New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University, or NMSU, is a major land-grant university in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It also has campuses in Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Doña Ana County, and Grants, with extension and research centers across New Mexico.[3] The school was founded in 1888 as the Las Cruces College, an agricultural college, and in 1889 the school became New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. It received its present name in 1960. NMSU has approximately 18,497 students enrolled as of Fall 2009, and has a faculty-to-student ratio of about 1 to 19. NMSU offers a wide range of programs and awards associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees through its main campus and four community colleges. NMSU is the only research-extensive, land-grant, USA-Mexico border institution classified as Hispanic serving by the federal government.[4]
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History
In 1888, an institution of higher learning, based in small adobe buildings, known as Las Cruces College was established in the heart of the then small village of the same name. One year later, a foundation for much growth was established when the Territorial Assembly of New Mexico provided for the establishment of an Agricultural College and Agricultural Experiment Station with bill No. 28 or the Rodey Act of 1889. The bill stated that, " Said institution is hereby located at or near the town of Las Cruces in the County of Doña Ana,upon a tract of land of not less than one hundred (100) acres, contiguous to the main Las Cruces irrigating ditch, south of said town."
In February 1891, the university's first building McFie Hall, popularly known as Old Main, opened its doors. Unfortunately, the building burned down in 1910, but its remains can be seen in the center of Pride Field on the University Horseshoe, or old university center.
In a move to better represent its operations, the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts became New Mexico State University in 1960.
The university also have an extensive international student population from countries in Central America, Caribbean, South America, Europe, Asia and Middle East.
Academics
New Mexico State University main campus, with Aggie Memorial Stadium on the left, and the main "colleges" on the right, along University Avenue Zuhl LibraryNMSU is divided into several smaller colleges. These include:
- College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Business
- College of Education
- College of Engineering
- College of Extended Learning
- College of Health and Social Services
- College of Honors
College of Engineering
NMSU's College of Engineering includes the departments of Chemical, Aerospace, Civil, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Engineering Technology, Industrial, Mechanical, Surveying, and Engineering Physics. Among its many honors are:
- Programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology in applied science, computing, engineering and technology.[5]
Agriculture
The university was founded initially as an agricultural institution, and still offers agriculture programs. The NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences "Brings Science to Your Life" through academics, research, and New Mexico's Cooperative Extension Service.New Mexico State University is known across the country for its environmental programs. With its location in Las Cruces, it offers a wide variety of different natural resources.
Academic programs are offered targeting a wide array of careers in industries as diverse as tourism, fashion, environment, resource management, education, and consumer sciences. We also offer three doctoral programs and nine master degree programs.[citation needed]
The Cooperative Extension Service provides practical, research based knowledge throughout New Mexico and beyond. Extension staff, located in all 33 counties and tribal offices, deliver 4-H programs, conduct trainings, and share research-based information about livestock, nutrition, horticulture, and many other topics.[citation needed]
Institutes and research programs
The university is home to New Mexico's NASA Space Grant Program.[6].
In 2010, the NMSU Physical Sciences Laboratory has secured a study contract with Reaction Engines Limited, a British aerospace company that is developing technology for an airbreathing single-stage to orbit, precooled air turboramjet based spaceplane.[7]
Athletics
Main article: New Mexico State AggiesNMSU's teams are called the Aggies, a nickname derived from the university's agricultural beginnings.
NMSU remains a longtime rival with the University of New Mexico and the University of Texas at El Paso.
Notable people
Alumni
- Scott Bailey, actor[8]
- Paul W. Klipsch, Audio pioneer and founder of Klipsch and Associates. Namesake of the Klipsch School Electrical and Computer Engineering at NMSU.[9]
- Chito Reyes, basketball player, Olympian[10]
Faculty
- Clyde Tombaugh, astronomer best known for his discovery of Pluto; former professor of astronomy[11]
- Garrey Carruthers, former governor of New Mexico; current NMSU dean of School of Business[12]
- David Boje, author; current NMSU endowed Bank of America professor of management[13]
- Edward O. Thorp, mathematician best known for writing the book Beat the Dealer[14] and co-inventing the first wearable computer; Associate Professor of Mathematics 1961-1965[15]
Fight song
Aggies, Oh Aggies The hills send back the cry We're here to do or die Aggies, Oh Aggies We'll win this game or know the reason why And when we win this game We'll buy a keg of booze And drink it to the Aggies Till we wobble in our shoes
A-G-G-I-E-S!
Aggies, Aggies, Go Aggies Aggies, Oh Aggies The hills send back the cry We're here to do or die Aggies, Oh Aggies We'll win this game or know the reason why![citation needed]
Traditions
In the 1940s, the Victory Bell, a gift of the Class of 1939, was housed in an open-sided structure on the Horseshoe and rung to announce Aggie victories. In 1972, the bell was rededicated as the NMSU Engineer's Bell and now sits on a platform near Goddard Hall. On game days, various school organizations take turns in toting the ringing bell around Las Cruces prior to kick-off. The Bell is then taken to Aggie Memorial Stadium where it salutes Aggie touchdowns with its distinctive - and loud - chimes.
"A" Tradition In 1920, students of then New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts scouted for an appropriate place to display their school letter. Tortugas Mountain, located three miles (5 km) east of campus, seemed a natural spot. Brave males gathered enough stones to form a big "A" easily visible from campus and the surrounding area. On the following day, April 1, students trudged up the mountain side with their five-gallon cans of whitewash and splashed it on the stones, turning them into a gleaming white "A". For many years, giving the "A" its annual fresh coat of whitewash was an all school effort. The seniors mixed lime and water at the foot of the mountain and the freshmen and sophomores toted the mixture up to the juniors who splashed it on the "A." With the growth of the university through the years, the tradition was taken over by the Greek Council.
Student media
NMSU has two radio stations, a TV station, and a student-run newspaper. The radio stations are KRUX, a station run by students, and KRWG, a public radio station.[citation needed]
The TV station, KRWG-TV, serves as the region's PBS affiliate. Named for New Mexico broadcast pioneer Ralph Wilson Goddard, KRWG-TV features one of the few weekday newscasts student-produced by a university journalism school. The program is also the only New Mexico-based newscast for southwest New Mexico viewers.[citation needed]
The Round Up is the student-run newspaper, published [when?]every Monday and Thursday and calling itself "the student voice of New Mexico State University since 1907."[citation needed]
Student organizations
NMSU has multiple student organizations, as well as a Greek system. There are several religious organizations, including The Christian Challenge-BSU. The Associated Students of New Mexico State University [1] is the student government, it has a departmental organization.
The Greek System at New Mexico State University includes:
- Fraternities:
Notes
- ^ As of June 30, 2009. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2009 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2008 to FY 2009" (PDF). 2009 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2009_NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values.pdf. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
- ^ a b c NMSU Prospective Students - Admissions Facts
- ^ "NMSU: New Mexico is our Campus". New Mexico State University. 2007-05-10. http://www.nmsu.edu/newmexicoisourcampus/. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
- ^ http://www.internationalgraduate.net/country/unitedstates/new-mexico.htm
- ^ http://www.engr.nmsu.edu/news_items/news_07_10_24_physics.2.shtml
- ^ "New Mexico Space Grant". New Mexico State University. 2009-03-11. http://spacegrant.nmsu.edu/. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
- ^ News Update - February 2010, Reaction Engines Limited company news, February 2010, accessed 2010-03-25.
- ^ Kesler, Donyelle (September 22, 2009). "NMSU alumnus named one of TV's Unsung Pitchmen". @NMSU Newsletter. New Mexico State University. http://www.nmsu.edu/~ucomm/atnmsu/cur/unsungpitchmen.html. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
- ^ http://www.klipsch.com/na-en/about/founder-biography
- ^ David Wharton, UCLA-New Mexico State resurrects memories for Chito Reyes, Los Angeles Times, December 15, 2009
- ^ http://archives.nmsu.edu/exhibits/tombaugh_website/bio.html
- ^ http://www.nmsu.edu/~ucomm/Releases/2003/April/Carruthers.html
- ^ http://nmsu.academia.edu/DavidBoje
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/Beat-Dealer-Winning-Strategy-Twenty-One/dp/0394703103
- ^ About Edward O. Thorp
External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: New Mexico State University |
- New Mexico State University official website
- NMSU Athletics official website
- ASNMSU official website
- The Round Up official website
- NMSU American Association of University Professors official website
- KRUX Radio official website
Coordinates: 32°16′59″N 106°44′53″W / 32.283°N 106.748°W
| Las Cruces, New Mexico | |
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| Suburbs | |
| Doña Ana | Mesilla | University Park | |
| Doña Ana County | |
| New Mexico State University |
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Categories: Doña Ana County, New Mexico | Land-grant universities and colleges | Universities and colleges in New Mexico | Oak Ridge Associated Universities | Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities | New Mexico State University | Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration | North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
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