Other NM universities announcements

On Aug. 5, 2015, the Gold King Mine Spill devastated communities along the Animas and San Juan rivers in the Four Corners region. The spill consisted of the unplanned, accidental release of 3 million gallons of mining sludge from the Gold King Mine in Colorado into the headwaters of the Animas River, which flows into the San Juan River.

Today, New Mexico State Universiy and other regional researchers continue to address concerns related to the spill through the Northwest New Mexico Agricultural Restoration Project, with funding from the New Mexico Attorney General's Office. The project, co-led by Kevin Lombard of NMSU's Agricultural Science Center at Farmington and Bonnie Hopkins Byers of the San Juan County Extension Office, aims to build capacity for soil health measures, establish pilot demonstrations for hoop houses and agricultural photovoltaics, and create digital storytelling efforts to raise awareness of farming along the San Juan River.

The day before he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in engineering physics and a minor in nuclear chemical engineering from New Mexico State University, Ethan French was already reaching for the stars. French, an NMSU Air Force ROTC cadet, was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Space Force on Dec. 12.

"I always wanted to go in the military and follow in my dad's footsteps, but I wanted to do something like space operations or just something with space," said Ethan French. "When I graduated high school in 2019 is when the Space Force became a thing. Back then nobody knew what the purpose of the Space Force was. But pretty much from that first semester on, I wanted to go into Space Force, and thankfully the opportunity came up. I applied for it and got it. Now, I'm super happy I get to join."

New Mexico State University and the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium recently hosted a weeklong conference for an international committee formed to preserve and protect aerospace artifacts – its first held in the United States.

New Mexico Cultural Affairs Secretary Debra Garcia y Griego was on hand to welcome to the committee to New Mexico at NMSU's Lee Sugarman Building, home to the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium.

Don W. Cleveland was the valedictorian of the New Mexico State University class of 1972. As a researcher, he has earned scores of prestigious awards, including the $3 million Breakthrough Prize in 2018. This fall, as an NMSU distinguished alumnus and donor, Cleveland established the Don W. Cleveland Award for Outstanding Scholarship, Teaching or Service in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The annual recognition program selects one outstanding tenured/tenure-track faculty member whose work over the past two years has demonstrated exceptional impact and recognition within the institution and at the national or international levels.

Since 1973, the New Mexico FFA office has called the New Mexico State University campus home. 

"It's more than just a shared space – it's a shared mission," said Russell Walter, executive secretary for the New Mexico FFA Association. "Both FFA and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences are dedicated to developing leadership, promoting innovation in agriculture and preparing students to make a real difference in their communities." 

In New Mexico, FFA reaches more than 5,300 students across 93 chapters. FFA hosts many events on the NMSU campus and in Las Cruces such as the state FFA convention, state officer trainings, career development events and leadership conferences. 

Since joining 4-H in 2015, Savannah Tuss has tried her hand at many different activities, including photography, baking, raising animals and competing in shooting sports, all with much success. 4-H has also helped the Albuquerque teen become more comfortable at public speaking and taking on leadership roles.

"It's just become part of who I am," said Tuss, now an New Mexico State University Global Campus student. "4-H introduced me to new people and new things that I never would have come across if I hadn't joined."

As the largest youth development organization in America, 4-H empowers nearly 6 million kids and teens through hands-on projects that teach life skills. In New Mexico, more than 40,000 youth from all 33 counties engage in 4-H activities offered through NMSU's Cooperative Extension Service.

Stories of Black life in New Mexico and the United States-Mexico borderlands took center stage at Branson Library this month as New Mexico State University students unveiled a new archival exhibit shaped by months of research, oral histories and hands-on work in the university's Archives and Special Collections. Community members filled the space to view the students' panels, many of which highlighted histories rarely spotlighted in the region. 

The exhibit was developed by 12 students in NMSU's African American History: 1865 to the Present course, taught by history professor Laura Hooton. Support for the project was provided by the African American Historical Research Endowment Fund, held within the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico. 

With clear blue skies and an early morning departure, the open road awaited. A pair of vans bound for Eddy County left New Mexico State University's Gerald Thomas Hall to begin an ultimate 13-day, 33-county summer 2025 road trip.

From Campus to Community: NMSU Cooperative Extension Service Impact Tour was the brainchild of President Valerio Ferme. The tour provided Ferme and his administrative leadership team from across the Las Cruces campus, including academic deans, regents and staff, an opportunity to learn about each county in the state.