Other NM universities announcements

Dianne Christensen, New Mexico State University professor and Bernalillo County Cooperative Extension Service Family and Consumer Sciences agent, didn't imagine serving as the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences national president. 

"I never aspired to this, to be honest," she said. "I was western region director, and that was enough for me, but the president's council was recruiting, and they approached me about running." 

Despite a personal health issue with a large benign brain tumor that required brain surgery, radiation and losing vision in her left eye in 2024, Christensen decided to run for NEAFCS president. The position is a three-year commitment and requires service as president elect, president and past president. Each role includes substantial national leadership responsibilities on behalf of NEAFCS as well as the Joint Council of Extension Professionals board.

The Hunt Center for Entrepreneurship at New Mexico State University's Arrowhead Center is supporting graduate students and recent graduates in applying to the Stanford Ecopreneurship Global Intensive, an eight-week summer program that connects founders with Stanford faculty, Silicon Valley investors, and a global community of sustainability entrepreneurs. 

The program, known as EcoGlobal, is a partnership between Stanford's Doerr School of Sustainability and Stanford Graduate School of Business. Through its participation in the EcoGlobal university ecosystem, the Hunt Center is helping facilitate access for NMSU students to this highly competitive global program. Applications for NMSU participants close Monday, May 4, 2026. 

Delegations from around the world convened in New York this April for the annual National Model United Nations conference. The New Mexico State University Model United Nations team (MUN) worked tirelessly to prepare, and their hard work was recognized with the highest recognition given by the conference – the Outstanding Delegation Award.

The 2026 Model U.N. event continued NMSU's long-term winning streak. The team has secured top honors in 19 of the last 20 years, only missing 2020 due to the COVID pandemic cancellation.

New Mexico State University's Arrowhead Center NM FAST program is making a final call for applications to its Larta Institute commercialization cohort, with a Friday, May 1, deadline for New Mexico-based deep-tech startups pursuing federal Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer funding.

The cohort, offered at no cost, will admit up to 20 New Mexico startups and begin on May 7, 2026. Programming includes five virtual workshops delivered every other week, covering customer discovery, sales and marketing strategy, SBIR/STTR Phase I application development, intellectual property strategy, and pitching and investor readiness. Participants also receive one-on-one advisory with Larta Principal Advisors, written Phase I proposal reviews, and SBIR/STTR mentorship through submission. 

For College students out of options, the Last Mile Education Fund provides a faster way to support degree completion in high-demand STEM fields.

At New Mexico State University, 19 students (14 of them majoring in computer science) have benefitted from the fund this academic year. In fall 2025 and spring 2026, NMSU students were awarded nearly $32,000 that helped them to cover not only tuition, but also things like car repairs, laptops and even rent. Last Mile Education Fund helps the student surmount challenges standing the way of continuing college classes to complete their degree.

New Mexico State University's Food Safety Laboratory, which has a long history of serving as a trusted technical and scientific resource nationally, especially for the southwestern United States, has achieved accreditation from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation for microbiological testing services, affirming the laboratory's technical competence and the reliability of its methods.

Awarded this month, ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation is widely recognized as the international benchmark for laboratory testing and calibration competence. The accreditation strengthens in-state access to high-quality microbiological testing, helping New Mexico producers reduce costs and avoid delays associated with sending samples to out-of-state commercial laboratories. The lab is part of the Center of Excellence for Sustainable Food and Agricultural Systems at NMSU.

New Mexico State University alumnus Phil Anderson has been named chief operating officer of the PGA of America, a senior leadership role focused on advancing the organization's strategic priorities, operational performance and member services. 

Anderson, a graduate of NMSU's Professional Golf Management Program, was selected following a national search and began his new role April 20. He will be based at the PGA of America's headquarters in Frisco, Texas, and report directly to Chief Executive Officer Terry Clark. 

NMSU leaders say Anderson's career reflects the strength and impact of the university's Professional Golf Management Program. 

In a standout national finish, undergraduate students in New Mexico State University's College of Business claimed second place at the 2026 National Ethics Case Competition, outperforming MBA and law students from some of the nation's top universities. 

Hosted by Texas A&M University, in partnership with the Daniels Fund, the competition brought together top student teams nationwide to analyze complex business and ethical dilemmas. First place was awarded to an MBA team from Cornell University, followed by undergraduates from NMSU, with third place going to an MBA team from the University of Denver.