Office of the President
Monday Morning Memo | February 9, 2009
Dear NMSU Campus Community:
We are pleased to report that enrollment at NMSU for the spring semester is significantly higher than last year, reflecting increased effort in both recruiting new students and in retaining current students. Further, the high number of applications we have received this year indicates that NMSU's growth should continue next year.
Systemwide, NMSU surpassed 30,000 students on all campuses for Spring 2009, a 7 percent increase from Spring 2008. Enrollment on the Las Cruces campus topped 16,300 students, a 3.6 percent increase. The news was also good on our community college campuses, where the Alamogordo campus grew by 15.7 percent to 3,065; the Carlsbad campus grew by 16.8 percent to 1,722; Dona Ana Community College grew 5.5 percent to 7,668; and the Grants campus grew by 37.2 percent to 1,251. NMSU would be eligible for growth money from the state if we show a 3 percent increase in student credit hours, which are currently at 2.9 percent.
Our largest increase appears to be in transfer students, both in- and out-of-state (excluding NMSU community colleges, since these students are within our system). The increase in out-of-state students reflects our attention to recruiting in Western Undergraduate Exchange states. NMSU is expanding transfer guides for our top feeder schools, and we recruit at college fairs in California, Colorado, Arizona, and Texas. Applications for next year's class suggest continued growth. At the start of February, we have already received 87 percent of the total number of applications we processed for last fall.
A key component of attracting students to enroll and stay at NMSU is the level of assistance in the form of financial aid they can receive to help meet the costs of their education. While it is understandable for people to be concerned about cuts to various programs, especially as states across the country strive to correct large budget shortfalls, we can emphatically state that at this point there is no cut in funding for financial aid, nor is there any need to worry about state or federal financial aid programs. These programs are valuable tools for many to achieve a higher education. They are quite stable, and we have nothing to indicate otherwise. Students interested in seeking financial aid should file by the March 1 priority deadline. You can fill out a free application for federal student aid at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/.
In addition to ensuring students have an opportunity for financial assistance, NMSU works to reward students for their academic performance through the Crimson Scholars Program. Designation as a Crimson Scholar places an individual among NMSU's top students and entitles them to a number of valuable privileges. Students do not need to apply to be a Crimson Scholar. At the beginning of each semester that a student qualifies as a Crimson Scholar, they will receive an e-mail message confirming their status. Privileges are numerous and include becoming automatically eligible for all Honors classes, early registration allowing the first choice of classes and Crimson Scholars advising, available in each college or department. For more information about other benefits and qualifications for the Crimson Scholar Program, visit http://honors.nmsu.edu/crimson.html.
Have a great week!
Waded Cruzado
