New Mexico State University
AC-2: Learning Outcomes

NMSU MISSION STATEMENT: "The New Mexico State University System is the state’s land-grant university, serving the educational needs of New Mexico’s diverse population through comprehensive programs of education, research, extension education, and public service."

VISION: "The New Mexico State University System will be a premier university as evidenced by demonstrated and quantifiable excellence in teaching, research, extension, outreach, service, economic development, and community engagement relative to its peer institutions." From our university's vision statement of our agricultural institution, we focus on many of AASHE's learning outcomes.

VALUES: Diversity and Inclusion, Accountability, Excellence, Discovery, and Engagement
https://plan.nmsu.edu/

THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL, CONSUMER AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES is an engine for economic and community development in New Mexico, improving the lives of New Mexicans through academic, research, and extension programs. What we do positively impacts water usage and conservation, food and fiber production, environmental stewardship, and the health of New Mexicans. The college offers bachelor, masters, and doctorate programs.

As a land-grant university a large part of our education is focused on agriculture and the environmental sciences. NMSU emphasizes the human relationship to land use processes and maintaining land quality for the long-term with evidence such as high number of graduates that work in environmental government agencies, conservation non-profits and environmentally pro-active careers. http://aces.nmsu.edu/

COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE
The NMSU Cooperative Extension Services provides the people of New Mexico with practical, research-based knowledge and programs to improve their quality of life. The base programs of the Cooperative Extension Service are agriculture and natural resources, consumer and family issues, youth development and community economic development. The extension departments are Economic Development, Energy and Water, Farm and Ranch, Health and Family Well-being, Natural Resources, Yard and Garden, 4-H Youth Development, and Multimedia, Video and Apps. http://extension.nmsu.edu/

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Solving many of today’s toughest engineering challenges in energy, environment, information sciences, infrastructure, and water, requires creativity, innovative thinking, and technical talent. NMSU College of Engineering conducts cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research across our engineering departments, in collaboration with other colleges at NMSU, and in collaboration with other universities across the United States. https://engr.nmsu.edu/about-engineering-research/

The Department of Civil Engineering at New Mexico State University has a rich history of teaching excellence and a diverse group of faculty whose research efforts have led to the development of nationally and internationally recognized programs in areas related to the environment, geotechnics, structures, transportation, and water resources. Our goal is to prepare our graduates to achieve professional engineering licensure and become future leaders as public employees and private consultants in the various civil engineering fields. http://ce.nmsu.edu/

Our COLLEGE OF BUSINESS transforms lives by providing highly respected programs, instruction, and scholarly activities that drive economic, social, educational, and community development for New Mexico’s diverse population. The wide variety of fields in business — accounting, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems, international business, management, marketing — have social consequences that can positively impact life, people and communities. Our faculty members actively research their areas of expertise, whether that’s global leadership styles, integrating indigenous ethics into business practices, banking efficiency in Mexico, or marketing healthy food and healthy life styles. https://business.nmsu.edu/about/

Agricultural and Community Development: Prepares students for a broad spectrum of domestic and international positions in government agencies and non-governmental organizations that deal with agricultural community development issues and natural resources. http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/axed/undergraduate-programs.html

Agricultural and Extension Education: Prepares students for careers as professional educators and extension agents; develops students as leaders in agriculture, communications, technology and related disciplines. http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/axed/

Agricultural Biology: The Entomology, Plant Pathology, and Weed Science department is a multi-disciplinary group of scientists and teachers whose mission is to provide academic instruction, research and service that focuses on managing pests in semi-arid ecosystems. http://eppws.nmsu.edu/

Agricultural Economics and Business: is dedicated to providing knowledge and information and preparing students for the challenging world of increasingly global and information-driven agriculture, food companies and markets, and environmental and natural resource management agencies. http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/aeab/

Animal Science: Undergraduate programs in the Department of Animal & Range Sciences are designed to offer a wide array of courses aimed at providing experience, both technical and practical, in the many facets of animal production, management and marketing. http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/anrs/

Anthropology: Anthropology is the study of humankind, a multidisciplinary endeavor involving the social sciences, the humanities, and the natural sciences. Anthropologists study the human species and the human condition in all its diversity. http://anthropology.nmsu.edu/

Biology: The mission is to serve the people of New Mexico through education, research, extension education, and public service, with special emphasis on preserving the state’s multi-cultural heritage, protecting its environment, and fostering its economic development in an interdependent world. http://bio.nmsu.edu/

Civil Engineering: Research efforts have led to the development of nationally and internationally recognized programs in areas related to the environment, geotechnics, structures, transportation, and water resources. https://ce.nmsu.edu/

Conservation Ecology: Our department prepares you for a career in conservation and management of fish, wildlife and their habitats. Students can choose from three degrees: Bachelor of Science in Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology with an option in Aquatic Ecology and Management; Bachelor of Science in Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology with an option in Wildlife Ecology and Management, and Bachelor of Science in Conservation Ecology in conjunction with the Department of Biology. http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/fws/untitled.html

Environmental Science: The Environmental Science major is a multidisciplinary program based on a strong general science curriculum and an environmental curriculum that focuses on environmental problems and solutions. http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/pes/

Food Science and Technology: Enhancing the quality of life for individuals, families, and consumers; applying research and theory to solve practical problems facing society http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/FCS/documents/fcs-2014-poster.pdf

Geography: The Department of Geography at New Mexico State University is committed to preparing students for graduate study and professional careers by providing them with geographic educational experiences of the highest quality; to conducting research on issues of social and environmental relevance. http://geography.nmsu.edu/

Geology: We offer three options for the BS Degree: Geological Sciences, Earth and Environmental Systems, and Earth Science Education. Our students get jobs in environmental geology, the energy industry, government service. http://deptweb-p.nmsu.edu/~geology/

Horticulture: Ornamental Horticulture, Horticulture Business, Crop Consulting, and Landscape Design are the four options available in the horticulture major. http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/pes/horticulture-degree.html

Mechanical Engineering: The mechanical engineering program prepares students for a wide range of professional engineering careers, including energy and utility, manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, defense and space, research and development, and many others. http://mae.nmsu.edu/undergraduate-programs/bsme/

Range Science: Rangeland ecosystems include diverse landscapes that are ecologically and economically important lands that provide grazing lands for livestock, diverse habitats for wildlife, and open space. Sustainable rangeland management is centered on wise stewardship and conservation of soil, water, plant and animal resources of these diverse lands. http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/anrs/

Soil Science: Soil scientists are concerned with the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics and behaviors of soils, their description and classification, and their management for both agricultural and non-agricultural uses. Career opportunities include jobs with industry, environmental consulting firms, and federal, state, and local governments working on various environmental, agricultural, and ecological projects. http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/pes/soil-science-degree.html

Turfgrass Science and Management: Turfgrass managers help build, maintain, and manage golf courses, athletic fields, parks, and other recreational areas. The curriculum allows you to focus on a specific segment of the turfgrass industry, including: golf course management, athletic field management, turfgrass business and turfgrass science. http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/pes/turfgrass-management-deg.html

Wildlife Science: Wildlife science applies traditional and emerging scientific methods to understand the ecology of fish and wildlife and use this knowledge for conservation and management. http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/fws/

Graduate Minor: Sustainability, College of Business
This graduate minor serves as an MBA minor or minor in any NMSU graduate program. The program allows students from many areas of study to explore the challenges of sustainability and develop their understanding of the economics, sciences, and equity issues involved in local and global sustainability. https://business.nmsu.edu/academics/graduate-programs/masters-sustainability/

Supplementary Major in Sustainable Development, Department of Anthropology
The supplementary major in Sustainable Development comprises an interdisciplinary supplementary major through which students develop a deeper understanding of the relations between humans and the natural environment. The program offers students the opportunity to cross disciplines and construct a coherent interdisciplinary program that focuses on human interactions with the natural environment, society’s role in depleting and transforming natural resources, critical issues in sustainable development, and new strategies for conserving natural resources and sustainable agricultural production. https://anthropology.nmsu.edu/anthro-undergrad/sustainable-development/

See Program Level Learning Outcomes for higher-level learning outcomes; below is further information:
1. Gain insight into important natural resource problems while gaining an understanding of the impact that loss of natural resources has on society, and how loss of natural resources affects a society’s economy.
2. Apply economic principles to problems in the preservation, use, and development of agricultural, range, mineral, water, forestry, fishery, and environmental resources and how loss of resources affects societal issues.
3. Evaluate current and emerging issues in water, forest, animal, and other natural resources and how these affect the human dimensions which are inseparable from economic dimensions.
4. Improve the building industries' environmental performance and environmental aspects of building maintenance, re-use and conservation; show how green buildings affect the cost of operation and maintenance; examine how people living and working in green buildings are affected in a positive way.
5. List and describe soil processes and how they interact with other components of the environment; describe how the functions of the soil is to grow plants which keeps society alive; understand the economics involved when soils clean up dirty water and store contaminants so our plants grow to feed us.

Sustainability in the curriculum encourages students to make connections between the knowledge and skills addressed in traditional, discipline-based course offerings with their applications by practitioners, policy makers, and consumers to help create a sustainably configured economy, society, and environment. Sustainability curriculum provides students with the background and skills necessary to address problems related to energy, the environment, culture and society, and economic development as interdependent and interconnected processes that transcend individual disciplines.

Total number of graduates is the number of students who were awarded degrees between 2013 to 2016 who listed a sustainability focused major, minor, concentration, or option on their university transcript. The total graduates is the number of students awarded degrees from 2013-2016.

In year one our goal was to implement four sustainability minors, to market the project at Career Fairs, to develop an ‘app’ that would attract students and donors to http://greening.nmsu.edu, and to establish baseline so that in year two we can show metrics of progress in enrollment data, energy saving projects, and so on. We achieved those goals, and in 2015, moved along to phase two: to implement sustainability graduate certificate program. In 2015, two of the four sustainability minors showed significant increases in enrollment. We also got approval for the Graduate Certificate in Sustainability. The plan for 2017 is to implement several additional metrics (minority enrollment, gender, projects, savings).