Hector Sanchez, director of Military and Veterans Programs at New Mexico State University, told the Legislative Veterans and Military Affairs Committee on July 15 that the university runs a systemwide veterans office focused on advocacy, benefit navigation and both academic and nonacademic support for veterans and their families. "If we do not advocate for our veterans, then there will be no one that will," Sanchez said.
Sanchez said the office began in February 2010 and now supports main and branch campuses with services that include GI Bill and Department of Defense tuition-assistance administration, benefit counseling, a computer lab, free printing and scanning, emergency food assistance and a mentorship program for first- and second-year student veterans. He said the office also worked with the faculty senate to change university policy in February 2022 to excuse reservists called to training or missions and to refund tuition and books when mission obligations prevent course completion.
The office administers GI Bill benefits and other veteran education programs. Sanchez said roughly 400 veterans attend NMSU’s main campus; about 250 receive GI Bill benefits. He noted a demographic shift: when he started nearly a decade ago about 80% of beneficiaries were veterans and 20% were dependents; today he estimated roughly 60% of beneficiaries are dependents, driven in part by Chapter 35 dependent educational assistance tied to service-connected, 100% disability ratings.
Sanchez described campus family housing for veterans — units built in the 1950s that have been upgraded with state funding — and said there are about 14 family units available at any time and that most are two-bedroom units with campus utilities included. He said on-campus family housing rents are substantially lower than the surrounding market and that students can apply through the university’s housing office and indicate veteran status to be prioritized.
On ROTC, Sanchez said NMSU hosts Army and Air Force programs and that command responsibilities for ROTC instruction are being shared with the University of Texas at El Paso; he told the committee the detachments, instructors and cadet programs remain physically at NMSU. "The detachment is not going to change," he said.
Sanchez told committee members the office helps veterans navigate VA benefits — "the VA is not probably the friendliest place" — and connects veterans to campus counseling, exam accommodations and other supports. He urged continued attention to smaller, rural campuses that lack veteran services and asked legislators to consider funding or assistance to extend services statewide.
Committee members asked about the number and size of family housing units, who may use the veterans resource center, and whether veterans service organizations coordinate with the university. Sanchez said the veterans center and most services are open to any student but that some subsidized services (for example, printing) are funded specifically for veterans and dependents. He also said the office partners with VSOs for outreach and events.
Sanchez closed by stressing education’s role for many veterans: "Education was the most important thing that the military gave me," he said, and urged the committee to support services that keep veterans on campus and in school.