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NMSU president highlights AI programs, partnerships and retention efforts in Las Cruces briefing
Summary
The New Mexico State University president told the Science, Technology & Telecommunications Committee that NMSU climbed in national rankings, is expanding AI and cybersecurity programs (including the state’s only bachelor’s in AI), and is pursuing industry partnerships and student-retention strategies amid federal funding losses estimated at about $14 million.
New Mexico State University officials outlined academic and workforce priorities to the Science, Technology & Telecommunications Committee during a Las Cruces session, emphasizing recent ranking gains, new degree programs in artificial intelligence and efforts to shore up student retention while federal grants for Hispanic‑serving institutions were reduced.
The university president told legislators the school “did jump 70 spots in 1 year” in a recent US News & World Report ranking and described NMSU as the top-ranked upward-mobility university in the region. He said visibility from R1 status and a cohort of highly ranked researchers contributed to the improved placement.
The president highlighted programmatic moves tied to workforce demand. “We have the only, bachelor of science in AI and machine learning in the state,” he said, noting a proposed multidisciplinary master’s in AI and active cybersecurity coursework. He also said NMSU recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Fujitsu “to offer them test beds for their new chips” aimed at reducing energy consumption and that the university’s Physical Science Laboratory is ‘‘1 of 7 in the country’’ with potential utility for defense-related testing and unmanned-vehicle training.
On student success, the president said retention drivers mirror national trends—financial strains, gateway academic courses, and family or personal obligations—and described mitigation steps. He cited emergency funds and scholarships intended to address small debts and the Opportunity Scholarship’s refocus on cost of attendance. He noted an early-intervention strategy, expanded retention specialists and advising, and a summer remediation program, Aggie Jumpstart, which he said enrolled 27 students and retained 26.
Committee members pressed on the effect of federal funding changes for Hispanic-serving institutions. The president estimated the loss at about $14,000,000 spread across multiple years and said some services funded by those grants—wraparound supports that reach a majority of the university’s students—will need reallocation; he added that positions had not yet been cut but some services will be affected.
Lawmakers and the president also discussed international and industry partnerships. The president described double-degree arrangements with the University of Chihuahua and said roughly 80 students from the Chihuahua area were enrolled full time at NMSU. He encouraged legislators to support cooperative education and credentialing reforms to allow credit for experiential learning and to scale micro‑credentials.
Looking ahead, the president invited committee members to campus events and noted a hosted reception at the Rio Grande Winery. The presentation concluded with a reminder that some follow-up conversations could occur during the reception and a scheduled tour of facilities.
The presentation provided committee members with program-level detail and concrete figures (for example, the $14 million funding loss estimate and Aggie Jumpstart retention numbers); the university flagged additional technical briefings and an executive-session cybersecurity presentation following the public portion of the session.
