Other NM universities announcements

For the fourth-straight year, official enrollment numbers at New Mexico State University have grown, with the main Las Cruces campus showing a 3.7% increase over 2025 – the largest percentage increase among all of New Mexico's four-year state universities this year. Overall, with an increase of more than 2% systemwide over last fall, NMSU's system enrollment surpassed 24,000 for the first time since 2019. 

Aided by the Lottery and Opportunity scholarships, and with double-digit growth from NMSU Global, NMSU's systemwide enrollment for fall 2026 is also up to 24,344 – a 2.3% increase from the same time last year, according to final data from the university's recent census report.

For more than a decade, New Mexico State University has hosted an annual Military and Veterans Appreciation Week to honor students, faculty and staff who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. This year, the 11th annual celebration will be held from Nov. 7-13. 

"Recognizing veterans on campus reminds us that our university is not just a place of learning, but a community of gratitude, respect and belonging. Veterans bring leadership, resilience, discipline and invaluable life experiences that enrich our campus and inspire future generations," said Erika Zaragoza, Military and Veterans Programs coordinator. 

The week begins with the Las Cruces Veterans Day Parade at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, in Downtown Las Cruces. NMSU's Army and Air Force ROTC will be marching in the parade. This year's parade theme is Honoring 250 Years of Military Service. 

A New Mexico State University graduate, Amanda Nunez returned to her alma mater as a staff member in 2021 and has spent five years supporting students and their needs, first as the Aggie Cupboard program specialist and now as assistant director of NMSU's Student Assistance Services. 

"Being an NMSU alumna makes my work even more meaningful," Nunez said. "It is special to be able to give back to the university that played an important role in my own educational journey and now have the opportunity to support students as they work toward achieving their goals." 

For her hard work and dedication to serving students, Nunez was recognized with the 2026 "A" Mountain Staff Award Oct. 30 during NMSU's Employee Appreciation Picnic. The "A" Mountain Staff Award recognizes staff members who demonstrate the NMSU core values of leadership, excellence, access, diversity and inclusion, and those who are student-centered.

Being a pioneer takes courage, and 42% of New Mexico State University undergraduate students are exploring new worlds as the first in their families to pursue a college degree. In November, the NMSU system will celebrate first-generation college students, faculty and staff. 

On the Las Cruces campus, NMSU's eighth annual first-generation celebration will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at Corbett Center Student Union's first floor and Aggie Lounge. The event will include free food, T-shirts, swag and a photo booth in addition to video greetings from university leadership and a performance from Ballet Folklórico Orgullo de Nuevo México. 

At first glance, the desert expanses in New Mexico may seem dry, barren, harsh and beautiful. But that wasn't always the case.

Over the past 150 years, rangelands in the Southwest have experienced dramatic changes in vegetation. A research project based at New Mexico State University's Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center is exploring ways to restore rangelands to what they once were: expanses of perennial grasslands.

The project will be one of four presented at this year's CDRRC field day, which takes place from 8 a.m. to noon Nov. 13 at the center, located at 9912 County Road E079 in Las Cruces. The event is free and open to the public.

At New Mexico State University, student success extends beyond the classroom. The Round Up, NMSU's student newspaper, demonstrated that success by earning seven awards at the New Mexico Press Association's annual Better Newspaper Contest earlier this month. 

Five staff members of The Round Up attended the NMPA awards ceremony, alongside hundreds of representatives from news organizations and independent journalists from across the state, to celebrate excellence in journalism. 

In its inaugural year competing in the contest, The Round Up received three first-place awards and four second-place awards. All of which recognized student work in writing, photography and digital media.

Armed with dozens of motion-sensing cameras, William Grooms spent this past summer documenting wildlife across Carson National Forest in northern New Mexico. It was his first field season collecting photos for a two-year study to understand how forest structure influences biodiversity in the Southern Rocky Mountains.

Months later, while reviewing his first set of images, Grooms, a Ph.D. student at New Mexico State University, came across something so rare he initially didn't believe his eyes. 

Hidden among the pictured squirrels, rabbits, bears and foxes – wildlife known to roam the San Juan Mountains that straddle the New Mexico-Colorado border – was clear photographic evidence of a snow-adapted wild cat known as a Canada lynx, a species last documented in New Mexico about a quarter-century ago.

Finding the best solutions to a challenge is often the result of a team collaboration, and New Mexico State University worked with local school districts from across the state to complete the assignment — a free online high school readiness series. The three-course series is a self-paced online learning course that prepares students for college, careers and life after graduation. 

Staff from the NMSU Student Success Center and NMSU Global partnered with educators from across New Mexico to create three micro-credential courses, career preparation and readiness, student success skills and financial literacy.