Economic Development Planning Report

From the desk of

Ken Van Winkle

Associate Vice Chancellor for External Relations and Economic Development

I want to share with the NMSU community a summary of the work that our Economic Development Cabinet and Economic Development Team completed in 2022 in an ongoing effort to increase the positive economic influence of New Mexico State University. This report is a synopsis of those efforts, but it’s also a thank-you to many of the faculty and staff who have participated in the process. Although there is a great deal more to accomplish, the organizational process for NMSU economic development has been collaborative, thoughtful, and consistent. 

One exciting outcome of this work is that NMSU will embark on an Economic Development Impact Study to determine NMSU’s opportunity and areas of economic success. This study will be completed in the fall of 2023.

The cabinet and larger team were established in fall of 2022 to recognize, enhance, and promote the economic development impact NMSU has on local, regional, and national economies. The process has been two-fold: First, the cabinet was created; second, a larger team was established to develop and implement strategies as suggested by the cabinet.

Members of both the cabinet and team have given an extraordinary amount of time, energy, and skill to the process. It is a testament to the important role that economic development has in the context of a highly functioning university. Their knowledge and participation in this process has been invaluable.

Several important milestones were reached during the fall 2022 semester. As mentioned, the cabinet and team were formed and collaborated to define the initial content of an NMSU Economic Development Plan that supports the work of NMSU and also supports the State of New Mexico Economic Development plan. The NMSU plan includes economic development goals, activities, actions, and measures and deliverables. These activities are determined by each team member relative to their specific areas of interests, and outcomes will be measured that define the success of NMSU economic development impact.  

In moving forward, the team will continue to add action items that will enhance NMSU contributions to economic development over the course of the next several years. These contributions will be measured against a baseline determined by the NMSU Economic Development Impact study. This is a long-term commitment to measure progress against a baseline will remain important to the mission of NMSU.   

Onward, Aggies!