Message from our President
Welcome to the February 2008 launch of our new NMSU-Grants website!! Let me take this time to invite you to learn more about the unique features of our NMSU-Grants community college campus and the region and people we serve throughout Cibola County, the youngest county in New Mexico. We are located in one of the most incredibly beautiful regions of New Mexico (north-west-central New Mexico) -- parallel to the Historic Route 66 to the West. I grew up in New Mexico and so I feel that I have the right to say that I believe we have the "bluest" skies and cleanest air in New Mexico. In fact on occasion it takes my breath away because our sky approaches the color of turquoise!! We are a rural community and we like living 'rural' - we are blessed to both live and work in a wonderful place!!
Our campus is surrounded by four Native American tribal communities (Laguna, Acoma and Zuni Pueblos and parts of the Navajo Nation) and many historic Hispanic villages such as San Fidel, Cubero, San Rafael, Seboyeta, San Mateo, and Milan. We are also surrounded by a large public land base which includes the Cibola National Forest, El Malpais and El Morro National Monument(s). Acoma Pueblo's nearby ancestral Sky City boasts its history as being the longest continuously inhabited community in North America. We believe that we are in all probability the only double majority minority serving higher education institution in the United States because we serve an average of 37% Native American and 33% Hispanic students; thus qualifying our campus both as a Native American AND Hispanic Serving Institution. We are an open admissions community college that is one of four community colleges of New Mexico's land grant institution, New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.
In 2007 our campus had the distinction of being named as one of the top thirty community colleges in the United States based on the national Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CSSE) AND we were the only New Mexico community college on that list of thirty!! Our campus community is quite proud of that national ranking - it demonstrates that being small and rural doesn't preclude being dynamic!! I welcome you to our campus and our community - and would entice you to consider moving to Cibola County!!
My Warmest Regards,
Felicia Casados, President
NMSU Grants
1500 Third St.
Grants, New Mexico 87020
(505) 287-6624 (office)
Email: fcasados@nmsu.edu