Other NM universities announcements

Jen Silverman, an organic consultant with the Rodale Institute, will speak at the next Chile Chat at New Mexico State University's Chile Pepper Institute.

Silverman, who has more than two decades of experience in organic inspecting and consulting, will discuss market opportunities for certified organic chile peppers. The talk will take place from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3, at NMSU's Fabián García Research Center, 113 W. University Ave. It will also be available on Zoom. It is free and open to the public.

The New Mexico State University Foundation has announced the recipients of its 2025 Distinguished Alumni Awards, the highest honors presented to NMSU graduates. Since 1956, more than 400 NMSU graduates have received this recognition for professional achievement, service and impact.

Each year during NMSU's Homecoming weekend, the NMSU Foundation celebrates a select group of outstanding alumni through the Distinguished Alumni Awards, the James F. Cole Memorial Award for Service and the Young Alumni Service Award. Nominations are open to the public and the NMSU community from August through May.

Portales, NM – August 27, 2025 – Eastern New Mexico University announced today the activities for its third-annual JP Stone Community Bank Rally on Main on September 12, and the annual JP Stone Community Bank Family Weekend happening September 12-13. 

"We are excited to welcome back the families of our students for a weekend of fun," said James Johnston, ENMU Chancellor. "This is also a great opportunity to show the Portales friendliness and hospitality we are known for as we welcome campus and community to Rally on Main."

The JP Stone Community Bank Rally on Main event happens on Friday, Sept. 12, from 5-10 p.m. at the Roosevelt County Electric Company Plaza on Main Street. ENMU, in conjunction with the City of Portales, will host live music on the plaza, welcoming the campus and community to a night of family fun.

From his early calling to photography at age 14 to global journeys through Kuwait, northern Mexico's Copper Canyon and Guatemala's Mayan heartland, Sterling Trantham built a career of fearless storytelling through his lenses. Now, his life's work – spanning decades as an artist, mentor, and friend – will be preserved at New Mexico State University's Archives and Special Collections, returning to the campus where his journey began.

Trantham, an award-winning documentary photographer and longtime college educator passed away Feb. 21. He battled liver cancer and related illness with resilience and grace for nearly a decade, leaving behind a legacy rooted in visual storytelling, mentorship and an enduring creative spirit.

Portales, NM – August 26, 2026 – Eastern New Mexico University was recognized nationally and statewide in the Niche.com 2026 Best College Rankings released this week. Nationally, ENMU is ranked in the top 20 percent of universities in nine different categories. For the state of New Mexico, ENMU is ranked either first or second in six different categories.

The highest national ranking for the University in the 2026 Niche.com rankings was recognition as the 14th best online college in America. The highest New Mexico rankings for ENMU include being recognized as the best online college and the best college for education degrees.

New Mexico State University bestowed its top teaching awards Aug. 19 during its biannual convocation, kicking the 2025-2026 academic year into full swing.

The fall 2025 convocation drew 244 people to Atkinson Recital Hall. NMSU President Valerio Ferme and interim Provost Lakshmi Reddi delivered remarks before the awards presentation honoring six faculty members for excellence in teaching.

Ferme, now eight months into his tenure as president, encouraged staff and faculty to begin thinking strategically about NMSU's future as the university embarks on a new phase under his leadership.

Jochebed Ade-Oshifogun, associate professor in the School of Nursing at New Mexico State University, has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar award for the 2025-2026 academic year.

This competitive award will support Ade-Oshifogun's eight-month teaching and curriculum development project at Babcock University in Ilishan, Nigeria, where she will focus on expanding nursing research methods training and building research capacity among faculty and students.

New Mexico State University, which was officially designated an R1 research institution earlier this year, continues to see a record number of research expenditures and external awards.

Preliminary numbers collected for the National Science Foundation's Higher Education Research and Development Survey indicate that NMSU will see between $150 million and $160 million in research expenditures, or funds spent to conduct research. That estimate is significantly higher than any HERD survey reported in the past decade, said Luis Cifuentes, NMSU vice president of research, creativity and economic development.