

worked in parallel to make three recommendations of action items, identify major barriers to

progress, and suggest strategies to overcome those barriers. These recommendations were assigned

numerical ranks in a nominal group process. During the second day of the summit, work groups

considered the most frequently noted themes from the first day’s work. These served to establish

consensus around a number of themes and action items for further consideration. Presently the

themes and action items that emerged from the summit discussion are contributing to our con-

tinued work on the FoE project.

While the self-study team formally began its work in June 2005, some of our activities pre-

dated this formal process. Perhaps most notably, NMSU began working to achieve improvements

in academic programs and services across our Las Cruces and Doña Ana campuses shortly after

the last HLC visit (1998). This effort has continued over time in various ways. Our work has

grown to include support for NMSU’s current transition to a more formally integrated university

system. Initially, this was in response to HLC concerns expressed during the last visit, but it has

grown to more directly reflect the emerging needs of our students and our state to achieve a seam-

less educational system.

Another example is the preparation of a distance education change request, which engaged

History Department Head, Jeffrey Brown, meets with other leaders on campus during the Leadership Summit to discuss ways in which the university could improve programs and services for first-year students.



every college associate dean for academic programs, as well as faculty members from the colleges

between 2002 and 2004. More recently, these collaborators worked together again to update the

change request proposal for presentation with this self-study. Similarly, during the same time frame

administrators, faculty and staff serving on the University’s outcomes assessment committees were

engaged in the preparation of an update to the NMSU Outcomes Assessment plan. This plan was

organized according to the “new” HLC criteria as a way to familiarize ourselves with the transition

to different standards and areas of emphasis by the HLC in anticipation of the 2008 site visit.

Capitalizing on the Many Voices of One UniversityTo achieve an authentically collaborative self-study report, staff writers, faculty writing teams,

and faculty and student commentators worked together to prepare this self-study document. We

maximized opportunities for self-observation and improvement through the process of self-study

in the preparation of this report. It has helped us to recognize and balance competing priorities,

reflect on our strengths, more clearly view our challenges for the future, and appreciate our capac-

ity to address them effectively.

Reviewing the many internal and external forces influencing our institution and our con-

stituents, we realized positive synergy in working together to successfully meet the many chal-

lenges stemming from this ambitious self-study process. We recognize the self-study process as an

opportunity to support future institutional growth, rather than merely being a sequence of events

that ends with the site team visit. NMSU in 3D is a living document that supports our ongoing

commitments as a learner-centered research institution. Through the two-year self-study process

we affirmed that we and our university are dedicated to:

• Ourlandgrantmissionofteaching,research,extensioneducationandservice

• Positivelytransformingthelivesofthoseweserve

• Excellenceinallwedo

• Positivelytransformingouruniversitytoserveevenbetterinthefuture

Through the self-study process we recognized that diversity is an essential precondition for

achieving excellence, and we confirmed our commitment to NMSU as the uniquely diverse insti-

tution it is in terms of:

• Whoweareandwhomweserve

• Thelocal,state,andnationalinterestsandneedswemeet

• Ourcriticalthinking,dialogue,interactionsandservices

• Ourdistinctiveteaching,research,serviceandextensioneducation

Through the self-study process our University was revealed to us as an increasingly dynamic

institution challenging us to:

• Meetcontemporaryneedswhileremainingtruetotraditionalland-grantvalues

• Moveeverclosertobeingathoroughlylearner-centeredandstudentsuccess-orientedinstitution, while maintaining and enhancing our excellence as a research institution


History and Overview of NMSUWhile New Mexico was still a territory, 23 years

before it was to become the 47th state of the United

States, the settlers of the Mesilla Valley recognized the

need for an advanced educational system. This rec-

ognition and the energetic efforts of leading citizens

resulted in the founding of the Las Cruces College in

1888. During 1889, the territory legislature designat-

ed Las Cruces as the site for a land-grant agricultural

college and experiment station. Las Cruces College

assumed this role as the land-grant institution and

changed its name to the New Mexico College of

Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, the first degree-

granting institution in the territory.

In 1960, the growth and maturity of the college were formally recognized when the New

Mexico Constitution was amended to change the name of the institution to New Mexico State

University. A five-person Board of Regents, appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the

State Senate, governs NMSU. Members serve staggered six-year terms, except for the Student

Regent, who serves a two-year term.

NMSU provides a liberal and practical education for students, as originally designated by

the provisions of the Morrill Act of 1862. In addition, the University maintains active programs

of research, extension education, and public service. NMSU is classified by the Carnegie Founda-

tion as a doctoral comprehensive high-level research university and is one of 52 institutions in the

United States to be designated a Space Grant College. During its most recent review by NASA,

NMSU was one of only 12 space grant programs in the country to receive an excellent rating.

NMSU is a minority institution under USDOED Title V of the Higher Education Act of

1965, CFDA#. 84.031S, and is an active member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and

Universities (HACU). NMSU is in a unique position among the nation’s higher education in-

stitutions, as the only land-grant institution classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a doctoral

university with high research activity that is also ranked in the top 100 universities and colleges

on research and development by the National Science Foundation (2006), while being classified

as Hispanic-Serving. This unique combination of classifications reflects the breadth and quality of

our University’s environment, its diversity, and its expanding external funding opportunities.

NMSU is a substantial contributor to the state’s economic health. In Doña Ana County

alone, the NMSU Las Cruces and NMSU Doña Ana campuses have an estimated economic

impact of $578 million in final sales of goods and services, which generated earnings of $390 mil-

lion based on the most recent economic impact analysis (2005). The direct and indirect effects of

NMSU expenditures generated almost 17,000 jobs in the county in 2005.

NMSU offers a wide variety of undergraduate degrees through its colleges: Agriculture and

Hadley Hall; Las Cruces, New Mexico, November 15, 1919



Home Economics, Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering, Extended Learning and

Health and Social Services. In addition, NMSU is home to New Mexico’s only Honors College,

offering our undergraduate students extraordinary opportunities to develop their knowledge and

skills through intensive writing and research work with NMSU faculty supervisors and mentors.

NMSU offers a variety of graduate degrees through the Graduate School at the master, specialist

and doctoral level. NMSU offers a variety of two-year degrees and certificates in varied academic,

and vocational/technical studies, as well as continuing education programs at its four two-year

degree granting community colleges. Since its founding, NMSU has conferred more than

108,000 degrees and currently has 83,000 identified alumni.

The State Is Our CampusAs New Mexico’s land-grant university, the entire state is NMSU’s campus. NMSU colleges

actively engage the distant and varied New Mexican communities, including 22 pueblos and

tribal nations, through service, disseminated research, and educational programs

and services. NMSU’s College of Extended Learning (CEL) offers comprehen-

sive distance learning opportunities to meet diverse educational and professional

needs anytime, anywhere, thus positively transforming the lives of New Mexicans

in communities across the state. CEL, under the direction of a vice president and

dean, increased the number of degree programs available at a distance from six

to 28 in the past six years. During the same time period, the number of distance

education students has more than doubled, from 900 to over 2,500 students.

The NMSU Board of Regents and the administration fully support approval

of the distance education change request that will allow us to deliver any of our

existing academic degree programs at a distance without program-specific future

action by the HLC. Distance education growth has been deliberate and inten-

tional in response to student needs, legislative priorities, and NMSU’s

commitment to serve diversity in our state. For example, Digital Pathways brings

community-based distance learning opportunities to New Mexico’s American

Indian tribes in fields identified by the tribes as high need. Funded by the Alfred

P. Sloan Foundation and NMSU, Digital Pathways is a partnership with tribal

communities (Acoma Pueblo, Cochiti Pueblo, Eight Northern Indian Pueblos,

Laguna Pueblo, Santo Domingo Pueblo, Zia Pueblo) and other institutions (Southwestern Indian

Polytechnic Institute [SIPI], Diné College).

NMSU has a uniquely integrated approach to its teaching, research, extension, education,

and service activities. NMSU and the New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA), a

producer-consumer service and state-level regulatory department, are both led by the NMSU

Board of Regents. New Mexico is one of only two states in which this unique reporting relation-

ship is realized. It serves to capitalize on intellectual, physical, and financial resources to better

meet the needs of New Mexicans.

The symbiotic relationship that exists among NMSU’s College of Agriculture and Home

Economics (CAHE), CAHE’s Agricultural Experiment Station (AES), NMSU’s Cooperative

Corona

Apache PointObservatory

San JuanRio Arriba

Taos

McKinley Sandoval Santa FeSan Miguel

CibolaValencia

Torrance

Quay

CatronSocorro

Lincoln

Curry

Chaves

Grant

Otero Eddy

Lea

Hidalgo

Luna

Doña Ana

Colfax

Union

Mora Harding

Roosevelt

Guadalupe

De Baca

Sierra

AztecFarmington

ShiprockTri-State Navajo Office

Tierra Amarilla

AbiquiuAlcalde

Zuni Reservation Extension Service

CrownpointInstitute of Technology (Navajo)

Taos

DulceJicarilla Extension Office

Raton

Clayton

Mosquero

Mora

Las Vegas

Santa Fe

Estancia

Bernalillo

Albuquerque

Los Lunas

Los Alamos

Grants

Gallup

Reserve

Silver City

LordsburgDeming

Las Cruces

Alamogordo

Carlsbad

Artesia

Roswell

Lovington

Ft. Sumner

Tucumcari

Clovis

Santa Rosa

Portales

Carrizozo

Truth or Consequences

Socorro

County Cooperative Extension Service Offices

Satellite County Offices

Agricultural Science and Research Centers

Cooperative Extension Service District Offices

Cooperative Extension Service Specialist Office

University Government Affairs

Admissions Office

Santa Fe Ranch Demonstration Site

Tribal Cooperative Extension Service Offices

NMSU Campuses

Facility Locations

Apache Point Observatory

CES/New Mexico Works Program

Albuquerque Center

Arrowhead Center


Extension Service (CES), and NMDA, in particular, af-

firms the state as NMSU’s campus. This relationship maxi-

mizes the benefits of the university’s teaching, research,

service and extension activities to local communities. AES,

a group of scientists forming CAHE’s principal fundamen-

tal and applied research unit, has 12 off-campus science

and research centers located throughout the state. AES

enhances agricultural profitability, stimulates economic

development, improves the quality, safety and reliability of

food and fiber products, sustains and protects the environ-

ment with ecologically sound practices, and manages and

protects natural resources.

Similarly, CES has local offices and agents in all of

New Mexico’s 33 counties. CES supports effective leader-

ship and collaboration in New Mexico communities to foster economic, educational, and

community development across the state. CES educational programs are delivered at the county-,

area-, and state-level by CES faculty from throughout the university.

Both AES and CES actively engage local advisory committees and stakeholder groups to

ensure that local interests and needs are identified and met effectively. In a large and sparsely-

populated state like New Mexico, AES and CES faculty are often the only statewide or regional

source of expertise for research-based information on matters critical to community and economic

development. NMDA initiatives in conjunction with the NMSU colleges and CES demonstrate

how regulation, research, education, service and extension activities can be effectively combined

to positively influence the lives of New Mexicans.

NMSU appointed a Vice Provost for University Outreach in May, 2006 in order to apply

intellectual capital and resources to meet the needs of New Mexicans in expanded and increas-

ingly integrated ways. NMSU mission-related activity from across disciplines is coordinated

through the University-wide Outreach Division (U-wide Outreach) that includes the Coopera-

tive Extension Service (CES). The U-wide Outreach initiative channels our resources outward to

New Mexicans as we strive to positively influence PK-12 education, public health services, and

increased economic and educational opportunities for the state’s diverse population.

NMSU Community CollegesThrough the community colleges, NMSU greatly expands its reach throughout the state, which

is vital to our mission as a land-grant institution. NMSU community college campuses gener-

ate almost half of the institution’s student credit hours, enhance the University system’s financial

status and well-being, support the University’s real growth in distance education, and provide a

significant pool of potential students for upper-division education. NMSU community colleges

represent their respective service areas, with each community college having its own differentiated

mission statement to reflect the unique interests of local communities, leaders and legislators. In a

state like New Mexico where communities differ greatly in economic, social and cultural climate,

A team of researchers and Cooperative Extension Service experts at New Mexico State University is embarking on a four-year, $397,505 project to evaluate the impact of proac-tive nutritional steps in the early stages of a calf ’s life (including the time prior to birth) on subsequent growth perfor-mance at the feedlot. The project includes additional collaborators from the University of Arizona and Texas A&M University. Also participating will be an advisory committee made up of members of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Feeder Committee.



this is critical to our success in serving our state, not in “one best way”, but in a number of best

ways uniquely tailored to successfully meet local needs and challenges.

Since NMSU Alamogordo and NMSU Carlsbad are already independently accredited by

HLC, these NMSU community colleges are only briefly described in NMSU in 3D. NMSU

Doña Ana has prepared a comprehensive self-study document as part of its independent HLC

accreditation application. (See Resource Room for DACC Self-Study.) The NMSU Doña Ana

self-study document will be reviewed by a separate HLC Consultant-Evaluator Team during the

April visit, so NMSU Doña Ana is only briefly described in NMSU in 3D. Prior HLC concerns

regarding the relationship of NMSU Doña Ana to the NMSU four-year degree-granting institu-

tion are discussed thoroughly in a later section of this chapter. NMSU Grants, included in the

reaccreditation of NMSU, is presented briefly in this chapter and more extensively in a later chapter

of NMSU in 3D. (See NMSU Doña Ana and Grants Institutional Snapshots for enrollment detail.)

History of NMSU Community CollegesCreation of the NMSU community colleges as “branch” campuses was authorized under New

Mexico legislative statute (Chapter 21, Article 14 of the New Mexico Statute Annotated 1978).

New Mexico’s other “branch” campuses are two-year institutions attached to a four-year institu-

tion. The only four-year institutions in the state with such multiple campuses are NMSU, the

University of New Mexico, and Eastern New Mexico University. Each campus has its own local

advisory board, with the Boards of Regents of the institution acting as the overarching governing

body. The community college campuses within the NMSU System are funded separately through

a state formula and manage their own budgets.

As a result of an NMSU Branch Summit in 2004, the NMSU Regents eliminated use of the

term “branch” to identify NMSU two-year degree-granting community college campuses since it

implied the “branches” were less important than the Las Cruces four-year degree-granting cam-

pus. This was a major change that had an important impact on the manner in which NMSU and

all of its campuses work together as “One University” and “One System.”

NMSU Alamogordo

NMSU Alamogordo was established as a separate, state-funded two-

year campus of NMSU in 1958. It currently enrolls approximately

2,358 students. NMSU Alamogordo is committed to workforce

development, as demonstrated through a variety of activities, including

outreach, specialized training, career training and technical programs.

NMSU Alamogordo was appointed by the Eastern Area Workforce

Board to be responsible for the New Mexico Works Program, provid-

ing basic literacy and workforce skills training to welfare recipients

so that they can move from welfare to the workforce. The Workforce

Investment Act (WIA) activities in Otero County were assumed by

NMSU Alamogordo, giving the college responsibility for providing

training for displaced workers.


NMSU Alamogordo offers a wide range of career training and technical associate’s degrees,

certificates, and courses. It offers the first two years of coursework for many majors at the Las

Cruces campus. NMSU Alamogordo has worked closely with NMSU Las Cruces to develop 2+2

baccalaureate degree programs and an elementary education program leading all the way to a

master’s degree in teaching. In addition, NMSU Alamogordo is participating in the joint UNM/

NMSU Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program through face-to-face and ITV (Interac-

tive TV). NMSU Alamogordo delivers courses and programs at the upper division and graduate

levels via WebCT (Internet) and ITV. This expands the options and possibilities for students in

Alamogordo, at Holloman Air Force Base, and in the surrounding area.

NMSU Carlsbad

NMSU Carlsbad was New Mexico’s first community college. Established in 1950, NMSU

Carlsbad primarily serves Eddy County and the surrounding area in the southeastern part of state.

NMSU Carlsbad has a student population of approximately 1,200 students. It is one of the six

charter schools of the initial HLC AQIP project, and in 1998, 1999, and 2000, NMSU Carlsbad

was the only two-year college in the state to be recognized consecutively by Quality New Mexico.

Workforce development activities at NMSU Carlsbad provide contract training for business

and industry – from retail, to manufacturing, to business services, etc. The industry-specific

training provides quality, customized training and services at an affordable cost to the company.

Services and training can include technical skills, team skills, safety training, computer training,

or almost any other skill and service needed. The NMSU Carlsbad campus also serves as a site for

many baccalaureate and graduate degree programs. This allows students in the area to complete

their degrees or obtain advanced degrees without leaving the Carlsbad area.

NMSU Doña Ana

NMSU Doña Ana, now seeking independent HLC accreditation with our full support, provides

lower division credit courses necessary for the completion of selected certificates and associate

degrees in academic, technical and occupational fields, along with courses applicable to baccalau-

reate degree completion programs at other colleges and universities. To support student success

efforts, NMSU Doña Ana students can take developmental and adult basic education courses.

NMSU Doña Ana also provides non-credit, continuing education courses and opportunities for

social, recreational, cultural, vocational and personal enrichment. Customized contract training

for employee development is also available through the Workforce Development Center.

By virtue of the close proximity of NMSU Doña Ana to the Las Cruces campus, over time a

close relationship between the two units has developed. Consequently, the national trend, which

is presently being experienced at NMSU as well, is for students to “swirl” (Adelman, 2005). We

have observed that students who enroll in particular associate’s degree programs at the community

college are concurrently enrolled in courses on the four-year campus. Similarly, students enrolled

on the Las Cruces campus may also enroll for NMSU Doña Ana classes due to personal or finan-

cial considerations. In addition, it is not uncommon for NMSU graduate students to participate

in any number of casual continuing education opportunities at NMSU Doña Ana.



NMSU GrantsNMSU Grants was established as a campus of NMSU in 1968 through the cooperative efforts

of NMSU and Grants-Cibola County Schools. From its inception, NMSU Grants has served a

population of students that includes Native Americans, Hispanics and non-Hispanic Whites. In

addition, these students have represented such diverse communities as the Acoma,

Laguna and Zuni Pueblos and the Navajo Nation; the land-grant Hispanic villages

of the San Mateo region; and the business and mining community of the city of

Grants; and the village of Milan. To serve all these constituencies well has been both

the success and the challenge for NMSU Grants.

In Fall 2008, NMSU Grants will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its found-

ing. From the day of its founding, NMSU Grants has responded to changing com-

munity needs, employment profiles and demographics. In the heyday of uranium

mining and coal mining, the campus provided industry training, such as large diesel

mechanics, field construction, and other trades used by these industries. When

mining shut down, rather than abandoning these fields, NMSU Grants shifted program offerings

to prepare students for existing and emerging employment markets such as Automotive Service

Excellence (ASE) certified auto mechanics, smaller scale construction, electrical trades and com-

puter technology. In August 1969, the college moved to an existing community site that previ-

ously housed the Grants Job Corps Center. These facilities housed all the activities of the campus

until 1977-78, when Martinez Hall, the main building of the current campus, was constructed.

With the establishment of a women’s prison in Grants, NMSU Grants developed a

Corrections Officer Training Academy (COTA) to prepare correctional officers and extend course

offerings to inmates at the prison. Balancing these various vocational-oriented programs, NMSU

Grants has from its inception offered general education and other transferable courses to students

who seek to begin their baccalaureate education locally before moving on to a four-year campus.

In collaboration with NMSU’s four-year degree-granting campus in Las Cruces, NMSU Grants

provides distance education access to baccalaureate programs on-site, such as the teacher educa-

tion and human services programs. Recent facilities expansion and renovation, and programmatic

restructuring, are unified so that NMSU Grants remains responsive and attentive to the com-

munities served by the community college campus. In addition, NMSU Grants provides a strong

Adult Basic Education/GED program for members of the community whose needs range from

basic literacy skills to final preparation for passing the high school equivalency exam.

NMSU Grants exemplifies the diversity that is New Mexico; it is a ‘majority minority

serving institution’. Current student enrollment is 38% Native American, 34% Hispanic, 18%

Non-Hispanic White, 2% Black, and 8% unreported ethnicity. Over half (65%) are female.

New federal funding is being directed to support public colleges (non-tribal colleges) that serve

more than 25% Native American student populations and are being defined as “Native American

Serving Institutions”; NMSU Grants is one of only three such institutions in New Mexico. In

addition, as both a Native American Serving Institution and an Hispanic-Serving Institution,

NMSU Grants is unique in the country.


NMSU System Commitments

Dedicated to Educational Access and Excellence

Dedicated to educational access, NMSU recognizes the economic realities of our students and

their families. Over the current year and past four, 71% of undergraduate students received some

form of financial aid, on average, each year (Range = 69% to 72%), as did 38% of NMSU gradu-

ate students (Range = 36% to 41%). (See Resource Room for the Institutional Snapshot.)

To support students and their families in meeting financial challenges, particularly New

Mexican families, NMSU tuition and fees have consistently been kept below those charged

among peer institutions as defined by the New Mexico Higher Education Department

(NMHED). From FY1998 to FY2008, the NMSU tuition and fees for resident undergraduate

students have dropped from 89% to 73% of the NMHED peer comparison group. For nonresi-

dent undergraduate students during the same years, tuition and fees have risen from 84% to 91%

of the NMHED peer comparison group. (See the Federal Compliance chapter.) These NMSU

tuition and fee charges not only serve our New Mexico students and their families well, but also

contribute to NMSU consistently being listed as one of America’s 100 Best College Buys® (Institu-

tional Research & Evaluation, Inc.) for offering “the very highest quality education at the lowest

cost,” a distinction NMSU has garnered for nine consecutive years.

To support student learning and excellence in academic program delivery, NMSU applies

sufficient financial and physical resources to support instruction and other primary mission ex-

penditures. During the fiscal years from FY1999 to FY2005, NMSU consistently dedicated an

average of 4% above its NMHED defined peer institutions toward primary mission expenditures

annually, while administrative costs were consistently below the same comparison group for the

same period. (Source: Council of New Mexico University Presidents Performance Effectiveness

Reports, FY1999 to FY2006). Expenditures dedicated specifically for instruction have consistently

increased over the past five years by an average of 5% each year.

NMSU takes particular pride in its excellent and widely varied academic programs that

meet contemporary needs. NMSU’s College of Engineering, the oldest college of engineering in

New Mexico, offers the state’s only programs in aerospace, industrial and surveying engineering.

NMSU also offers the only accredited journalism program in New Mexico and 90% of its broad-

cast journalism students secure jobs after graduation.

NMSU is the only four-year degree-granting university in New Mexico and West Texas that

offers a degree in hotel, restaurant and tourism management. Its program is ranked 21st among

115 college programs ranked by the Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education

(CHRIE, Richmond, VA).

NMSU’s Professional Golf Management (PGM) program was one of the original four pro-

grams nationwide to be recognized as an official PGA program. The PGM program at NMSU is

the only one in the state, and its graduates have a 100% career-placement rate.

NMSU nursing students have a first-time pass rate of 96% on the National Nursing Council

Licensor Examination, exceeding the national average of 83.4% by almost 13 percentage points.



NMSU is a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and competes in National

Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision intercollegiate

athletics. NMSU Athletics currently supports six men’s and ten women’s sport teams and will add

women’s soccer in 2009. NMSU hosted the 2007 WAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tourna-

ments and the 2007 WAC Volleyball Tournament, and will also host the basketball tournaments

in 2008. Dr. McKinley Boston, NMSU Athletic Director, was appointed in 2004 and has pur-

sued a career that bridges athletics and academics seamlessly. He has served as vice president at

the University of Minnesota, earned a doctorate from New York University, played professional

football and served as a visiting scholar at Harvard University. Dr. Boston has brought renewed

emphasis on scholarship and student academic success to our athletic programs. We have an

85% graduate rate for student-athletes who exhaust their eligibility after 4 years and over 55% of

NMSU student-athletes maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA.

The NMSU Honors College, through its Office of National Scholarships and International

Education, has a distinguished record of connecting top students with prestigious national

fellowships. NMSU students were Goldwater Scholars in four of the last five years. In 2007,

NMSU was the only institution in New Mexico to have successful competitors for these presti-

gious appointments. In the current year, a recent NMSU graduate has been appointed as a British

Marshall Scholar and several NMSU students have received NSF Graduate Research Fellowships.

One of our students was awarded a Ford Foundation Minority Fellowship. Other NMSU stu-

dents became Phi Eta Sigma scholars and Eisenhower Fellows. Two NMSU students won Rotary

Ambassadorial Scholarships, and another has received a $300,000 award as a Jack Kent Cooke

Graduate Scholar. An NMSU student has earned a Fulbright Scholarship, while another was

named to the USA Today All-American Academic team.

The second NMSU graduate to receive the prestigious Marshall award, Marzyeh Ghassemi will use this opportunity to attend Oxford University.


These accomplishments of our students are directly related to the excellence of our faculty. In

the past five years, three NMSU professors have been named New Mexico Professor of the Year.

This award from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and the Council

for Advancement and Support of Education, recognizes the most outstanding undergraduate

instructors in the country. NMSU is also among the most frequently recognized institutions in

the USDA National Awards Program for Excellence in College and University Teaching in the

Food and Agricultural Sciences, where five faculty have received Western Region awards.

Diverse in who we are and in who we serve

NMSU has a long standing commitment to diversity in all its forms. Under the broadest defini-

tion, diversity is deemed essential to achieving excellence at NMSU. We remain focused on core

values of excellence, diversity, and global participation. The basic dignity and worth of all human

beings is held in high regard in the NMSU community of faculty, staff and students. NMSU has

a strong tradition of support for the civil exchange of diverse and often controversial ideas in and

out of the classroom.

We admit students from widely varied backgrounds. Those who graduate from NMSU

are uniformly well-educated and strongly motivated. NMSU graduated its first black student in

1937 – several decades before many other American universities did – and continues to provide

quality education to students from underserved populations. Through programs such as the

Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC), the Minority Biomedical Research Support

Program (MBRS) and the Alliance for Minority Participation (AMP), the University has been

successful in attracting talented minority students into fields in which they have been historically

underrepresented.

Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education ranks NMSU 17th in bachelor’s degrees awarded to

Hispanics, 19th in master’s degrees awarded to Hispanics, and 9th in doctoral degrees awarded to

Hispanics (2006). In addition, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education rates NMSU as one of the top

30 universities for Hispanic and Native American students (2006). In 2007, NMSU was rated

among the top 50 colleges and universities in the US by The Washington Monthly for “fostering

scientific and humanistic research,” and promoting “an ethic of service to country.”

NMSU’s community colleges also are significant contributors to the education of under-

served populations. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education ranks NMSU Grants as 54th in associate

degrees awarded to Native Americans, and NMSU Doña Ana as 77th in associate degrees awarded

to Hispanic Americans. (See Resource Room for NMSU Rankings.)

Positively transforming the lives of those we serve

NMSU’s mission demands engagement with our students and the public in formal and

systematic ways to positively transform the lives of those we serve, meeting contemporary needs

while remaining true to our traditional land-grant values. Our dedication to excellence in under-

graduate and graduate education is reflected in Living the Vision: A Performance Plan for Excellence

(LTV), the University’s participation in the Foundations of Excellence® in the First College Year,



and its related First Year Scholars Program (FYSP). Implementing these and other initiatives,

we move closer to being an even more learner-centered and student success-oriented institution,

while maintaining and enhancing our excellence as a research institution.

As the land-grant university of New Mexico, NMSU is also dedicated to the development

of the people in the region we serve. The Arrowhead Center at NMSU helps New Mexico entre-

preneurs turn their ideas into profits by providing assistance in areas such as identifying markets,

verifying new technologies, writing business plans, and finding financing. As one of the University’s

principal vehicles for economic development, Arrowhead also serves as a training facility for the next

generation. The directed-learning experience is one of the main reasons the Center was formed: it

allows our students to work on real projects that will have real consequences in today’s world.

NMSU is the only university to reach the platinum, or highest, level of service in NASA’s

Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP). The program makes the expertise of

corporate and university researchers available to small businesses. Platinum participants contrib-

ute more than 1,000 hours a year to the program.

NMSU’s College of Education helps PK-12 school students

throughout the state. In the Gadsden Independent School District,

NMSU College of Education Faculty help elementary and middle

school students understand and build math concepts and raise test scores

through the Gadsden Math Initiative (GMI), which is funded by the

National Science Foundation.

Waste Management and Education Research Consortium (WERC)

is administered through the NMSU College of Engineering, and helps

communities throughout New Mexico remove dangerous levels of ar-

senic in drinking water in order to meet the Environmental Protection

Agency’s revised arsenic standards.

New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) and NMSU Col-

lege of Agriculture and Home Economics (CAHE) have been recognized as national leaders in the

area of agriculture biosecurity and food defense. The Director of the FBI specifically pointed to the

AgriGard program that began in New Mexico at the International Symposium on Agroterrorism

as the model program in the US in bringing agencies, academia, law enforcement and industry to-

gether. Additionally, NMSU’s CES was ranked number one in research and public service among 38

programs in the New Mexico Commission on Higher Education’s last quadrennial review.

Excellence in Research

NMSU system-wide has progressively increased its external funding from federal, state and private

agencies. In the 2006 fiscal year, research and development (R&D) expenditures exceeded $169

million, a gain of more than 35% over R&D expenditures in 2005. According to the National

Science Foundation’s most recent (2006) annual rankings for total research expenditures, NMSU

ranks among the first 100 colleges and universities (99th). Overall, NMSU is among the first 100

colleges and universities on 11 NSF rankings. NMSU is 14th among the first 100 colleges and

From left, Victor Martinez, a seventh-grader at Chaparral Middle School in Chaparral, New Mexico, and Lauren Abraham, an eighth-grader at Morehead Middle School in El Paso, demonstrate to US Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-New Mexico, how the Lego Space Elevator they built and programmed travels up and down as Laura Lomas, far right, assistant director of the Southern New Mexico Science, Engineering, Math-ematics and Aerospace Academy (SNM SEMAA) looks on.


universities in all R&D in engineering, 28th in all R&D among the 507 colleges and universities

that do not have a medical school, and 28th in industry-financed R&D. NMSU’s programs in

agriculture, chemistry, engineering, and physical sciences are also ranked among the first 100

colleges and universities according to NSF criteria.

Living the Vision (LTV), NMSU’s strategic goal document, establishes that to be a “premier”

university, NMSU must be in the top quartile on performance measures for goals related to re-

search and other university priorities. NMSU is already in the top quartile on four NSF rankings:

all R&D among all institutions without a medical school, all R&D in engineering among the first

100 institutions, industry-financed R&D among the first 200 institutions, and federally financed

R&D among all institutions.

NMSU system-wide has more than doubled its R&D since 1999,

based on NSF all R&D expenditures reported over time, with an

average 14% increase per year. This is the greatest percentage increase

between 1999 and 2006 among the 19 peer institutions used for

comparison purposes in LTV. While NMSU ranked 16th among the

19 LTV peers on total R&D expenditures in 1999 indicating our rela-

tively small R&D base in 1999, it ranks 8th among the 19 LTV peers

in the total dollar increase ($89M) over the 8 years (1999-2006).

NMSU is the top US Department of Defense contractor among

Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Through our training program Minor-

ity Access to Research Careers (MARC), we support activities of the

National Institute of General Medical Sciences, helping to prepare minority students for research

careers and to increase the number and skills of scientists from underrepresented minority groups

who are engaged in biomedical research.

NMSU has adopted “interdisciplinary research clusters” to enhance the value of research

to the state and nation. These clusters are crosscutting research initiatives that build on existing

campus-wide strengths, solve real problems for real New Mexicans, create opportunities to attract

external funding, and serve to give the university national and international recognition. Cur-

rent research clusters focus on 21st century aerospace; information sciences and security systems;

natural resource sustainability and renewal; biosciences; and southwest and border regions health,

education, culture and development.

NMSU researchers contribute to scientific knowledge at all levels. Locally, researchers have

developed crop varieties and improved cultivation practices that increase agricultural productiv-

ity, profitability, and sustainability for New Mexican agricultural producers. Internationally, the

combined efforts of NMSU’s Physical Science Laboratory and the US Army Research Laboratory

are helping to save American lives through the development of the device known as ICE (IED

Countermeasure Equipment). The signal-jamming device keeps improvised explosive devices

(IEDs) from detonating. IEDs, which are responsible for about half of all US casualties in Iraq,

are makeshift bombs often placed in roadways and triggered remotely using garage door openers,

cell phones or other electronic signals.



Progress Related to HLC Prior Concerns

Relationship of NMSU Las Cruces and Doña Ana

As already described in this Introduction, the context of NMSU’s relationship with NMSU Doña

Ana and its other community colleges is very different now than it was in 1998. In response to

HLC concerns expressed in 1998, assessments were conducted, pilot programs undertaken,

appropriate revisions completed, and programs put into place to blend our efforts in complemen-

tary ways that are described in this section.

The mission and delivery of services for each campus were clarified. Although NMSU and

NMSU Doña Ana have institutionally-specific and differentiated missions, both express common

interests in serving the people of New Mexico. As a community college, NMSU Doña Ana ar-

ticulates its mission in seven areas of educational activities: career and technical education, general

education, preparatory studies, educational opportunities for high school students, workforce ini-

tiatives, adult basic education, and continuing education. All of these are designed to address the

needs of the people in the local community NMSU Doña Ana serves. As a land-grant institution,

NMSU focuses on instruction, research, extension education and public service, and identifies its

values accordingly. The mission of NMSU Doña Ana is integral to the mission of NMSU and an

important contributor to the success of the NMSU System as a whole.

A new reporting structure was established for the community colleges. The four colleges

report to an Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Community Colleges, an arrangement

that has enhanced institutional interaction and communication. (See Resource Room for 1-C

Organizational Chart, Ratified by Board of Regents, 10/22/07.)

NMSU Doña Ana developed a University Transition Program (UTP) for students who had

initially intended, and whose ultimate educational goal was, to enroll at NMSU. (See Resource

Room for DACC University Transitions Program Description.) The transformation of UTP over

time and the development of parallel programs are discussed below.

A number of educational and support services were developed that target simultaneously

enrolled students. These are students ineligible for unconditional admission to NMSU, but who

are admitted to NMSU Doña Ana with the potential of Las Cruces campus admission, contin-

gent upon the satisfaction of specific pre-requisites. The Vice President for the Division of Student

Success and the Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management also interact with the public

schools to facilitate students taking course units that foster student success after admission to the

University. NMSU Doña Ana’s General Studies Division grew as it made more general education

courses available. The former includes developmental studies; the latter includes courses currently

required of NMSU Doña Ana associates degree students and other selected academic credit cours-

es to assist students to meet NMSU transfer requirements.

A three-year phase-in plan enabled NMSU Doña Ana to offer general education courses.

Over time, NMSU Doña Ana clarified its philosophy of general education and further developed

its assessment plan for general education courses. NMSU Doña Ana faculty are also represented

in general education course certification and assessment activities on the NMSU Las Cruces


campus. NMSU Doña Ana general education courses are available to any NMSU student. The

fees for these courses are consistent with the two-year college tuition rate. NMSU Doña Ana

students are eligible to enroll in general education courses on the NMSU Las Cruces campus

where the prevailing Las Cruces campus tuition rate applies.

As with other educational institutions in America today, the NMSU Las Cruces campus and

NMSU Doña Ana now observe considerable “swirl” or simultaneous student enrollments on both

campuses. Presently, more than 2,000 students take courses in general education, developmental,

or other courses while enrolled on both campuses.

NMSU Doña Ana effectively disseminates its mission to students and the public. The

mission appears in the catalog that is updated each year, is included in the Faculty Handbook,

and is available on the NMSU Doña Ana web site. The mission statement may also be found in

the college’s Annual Report to the Community and is posted in NMSU Doña Ana classrooms and

other facilities.

Multiple Routes/One University

Although the vast majority of students who attend one of the four community colleges complete

an associate’s degree and then enter the workforce, many choose to pursue a four-year degree.

One of the primary ways that NMSU provides access to a bachelor’s degree for its constituents is

through its community colleges. Students can complete two years of coursework and then transfer

to the Las Cruces campus to complete a four-year degree.

Presently, UTP remains one route to specifically

target freshman applicants initially denied admission

to the NMSU Las Cruces campus and provides them

a means to gain admission to the University after suc-

cessful completion of an individualized course of study

through NMSU Doña Ana. Each individual student’s

course of study is determined in consultation with a

NMSU Doña Ana advisor. Students enrolled in UTP are

eligible to live in university residence halls and partici-

pate in many university campus activities. The NMSU

Admissions Office evaluates all freshmen applicants

denied admission to the university for eligibility to enter

the UTP program. Between Fall 2000 and Spring 2005,

of the 1,443 students who participated in UTP, only

404 (28%) transitioned to the Las Cruces campus. These

results, presented in detail, became the springboard for

NMSU to consider additional routes of access to the

bachelor’s degree and challenges to student success more

broadly. (See Resource Room for the DABCC UTP

Students Transfer to NMSU).



Another route to the bachelor’s degree that targeted at-risk students began to emerge in

2004. Under its new President, NMSU sought ways to leverage resources in new and creative

ways, embrace diversity, and attract and serve students who would not otherwise have access

to higher education. NMSU also emphasized ways to forge new partnerships with other com-

munity colleges, and to create new programs that bridge the transitional gap for under-prepared

students.

In Spring 2005, a diverse group of staff representing various units convened to examine the

feasibility of having a single college for all entering freshmen. Ultimately, the group developed

plans for a “New College” that was intended to increase access and provide support for those

students who lacked the credits, or had GPA or SAT or ACT scores too low for regular admis-

sion to NMSU.

In Fall 2005, 15 students who did not qualify for admission either because of deficiencies

in units or grade point average were invited to participate in a pilot program. The First Year

Scholars Program (FYSP) provided a structured curriculum, a cohort model, and special support

through supplementary instruction. A committee co-chaired by the Vice President for Student

Services and the Vice President for Distance Education and Dean of the College of Extended

Learning was formed to examine how the First Year Scholars Program might transition to a

“New College” or be more fully implemented at NMSU in some other way. The initial proposal

for a single all-freshmen “New College” was not implemented when the First Year Scholars

Program was permanently housed and funded in the College of Arts and Sciences. Now in its

second year, this program is available to any undeclared student and provides mentoring and a

wide array of activities designed to promote first-year college success. (See Resource Room for

further information about progress in implementing the First Year Scholars Program in Status

Report First Year Scholars, February 21, 2007.)

The multiple routes to transition students to four-year degree programs are intended to

enhance access and provide more support for students who experience particular challenges. Our

present efforts are progressive steps in the overall effort to express NMSU’s dedication to access

and excellence as complementary, rather than mutually exclusive, values. We continue to work

together to further expand our ability to remove barriers to success for our students. We seek to

more fully respond to the needs of our students for developmental courses that instill adequate

skills for further learning, general education courses that support progress in achieving associate

and baccalaureate degrees, and provide lower division courses applicable to our various majors.

As more and more of our students maximize their options in pursuing degrees in a timely way

by taking courses on more than one of our campuses, or by using the varied modes of delivery

now available, both NMSU Doña Ana and the Las Cruces campuses are now working closely

together to bring NMSU ever closer to fully realizing the “One University” model.

One example of our continued work together has been the submission of two collaborative

Title V grant applications over the past two years to improve the retention of Hispanic students

and increase academic success leading to degree completion. While Title V funding has not yet

been received, both the NMSU Doña Ana campus and the Las Cruces campus are working


together to pursue these goals within the bounds of existing resources. We are continuing to

collaborate on ways to redesign the core curriculum in order to increase flexibility for our

students across disciplines, establish learning communities, expand student learning supports,

support faculty development for teachers of first-year students, and assess program effective-

ness in ways that support student success for our students across campuses, degree-levels, and

programs. A recent Deans Retreat included the community college presidents and focused on

achieving a more well-integrated “One University” system. Next year’s Community College

Round Up will engage faculty from across our campuses to enhance courses, assessment, and

pedagogy to support student transitions. (See Resource Room for Tentative Community College

Round Up Schedule.) All of these activities are consistent with NMSU’s commitment to the

Special Emphasis on the Foundations of Excellence® in the First College Year.

Student Learning Assessment in NMSU’s General Education Program

The most significant change to NMSU’s educational offerings is the state-mandated adoption

of the New Mexico General Education Core (NMGEC) as its lower-division general education

program. The only institutional flexibility in this implementation is that each institution may

add a maximum of six credit hours to its lower division general education requirements. These

credits could either be added to existing NMGEC areas, or an additional content area require-

ment could be created.

NMSU’s General Education curriculum is unique in our state because it includes an upper

division (at the 300 or 400 level) general education requirement called Viewing a Wider World

(VWW). Two courses (six credits) of VWW are required outside of the student’s major field and

college. These provide breadth of learning experience and breadth of intellectual inquiry. To be

approved for inclusion here, each of these courses must have

an assignment that requires the student to do a detailed

literature search involving the use of library facilities

(including library resources provided on-line). Preference

is given to those courses that strongly emphasize the inter-

national character and multicultural influences in the fields

of study.

A prospective Viewing a Wider World course must be

reviewed and approved by a permanent standing commit-

tee, the General Education Course Certification Committee

(GECCC), which is composed of faculty from the NMSU

Library, Las Cruces and community college campuses, and a

Faculty Senate representative. The GECCC is charged with

certifying that a course meets the criteria for a general

education course. Recertification of courses is required

every four years. Courses that are offered on more than one

NMSU campus are reviewed together, thus ensuring that

student learning outcomes are consistent across campuses.



Outcomes Assessment Committee 1 (OAC1), the university-wide faculty committee that

previously focused only on the review of student learning outcomes assessment in the major

programs, now has responsibility for general education assessment under the Update Outcomes

Assessment Plan Expanding NMSU’s Focus on Student Learning (3/13/05). In the summer of 2002,

a faculty committee addressed an HLC concern from the 1998 site visit regarding the apparent

separation of the faculty teaching general education courses in a department from the faculty who

typically taught courses in the same department that were required or associated with the aca-

demic major programs. During the preparation of the NMSU HLC Progress Report, 4/2001, this

separation was the subject of discussion. Having too many student learning outcomes assessment

committees that were too widely separated was a factor contributing to separate curriculum devel-

opment and pedagogy among the faculty within academic units. There was a sense among some

faculty that general education teaching was a low-status activity that did not require the same

level of professional, field, or discipline-specific knowledge, skill and ability as teaching courses

required or applied to the academic major programs.

OAC1 is now developing a centralized process for assessment of general education to im-

prove faculty engagement in general education student learning outcomes assessment, facilitate

dissemination of general education student learning outcomes assessment results to faculty, and

support the internal improvement process in the general education program. Participation by

OAC1 members in the HLC and AAHE workshop (11/2002) and NMHEAA summer retreat

activities (7/2003 and 2/2004) focused on general education assessment. These activities led to

the conclusion that to achieve more effective compliance with the HLC accreditation standards,

some central general education student learning outcomes assessment data collection is needed.

Beyond that, transformation of these data into information that fully and directly informs faculty

teaching in general education is required. Effective dissemination of the results of general educa-

tion student learning outcomes assessment is necessary to facilitate improvements to curriculum

and teaching.

In the NMHEAA summer retreats, facili-

tator Susan Hatfield emphasized that student

learning outcomes assessment programs should

be manageable (not everything must be mea-

sured), they must be mission-related and they

must achieve active faculty engagement in both

the process of student learning outcome assess-

ment, and the implementation of curriculum

and teaching improvements. During the time

that the NMHED has examined and developed

its procedures for the NMGEC, we were not

able to implement and gather results of general

education student learning outcomes assessment

overall. However, the College of Arts and

Sciences has initiated a comprehensive effort for


its general education offerings (the majority of all general education courses offered) and is in the

process of examining how the model may be applied to general education courses offered by other

NMSU colleges. The model developed is consistent with the present NMGEC and we anticipate

that it will meet state-level requirements.

SummaryNMSU is a learner-centered research institution dedicated to its land-grant mission of providing

its constituents with diverse and dynamic educational, research, extension, and service programs

that contribute to the advancement of the broader society. In addressing prior HLC concerns,

NMSU has gone beyond initial concerns to more fully recognize and meet the challenges of its

future in a global environment. The chapters that follow provide clear evidence of NMSU’s fulfill-

ment of the HLC criteria for accreditation and present a roadmap for achievement of our Special

Emphasis for enhancing student success in the first college year. Consistent with its mission of

educational access and excellence, NMSU has expanded its educational offerings to include more

academic programs provided at a distance.

This self-study includes chapters for each of the HLC criteria, a chapter discussing NMSU

Grants, a chapter for the special emphasis, our participation in the Foundations of Excellence® in

the First College Year and the federal compliance chapter follows at the end.

Chapter 1 – Criterion 1

“The organization operates with integrity to ensure the fulfillment of its mission through structures and

processes that involve the board, administration, faculty, staff and students.”

In the chapter on “Mission and Integrity,” we demonstrate how NMSU enacts its mission

by maintaining and continuing to improve its comprehensive programs of education, research,

extension education, and public service to the people of New Mexico. Most notably, this chapter

affirms how NMSU as “One University” composed of one comprehensive doctoral level univer-

sity and four community colleges serves different constituencies through programs and services

that are increasingly well-integrated and holistic.


“The organization’s allocation of resources and its processes for evaluation and planning demonstrate its

capacity to fulfill its mission, improve the quality of its education, and respond to future challenges and

opportunities.”

“Preparing for the Future” describes the systematic way that NMSU allocates resources and

engages in planning processes. By virtue of its careful, responsive and increasingly finely tuned

planning, NMSU is poised to meet the future challenges and opportunities that await us.


“The organization provides evidence of student learning and teaching effectiveness that demonstrates it

is fulfilling its educational mission.”

The chapter on “Student Learning and Effective Teaching” attests to our commitment to

student learning and effective teaching through our investments in service, programs and



technology. This chapter also reviews how our ongoing outcomes assessment process provides

the foundation for program review and planning for the continuous improvement of teaching

and learning at NMSU.


“The organization promotes a life of learning for its faculty, administration, staff, and students by fos-

tering and supporting inquiry, creativity, practice, and social responsibility in ways consistent with its

mission.”

In “Acquisition, Discovery and Application of Knowledge” we illustrate the multitude of ways

that NMSU promotes a life of learning for its diverse constituents. NMSU has had a significant

impact on the state’s economic development and enjoys increasing national and international recog-

nition for its research endeavors. Our commitment to a breadth of knowledge for our

students is evident in our extensive general education curriculum, our Viewing a Wider World

offerings, and our progress in improving our ongoing processes to assess student learning outcomes.


“As called for by its mission, the organization identifies its constituencies and serves them in ways

both value.”

In the chapter on “Engagement and Service” we review the magnitude and breadth of the

resources NMSU dedicates to serving the people of the region. We are responsive to our constitu-

ents’ needs and continue to extend the reach of our “One University” in innovative ways.

Chapter 6 – NMSU Grants

In this chapter, we provide specific information for each of the HLC criteria in relation to the

unique environment served by NMSU Grants, demonstrating how these criteria are success-

fully applied in a different setting, both geographically and culturally. NMSU Grants’ campus

programs and services and its commitment are an integral part of the NMSU System to serve the

state of New Mexico.

Chapter 7 – Special Emphasis: Focus on the First-Year

In this chapter we review NMSU’s work with the Policy Center on the First College Year, the

special emphasis of this self-study. The FoE process has resulted in many initiatives intended to

enhance the experiences and the success of our first-year students, together with systemic changes

that will assure continued improvement in academic and support areas for these students.

Chapter 8—Federal Compliance

This chapter provides information required to demonstrate how specific NMSU policies comply

with the Federal Compliance Program of The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central

Association.

ReferencesAdelman, C. (2005). Moving into town—and moving on: The community college in the lives of

traditional-age students. Jessup, MD: Education Publications Center, US Department of Education.

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