New Mexico State University
IN-23: Serving Underrepresented Groups

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities works with members of Congress to recognize the contributions of Hispanic-Serving Institutions in their communities. NMSU became a member of HACU in 1989. Laura Gutierrez Spencer, director of Chicano Programs at NMSU, said HSI status is important because NMSU is a land grant institution. “NMSU is a state-funded institution in a low-income state, so the HSI status and the funding that it brings in helps us truly serve the student body that needs more outreach and more support services,” Gutierrez Spencer said. “Many of our students are minorities, they’re from low income backgrounds, and they’re first-generation students. As professionals, we need to provide more outreach than if we had a majority of middle-class students.” Membership Directory: http://www.hacu.net/assnfe/CompanyDirectory.asp?STYLE=2&COMPANY_TYPE=1,5&SEARCH_TYPE=0#New Mexico Map: https://nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource/HSI%20Map%20FY14%20P3.pdf

https://newscenter.nmsu.edu/articles/view/9721/nmsu-celebrates-national-hispanic-serving-institutions-week https://newscenter.nmsu.edu/articles/view/9799/nmsu-receives-national-diversity-award-second-year-in-a-row https://www.nmsu.edu/pointsofpride.html New Mexico State University has once again been selected as a recipient of the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. "New Mexico State University, a two-time HEED Award recipient, continues to exhibit their commitment to diversity and inclusion through the many initiatives implemented throughout their campus and community," said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity. "As a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, it is evident that all aspects of human diversity matter." The HEED award was created to recognize the diversity and inclusion efforts of U.S. colleges and universities of all types. Important for consideration for this award were initiatives related to gender, race, ethnicity, veterans, people with disabilities and members of the LGBT community.