As part of its nearly $34 million investment to help boost organic farming and ranching, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a division of the United States Department of Agriculture, awarded almost $1.5 million in funding to two NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences research projects. NMSU was the only university to receive funding for two projects.
The Expanding Organic Systems to Reduce Water Demand and Increase Agricultural Resilience in the Southwest project focuses on the challenge of water scarcity on agricultural resilience in the Southwest. The Bridging Traditional Agriculture and Climate-Adaptive Organic Agriculture in the Southwest project addresses hesitancy about pursuing organic certification by exploring the commonalities between organic principles and traditional agricultural methods, and uses participatory research to identify cover crop species and blends that provide ecosystem services and contribute to farm income under limited irrigation.
Two NMSU programs are ranked in the top 50 on the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Online Education Programs list.
The criminal justice online master’s programs tied for 43rd, and the business online bachelor’s programs tied for 44th. NMSU tied for 81st in best online bachelor’s programs for veterans, and tied for 150th for best online bachelor’s programs.
Additional NMSU online graduate programs recognized include the computer information technology master’s online programs listed in the 72nd to 93rd range, the online master’s programs in engineering listed in the 86th to 113rd range, the master’s in business administration online programs tied for 124th, and the master’s in education programs tied for 227th.
Arrowhead Center received the 2022 Diverse Business Leader award from Albuquerque Business First. It was one of four organizations in New Mexico recognized with the award for going above and beyond to bolster equality across all areas of diversity, including age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race and religion.
“As part of a Hispanic-serving institution, we embrace our differences as an asset and actively seek to include wide-ranging perspectives,” Arrowhead Center Director Kathy Hansen says. “To be recognized as a Diverse Business Leader acknowledges the hard work our team puts into ensuring our programs and services are accessible and impactful for all entrepreneurs.”
Arrowhead Center has developed programs and initiatives for underserved innovators and businesses across a broad range of industry sectors.
NMSU is one of 26 colleges and universities across the nation that will receive funding to prioritize and sustain student equity, success and completion initiatives.
The funding is provided through the National Association of College and University Business Officers three-year Strategic Finance grant. Institutions were selected based on their enrollment of a high percentage of typically underserved students and will commit to create frameworks, tools and models and how to implement student success initiatives that increase equitable outcomes through the Guided Pathways and Tackling Transfer initiatives.
The grant-related initiatives kicked off in March 2022 at NMSU with the creation of an institutional grant team consisting of NMSU system representatives from student services, transfer, budget, strategy, admissions and executive leadership, along with a dedicated project manager. The team is in the beginning stages of a first-year student-centered pilot, “Improve ease of transfer between and among NMSU system campuses to include scholarship flexibility and policies/procedures.” The pilot will identify and implement efficiency opportunities for transfer and retention in the NMSU system.
Dove Hall, Room 212
305 N. Horseshoe Drive
Las Cruces, NM 88003
