Dear Colleagues, 

First, I want to thank all the departments, faculty, and staff who have been diligently working to meet our goals for Academic Program Review and Assessment this year. It is no small task to examine what makes a program successful and to identify areas for improvement. As we approach the submission of our Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Assurance Argument and prepare for the site visit, your continued attention to accurate, timely, and complete reporting is essential.

These submissions reflect more than compliance, they demonstrate commitment to academic quality and student success. Each report and assessment help tell NMSU’s story and shows how we continually strive to improve. Thank you for your ongoing efforts and for contributing to a successful outcome for our HLC review.

I am also pleased to provide updates on two exciting initiatives that reflect our continued focus on student success.

Complete College America Accelerator Program

NMSU recently hosted a productive meeting with Complete College America (CCA), a national organization dedicated to increasing college completion rates and closing institutional performance gaps through collaboration with states, systems, and institutions. As a participant in the CCA Accelerator program, NMSU will implement structural reforms and policies to enhance student achievement. Drs. James McAteer, Cecilia Hernandez, and Tony Marin, are leading this effort, focusing on four key areas—Advising, Pathways, Institutional Policy, and Leadership and Culture. Each area has a dedicated action plan and campus lead, engaging partners across the NMSU system.

Experiential Learning Framework

We are also taking a closer look at experiential learning and how academic units integrate it into their courses and curricula. Ms. Michelle Clare, Dean of the College of Cooperative Education and Professional Studies at the University of Cincinnati, recently met with several NMSU units to explore ways to strengthen existing experiential learning opportunities, including cooperative education, within a campus-wide framework. Her recommendations include expanding the current Office of Experiential Learning, adding staff, centralizing the office within the Provost’s area, piloting new programs, and developing a sustainable financial model. These recommendations will be further reviewed in upcoming meetings across NMSU, including Academic Affairs, the Associate Deans’ Academic Council, the Department Head Academy, and the Faculty Senate.

Staff Feature: Ms. Amanda Romero

Amanda Romero’s NMSU journey began in August 2007, when she joined the university as both an employee and a student, driven by a desire to shape her future through education. Encouraged by her mother, Debi, a former NMSU grant writer, Amanda took advantage of tuition remission benefits to become the first in her family to earn a college degree. Along the way, NMSU provided the caring community and support she needed, especially as a new mother.

For Amanda, NMSU is home, deeply rooted in Las Cruces and the mission of making a difference in people’s lives. Over her 18 years on campus, she has seen tremendous transformation and takes pride in being part of the small team that helped guide her college through reopening after COVID and the merger that created the College of Health, Education, and Social Transformation. She is especially proud of her role in the O’Donnell Hall Expansion and Renovation Project, which began in 2017 and is set to be completed this spring. Above all, Amanda finds the greatest reward in helping others, seeing someone leave her office with their head held higher than when they arrived.

To Amanda, “We Are NMSU” reflects the collective strength and compassion of the entire university community—faculty, staff, students, and alumni, working together to keep NMSU moving forward. Crimson through and through—Go Aggies!

Lakshmi N. Reddi
Interim Provost
New Mexico State University