-= NMSU PANORAMA - Summer 2005 =- Message from the President

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Helping Students Make Smart Choices

Hollywood on the Rio Grande

Message from the President

Student Challenges — Then and Now

By Michael V. Martin

Mike Martin, NMSU President

Ever since it graduated its first class in 1894 - a class that included a Hispanic male, an Anglo female and three Anglo males - New Mexico State University has prided itself on the diversity of its student body.

For Clara Belle Williams, NMSU's first black graduate, the journey wasn't always easy. Rumors abound that she had to sit in the hallway during lectures and that fellow students boycotted her graduation.

But the fact remains that NMSU graduated its first black student in 1937 - a good two to three decades before many other American universities did.

NMSU provides a warm, friendly atmosphere in which students of all backgrounds can live, learn and thrive. We not only embrace, but celebrate diversity in many forms, whether it be ethnic diversity, racial diversity, gender diversity or socioeconomic diversity. This diversity enables us to provide a unique academic, social and cultural experience that makes our graduates highly desirable in today's multicultural world. Speakers we had on campus this past semester included noted Chicano writer Luis J. Rodriguez; award-winning Navajo poet Sherwin Bitsui; black poet and playwright Maisha Baton; Israeli author and diplomat Reda Mansour; and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Seymour Hersh.

David Lopez and George Mendoza, who also are featured in this issue, are representative of NMSU's many successful Hispanic graduates. The Archuleta family now has two generations of successful graduates.

Butch Blazer and the members of my new President's Council on Native American Relations, are representative of our many successful Native American graduates, and I am pleased that these alumni have volunteered to help me understand how we can better serve this important population in our state.

But regardless of their background, today's college students face challenges that students a generation ago did not. Broken homes, financial difficulties and the pressure to succeed have created a culture of alcohol abuse among some students. In addition to creating an atmosphere on campus that is welcoming to all students, we now are faced with the challenge of educating students about making smart lifestyle choices as well as educating them for their future careers. Tackling the issue of student drinking is one of the toughest challenges I have had to face in my first year as president at NMSU.

We need the involvement of everyone - including alumni - as we try to address this complicated problem. When it comes to helping students make smart choices, we want to be a role model for other universities - just as we are a model for diversity.

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