Presidents of NMSU - Gerald W. Thomas

Gerald W. Thomas was Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences at Texas Tech University prior to his appointment to President of NMSU. Physical and academic growth of the University continued under Thomas. In 1970 the main campus enrollment was 8,155 students, but by his retirement, enrollment had grown to more than 12,500 students. An additional 3,000 students were enrolled at NMSU's four branch campuses. Sixty-eight percent of all the graduates from 1888 to 1984 earned degrees during his tenure. Thomas retired in 1984 and has held a variety of consultancies in the areas of food production and range conservation.