Letters from leadership

As we near the end of our fall 2020 semester, our students, staff and faculty continue to do a tremendous job during this COVID-19 era. By working together, we continue to manage some of the biggest challenges the pandemic has brought upon our university, and remain committed to making decisions in the best interest of our students.

Among our biggest campus heroes are our Facilities and Services personnel, many of whom remained on campus throughout the spring and summer preparing for our fall semester. They spent countless hours disinfecting buildings, setting up outdoor classroom tents and installing vending machines that dispensed disinfecting supplies. Our staff at the Aggie Health and Wellness Center also worked tirelessly to make sure we are all well informed about the risks of COVID-19, and helped coordinate testing sites on campus. We appreciate these individuals, and the countless others at NMSU, for all of their hard work.

This semester, we also have been able to expand our research and outreach efforts to include monitoring the spread of COVID-19 on campus and in our community, providing solutions to COVID-19 health care responses and expanding testing capabilities for southern New Mexico through our TriCore Reference Laboratories branch lab. And our NMSU alumni and friends have been amazing in their efforts to continue helping our students and communities despite this ordeal. Thank you for your support, especially during the most challenging of times.

Dan Arvizu, Ph.D. ’73

NMSU Chancellor

Aggie faithful, 2020 has been a year for the record books. Despite the myriad challenges COVID-19 has posed, the NMSU community has worked hard to stay safe and diligent during this difficult time.

While we couldn’t gather together in Las Cruces for one of my favorite times of the year, I hope you enjoyed our virtual Homecoming celebrations. From special recognitions for the Classes of ’70, ’95 and ’10 to a virtual NMSU campus walk-tour to Distinguished Alumni Awards recognitions, the Alumni Association staff worked hard to create memorable experiences for you for 2020. I want to thank them for their ability to shift from what we have always known to what we know now. Their dedication to engage alumni in different ways is appreciated.

While staying connected may be harder than ever, we have another issue of Panorama to share with you focused on inspiring stories about our alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends. We show how COVID-19 has affected many aspects of the campus experience, and we remember one of my favorite Aggies, coach Lou Henson, whom we lost in July 2020.

Through a year of staying and working from home, Aggies, you have continued to impress me with your strength and generosity.

Stay well Aggies.

Leslie Cervantes ’86

Associate Vice President of Alumni and Donor Relations

University Advancement