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Colleges press for campus safety and cybersecurity funding after recent attacks
Summary
Campus leaders told the Legislative Finance Committee they seek a combined package of safety and cyber investments — campus safety requests totaling tens of millions and $13.1 million for cybersecurity — after recent cyber incidents at Western New Mexico University and New Mexico Highlands University.
Campus presidents and the Higher Education Department described an expanded set of public-safety and cybersecurity needs, asking the committee to consider roughly $46 million in institutional safety and security requests that appear in HED's executive recommendation and nonrecurring requests that include $20 million for campus safety and $13.1 million for cybersecurity.
Presenters said campus safety strategies include cameras, access-control systems, license-plate readers, trained security officers and, in some cases, AI-assisted camera analysis that can flag weapons. Presidents emphasized that many campus spaces are publicly accessible, limiting options like full perimeter fencing; they said investments should prioritize personnel and targeted technology rather than locking campuses off from communities.
On cybersecurity, HED and institution leaders recounted two recent attacks (Western New Mexico University and New Mexico Highlands University) that triggered emergency operations meetings and used institutions' insurance to recover. The department is coordinating with the Department of Information Technology and the Office of Cybersecurity to require institutions receiving state cyber dollars to submit baseline cybersecurity plans and MOUs; the initial tranche of state cyber dollars was divided into a multi-year rollout and accompanied by cybersecurity plan requirements tied to funding.
HED said distribution of cybersecurity appropriations will be coordinated through the Department of Information Technology and will include baseline standards and required plans for recipients. Legislators pressed for assurance that funds will be used strategically to protect institutions most at risk and for reporting back on distribution and outcomes.
Sources: Institutional presidents (Eastern NM University, Santa Fe Community College, others); HED presentation; committee Q&A.
