New Mexico State University

Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico State University

The Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico State University (BCOM), a private medical school, is located on NMSU's main campus. Medical students can utilize the facilities and amenities of NMSU's campus, including on-campus student housing.[23] BCOM began instruction in August 2016 and will graduate its first class in May 2020.[24] BCOM and NMSU created a pipeline program whereby NMSU students who meet certain qualifications during their undergraduate studies are guaranteed a seat at the medical school following graduating from NMSU. In addition, BCOM has established a scholarship fund at NMSU.[25] BCOM is the first osteopathic medical school in New Mexico and just one of two medical schools in the state, the other being in Albuquerque at the University of New Mexico.

NMSU Housing is available to students who choose to live on campus. There are several residential areas to choose from, including residential halls, apartments, graduate housing, family communities, living learning communities, and theme communities.[26] Housing includes:

• Chamisa Village Apartments Stage I
• Chamisa Village Apartments Stage II
• Cervantes Village Apartment Complex
• Juniper Hall
• Garcia Hall
• Pinon Hall
• Rhodes Garrett Hamiel
• Tom Fort and Sutherland Village
• Vista Del Monte Apartments

Zuhl Library

NMSU has two major libraries on the main campus, Branson Hall Library and Zuhl Library.[27] Both libraries have a total collection of more than 1 million volumes.[28]

Branson Hall Library was built in 1951 and houses texts and resources related to engineering, business, agriculture, science, special collections, maps, government publications, and archives.[29] A sculpture made of bronze named "Joy of Learning", created by Grant Kinzer, former Department Head of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Weed Science, can be found on the north side of Branson Hall.[30]

Zuhl Library was built in 1992 at a cost of $11 million. The library houses texts and resources related to the arts, humanities, and sciences.[31] North of Zuhl Library is a 20-foot wide steel and granite sculpture, named "A Quest for Knowledge", which was created by Federico Armijo, an Albuquerque native.[32]

NMSU is home to several museums, collections, and galleries. The NMSU Arthropod Museum, which houses more than 150,000 research and 5,000 teaching specimens, is housed in Skeen Hall. Specimens are used globally for taxonomic research and within the state for community outreach. The University Museum (established in 1959) serves the community as a repository and exhibitor of local and regional culture and history.[33] The Klipsch Museum is a tribute to Paul and Valerie Klipsch, who provided materials representing more than 80 years of audio engineering. It is located in NMSU's Foreman Engineering Complex. The Zuhl Collection combines the functions of an art gallery and natural history museum and showcases thousands of specimens of petrified wood, fossils, and minerals.

The university has a dedicated police department employing 35 people, including 22 full-time commissioned police officers. The number of employed personnel expands greatly during special events such as concerts or sporting events, with as many as 50 security guards and dozens of additional officers from other departments. The current chief of police is Stephen Lopez.[34] In addition to the Las Cruces campus, the department also has authority for all university-owned campuses, lands and facilities around the state.[35]

The department also offers personal defense courses for females on campus, including training in rape prevention, escape and the proper use of pepper sprays.[36] Campus officers receive training on gender identity/expression issues, which has helped the university achieve an overall score of 4 out of 5 for LGBT friendliness.[37]

NMSU was ranked tied for 241st in the national universities category and tied for 117th among public universities in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report in its 2021 rankings.[55] Also for 2021, USN&WR ranked the College of Engineering's graduate program at 152-200, the Nursing School tied for 99th for Master's degrees, and the College of Education's graduate program tied for 157th in the nation.[56]

Foster Hall is home to the Department of Biology

New Mexico State University is ranked by the National Science Foundation among United States colleges and universities with high research and development, and is among the top institutions without a medical school in terms of R&D expenditures. Although early research focused on generating knowledge useful in agriculture and engineering, research soon expanded under land-grant status and space-grant status to all natural sciences and to include all disciplines of the university.[39]

The university is home to New Mexico's NASA Space Grant Program.[57]

In 2010, the NMSU Physical Sciences Laboratory secured a study contract with Reaction Engines Limited, a British aerospace company that is developing technology for an airbreathing single-stage to orbit, precooled air turboramjet based spaceplane.[58]

The NMSU Department of Astronomy operates the Sunspot Solar Observatory and Apache Point Observatory, in Sunspot, New Mexico, including the site of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.[59]

NMSU is a research active university, with $150 million per year in externally funded research programs. Its estimated annual economic impact in New Mexico is $1 billion. Anchoring the southern end of New Mexico's Rio Grande Research Corridor, NMSU is the only university to reach the platinum, or highest, level of service to NASA's Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program. SATOP makes the expertise of corporate and university researchers available to small businesses.[60]

• Agricultural Experiment Station – conducts basic and applied research supporting agriculture, natural resources management, environmental quality, and improved quality of life.
• Arrowhead Center – provides business assistance, technology incubation, intellectual property commercialization, economic policy analysis to local businesses as well as students, staff and faculty at the university.[61]
• Institute for Energy and Environment (IEE) – a multidisciplinary, energy sector and water resource institute.[62] IEE's goal is to provide global leadership, expertise, and technology for public policy, technical and human resource development to meet growing energy and water needs. The International Environmental Design Contest is co-hosted by the IEE.[63]
• Manufacturing Technology and Engineering Center (M-TEC) – supports economic development in New Mexico by providing manufacturing education, technical assistance, and other extension services to industries in New Mexico.

NMSU student organizations include a Greek system and several religious organizations. The Associated Students of New Mexico State University is the student government, and is considered a departmental organization.[64]

Skeen Hall with Organ Mountains in the background. Skeen houses the Department of Entomology Plant Pathology and Weed Science, the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, and the Department of Extension Plant Sciences

The Associated Students of New Mexico State University (ASNMSU) is the student government of NMSU, with an elected student body president, vice president, 30 senators, and an appointed student supreme court. Senators are elected to two semester terms, with two elections each school year, in each, 15 senators are elected. There are 12 different departments within ASNMSU, who manage various events such as the homecoming parade, free students concerts, a free cab program for students, and many others. Each department is overseen by a director, who is appointed by the president and confirmed by the senate. ASNMSU manages a budget of over one million dollars.[65]

Fraternities and sororities at New Mexico State University include:[66]

• Golden Key International Honour Society
• The National Society of Collegiate Scholars
• Sigma Alpha Pi The National Society of Leadership and Success
• Gamma Beta Phi
• Phi Sigma Pi

Founded in 1907, The Round Up is the oldest student-run news publication at New Mexico State University. In fall of 2017, the Round Up cut back its printing frequency and now provides current online news coverage as well as special print editions.[67]

KRWG-TV is a full service television station in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and is operated and owned by New Mexico State University. It is a member station of PBS (Public Broadcasting Service).[68]

Puerto del Sol is a literary magazine run by graduate students in the English Department.[69] It has been in print for over fifty years and currently publishes biannually. The magazine also curates a Black Voices series on its website.[70]

News22 is a student-run television newscast that airs live on KRWG-TV three days per week during the nine-month academic year. The broadcast is produced by New Mexico State University journalism students. In 2011, News22 added Noticias22 en Español, a Spanish language broadcast that airs Tuesdays and Wednesdays in Las Cruces, Silver City and El Paso, Texas.[71]

Kokopelli is an online news publication produced by New Mexico State University journalism students. Kokopelli provides breaking news, features and weekly sports coverage during the nine-month academic year. Kokopelli is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press.[72]

NMSU also owns and operates two radio stations: KRUX (91.5 FM) and KRWG-FM.

KRUX is an entirely student–run, non-commercial radio station located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, that was founded in 1989. KRUX is financed through student fees administered by the Associated Students of New Mexico State University, the student government of NMSU. KRUX is a member of the Collegiate Music Journal Network.[73]

KRWG-FM (90.7 FM) is a public, non-commercial, full-service FM radio station. It serves the area within southwestern New Mexico and Far West Texas. It is an affiliated station of National Public Radio and features NPR programming.[74]

The nickname was derived from its roots and beginnings as an agricultural school and the state's only designated land-grant university.

Goddard Hall

In the 1940s, the Victory Bell, a gift of the Class of 1939, was housed in an open-sided structure on the Horseshoe and rung to announce Aggie victories. In 1972, the bell was rededicated as the NMSU Engineer's Bell and mounted on a platform near Goddard Hall. On game days, various school organizations took turns in toting the ringing bell around Las Cruces before kick-off. The Bell was then taken to Aggie Memorial Stadium where it rang after Aggie touchdowns. More recently, the bell has been permanently mounted at field level just behind the south goal post of the stadium.[75]

In 1920, students of then New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts scouted for an appropriate place to display their school letter. Tortugas Mountain, located three miles (5 km) east of campus, seemed a natural spot. Brave males gathered enough stones to form a big "A" easily visible from campus and the surrounding area. On the following day, April 1, students trudged up the mountain side with their five-gallon cans of whitewash and splashed it on the stones, turning them into a gleaming white "A". For many years, giving the "A" its annual fresh coat of whitewash was an all-school effort. The seniors mixed lime and water at the foot of the mountain and the freshmen and sophomores toted the mixture up to the juniors who splashed it on the "A." With the growth of the university through the years, the tradition was taken over by the Greek Council.[75]

The marching band of New Mexico State University is known as the Pride of New Mexico. It is composed of approximately 200 musicians, dancers, and auxiliary. They provide entertainment at football games, parades, and other NMSU events. Timothy Lautzenheiser was director of the band, naming it the Pride of New Mexico, from 1976 to 1979.[76] The Pride Marching Band was the first collegiate marching band to be invited to the London New Year's Day Parade in 1987 and has performed at dozens of NFL halftimes, including most recently a Denver Broncos-San Francisco 49ers game in 2014 and a San Diego Chargers-Jacksonville Jaguars game in 2016.

At kickoff of every NMSU home football game, Aggie fans await the "Wonder Dog" to retrieve the kicking tee from the football field. This tradition started in the mid 1990s. The first "Wonder Dog" was Smoki, a border collie-Australian shepherd mix born in Capitan, New Mexico, and trained by Joel Sims, an NMSU alumni. Smoki "The Wonder Dog" entertained the Aggie crowd for six years and retired in 2002. She also debut in a Hollywood film which co-starred Kevin Costner and Dennis Quaid, entitled "Wyatt Earp", as a town dog.[77] Smoki "The Wonder Dog" died at the age of 15 in 2005. Since then, the tradition ended until 2012, when a tryout for the next "Wonder Dog" took place. A panel of celebrity judges chose a four-year old border collie, Striking as the next "Wonder Dog". Striking first appeared on August 30, 2012, at the NMSU-Sacramento State home game.[78]

Every Friday, some students, faculties, staff, and alumni of NMSU wear crimson colors to show support for the university and the school's sports programs.[79]

The official ring of New Mexico State University is given to students with junior and senior standing, and alumni of NMSU, to celebrate and commemorate their achievements and NMSU traditions. The official Ring Ceremony is sponsored by the Alumni Association, which is held every spring and fall Semester at the Aggie Memorial Tower.[80]

The official ring is manufactured by Balfour, which comes with white gold and yellow gold, with an optional stone; diamond or cubic zirconia at the centerpiece of the ring; and is presented with Hatch Chile Ristra. The top of the ring highlights the NMSU three triangles school seal, encircled with the school name. The three triangles represent NMSU's role as a land-grant university – teaching, research, and service. It also represents the connection of Spanish, American Indian, and Anglo cultures in New Mexico, and the triangulation of NMSU campus with Interstate 10 linking Interstate 25 in the first principle interchange of the Pan American Highway in North America. The one side of the ring shows the Aggie Memorial Tower, in honor of Aggies who died for the country, and the other side of the ring displays a majestic Organ Mountains. Students wear the ring facing the school name. Upon granting of degrees, graduates should turn the ring around facing outward, which symbolizes that they are ready to face the world.[81]

A tradition that signals the beginning of the holiday season is the "Noche de Luminarias" or "Night of Lights". A university tradition that started as the President's Holiday Reception in 1984, which starts the holiday season with a night of entertainment and festivities. It is considered one of the largest luminaria displays in the state of New Mexico.[82]

Each candle set is lit inside a paper bag. With more than 6,000 luminarias, it begins at the Educational Services Building, extends towards the International Mall and then encircles the Corbett Center Student Union. The display is being set up by the Las Cruces High School band, and will serenade the visitors as they walk through the lighted path by the Las Cruces High School Brass Choir.[83]

NMSU maintains strong athletic rivalries with the University of New Mexico. The UNM-NMSU rivalry is called the Rio Grande Rivalry (aka Battle of I-25), a competitive series based on points awarded to the winners of head to head competitions between the two universities in every sport. A rotating trophy is granted to the winning university for a period of one year, until the award presentation the following year. Different traditions take place at each school the night before game day.

The university also has a strong rivalry with the University of Texas at El Paso known as The Battle of I-10. UTEP and NMSU are located just over 40 miles apart.

There are approximately 120,000 living NMSU alumni.[86] The NMSU Alumni Association is one of the university's oldest organizations, dating from May 24, 1898.[87] Jerome Shaw, EVP/COO of Volt Information Sciences, Inc;[88] Christine Aguilera, President of SkyMall;[89] and Jorge Gardea-Torresdey, a nanoparticle researcher and professor at the University of Texas at El Paso.[90]

Notable faculty include Paul Bosland, an internationally recognized authority on chile who leads the university's chile breeding research program and directs the Chile Pepper Institute at NMSU,[91] Clyde Tombaugh, an astronomer best known for his discovery of Pluto;[92] Mark Medoff, playwright, screenwriter, director and actor, who wrote the Tony award winning Children of a Lesser God. Antonya Nelson, named by The New Yorker as one of the 20 best young fiction writers in America, who has published three novels and more than 50 stories. Lisa Grayshield, healer, enrolled member of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, and advocate of Indigenous Ways of Knowing (IWOK).[93][94]

Historian Burl Noggle taught at NMSU from 1955 to 1960. He later moved to Louisiana State University, where he penned a book on the Teapot Dome scandal.[95]

• Kropp, Simon F. (Spring 1967). "Hiram Hadley and the Founding of New Mexico State University". Arizona and the West. Southwest Center, University of Arizona. 9 (1): 21–40. JSTOR 40167379.