THE UNIVERSITY

New Mexico State University is a thriving center of higher education deeply rooted in the multicultural tradition of the Southwest. Situated at the gateway to Mexico, the university's 6,250-acre campus is among the largest in the world.

Founded in 1888 as Las Cruces College, the university was established the next year as a land-grant college by an act of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of New Mexico in accordance with provisions of the Morrill Act. As New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, the institution grew steadily over the next 71 years, fulfilling its purpose as a nonsectarian center of learning in the broadest possible service to the state and nation.

The growth and maturity of the institution was formally recognized in 1960 when the constitution of New Mexico was amended to change the name to New Mexico State University. Today, the university's students can major in 77 areas of undergraduate study in six undergraduate colleges. The Graduate School offers 50 areas of study on the master's level, 3 areas on the specialist in education level, and 24 on the doctoral level. The university offers degrees through the doctorate, is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). In addition, many departments and colleges are further accredited by organizations serving their special fields.

New Mexico State University is the state's land-grant university, serving the educational needs of New Mexico's diverse population through comprehensive programs in education, agriculture, engineering, and public service.

In its growth and expansion, the university has achieved distinction in many special fields. It has on its campus one of the three full-time planetary observatories in the nation, as well as one of the largest computer centers in the Southwest. NMSU ranks in the top two percent of institutions in the nation for providing access to personal computers for students. The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication initiated the state's first student-operated AM station, and staff and student-operated FM and TV stations. In its ratings of universities, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has placed NMSU in the category of Doctoral/Research University Extensive. Only 150 other institutions were granted this recognition. NMSU has over $181.1 million in total sponsored program expenditures and ranks 108th of 601 institutions in research and development expenditures.

The university's central campus is located at the southernmost interchange of the Pan American Highway, Interstate 25, in southern New Mexico. Also bordering the campus is Interstate 10, the principal east-west route across the southern United States. The university is adjacent to Las Cruces, New Mexico.