State of Eastern

2026 State of Eastern

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2026 State of Eastern Address

Welcome everyone to the second annual State of Eastern Address. It is great to see so many join us in person. I know anytime Chef Campbell and our culinary arts students are baking, it is a draw! Thank you Chef and our culinary students who have made the special cake to be unveiled after my talk. Let's give them a round of applause.

I am happy to welcome everyone to our Campus Union Building, here in Portales. This building was built 64 years ago in 1962. I'm going to talk about some of our history and historic structures, our past and present, and connecting those, so this is a fitting place for the address.

Last year, at our inaugural State of Eastern address in Roswell, I spoke about our mission and its ties to our region. It is worth stating again — because it guides all we have achieved together, and our plans for the future: as New Mexico's largest regional comprehensive university, and the only regional system, our mission was born by our region, for our region — and our future is dependent on our shared commitment and partnerships. Our mission is focused on Student Success — not just on campus and in the classroom. But also, when our students graduate and begin a career — answering their call.

As One Eastern, One Family, One System, we are who we are because of our care and attention to detail — to the multitude of small pieces that make up our collective community. Our shared vision doesn't just happen; it is "built" one detail at a time. One student, one faculty member, one staff member, one relationship, one partnership, one collaboration, one innovation ... one brick at a time.

However, we don't just grow the University and build a vision for its own sake. The numbers I will talk about represent lives changed. One thing we do better than most is honor our past. Before we move forward, we put great care into understanding our "why?" At Eastern, we cultivate an environment of growth for our students with a 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio, responsive support services, robust academics, extracurricular activities, and career opportunities. All of this helps our students identify and pursue their "why" — their call to purpose. Their Roo!

And as leaders and facilitators of our shared vision, we too, take our "why," seriously. We look back before we move forward. We forge our future paths aligned with our original mission and the values of our founders. At Eastern, we are steeped in our legacies, traditions, and the small details of this great University, so that we move forward guided by their wisdom.

We respond to the opportunities of our present time, but we remain firmly grounded by our traditions and our history. This makes us distinctly ENMU — uniquely One Eastern.

Speaking of the past, it is here in Portales that it all began. Depending on how far back one looks, our origin can be traced to at least 1912 when New Mexico became the 47th state and the construction of a "normal school built on the Eastern side of the state," was written into the state constitution.

It was 1930 when the first bricks were laid for the original Administration Building. On October 19, 1930, members of the Masonic Grand Lodge of New Mexico laid the cornerstone of the Administration Building with 2,000 people in attendance. Those who laid those first courses of brick established a benchmark, and I'm now the 12th president entrusted with the legacy they began.

Recently, it was pointed out to me how unusual it is that a university president is involved with as many small details as I generally find myself immersed in. I was raised on a farm, and for me, no job is too large or too small, it's just the next thing on the list. So, it is second nature for me to roll up my sleeves and be involved. Focused on honoring our past as we move forward, I made it a goal to ensure that the bricks for the new Student Support Services building match the original bricks on the Administration Building as closely as possible. It's the historic front of campus and important to me that we maintain the legacy of the original building.

When those masons, 96 years ago, laid those first bricks, they did not know that it would require four meetings, over the course of a year, to review seven mock-ups of brick palettes, before I would sign off to proceed. As President, I refused to move forward before we were aligned with our history. But I was not alone in this effort. I appreciate John Kanmore and his leadership team for being right there with me insisting that we get this right. I learned more about masonry, quarries, mineral composition, firing of brick, and texturing of brick than I ever thought I would.

Why? Because that new student support services building will be here long after my time and I'm the custodian of our campus and our legacy for the present.

It is a four-color brick palette that Mr. Kanmore now has documented in his files so that the next building will go a little faster. It took several of us working together to get this right, but it is one detail at time that adds up to the big, important things. In the same way that we are One Eastern made up of our many constituent parts — it took unifying many colors, textures, and mineral composites to create one ENMU color palette that connects our past with our future.

Meeting the changing needs of our region and our students requires that we be resourceful and innovative in much the same way. We must work together to both honor our past and forge a path to our future. We are uniquely One Eastern because of the rich diversity of our parts.

If only those original masons would have known! If I could have all of those involved with our beginnings here with us today, I would tell them that Eastern is as strong as it is because of their foundational efforts — despite the amount of work they unknowingly created for our team.

Each and every one of you here today, listening, watching, or in attendance, are like those masons, in your own unique way. You're helping to build the future of ENMU, one small detail at a time.

I am happy to report the State of Eastern is strong, growing, thriving, and unified!

This year our enrollment continued to grow against a backdrop of uncertainty across the broad landscape of higher education. This is a testament to the increasing importance of what we provide at Eastern — accessible, world-class education in a caring and supportive family culture —a place where every student, no matter their circumstances or unique needs, belongs. It is clear it's paying off across our whole system.

As of the beginning of March, ENMU Ruidoso reported the highest spring enrollment on record with a headcount of 902. And these students are not just enrolling — they are graduating. In the spring of 2025 Ruidoso graduated the most students in their history!

Our ENMU Roswell campus has seen its enrollment increase each academic year for the past five years, growing from 2,349 to 2,886 — a nearly 23% increase! One of the reasons we continue to grow against a flattening or declining landscape of higher education enrollment is because we have been flexible and responsive to the changing needs of our students. We can meet our students where they are. A great example of how well we do this is indicated by the age range of Roswell's enrollment this year. This year they have students ranging in age from ages 13 to 78.

This spring in Portales is our sixth consecutive spring in which we have seen enrollment growth. Our total headcount increased overall by 1% and student credit hours by 3%. We continue to see significant growth in graduate headcount, up 3.5%, again reflecting our role to be there when our students are ready for the next step in their careers. Without getting any further into the weeds on this, let me just say that all of these numbers are reflecting more full-time degree-seeking students. These are lives being changed for the better. These numbers tell the story of a system-wide effort and commitment to growing the ENMU System one student at time.

On June 2, 1934, Eastern New Mexico Normal School held its first registration, signing up 165 students for a six-week summer course. Thanks to the efforts of everyone in this room and across the last century – we have certainly come far! And while these numbers tell the story of a 92-year commitment to our region and our institutional growth, they contain the unique stories of resilience, passion, commitment, and optimism that make us who we are; they tell the stories of our committed faculty, staff, communities, and our students:

Students like first time freshman, Chyenne Marrufo: Chyenne, from Las Cruces, comes from a family of six with four sisters and a brother. A first-year student at ENMU-Ruidoso, she's pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice. Chyenne is a member of our first-ever ENMU Ruidoso Cross-Country team, the Presidents Ambassadors Club, and Phi-Theta-Kappa, and she works on campus as a peer mentor.

This year we continued progress on phase two of my One Eastern initiative. This is our shared vision to make the ENMU System the single point of access and opportunity for all students and families in our region. Last year we identified high-demand, two-plus-two programs, in Business, Nursing, Aviation Sciences, Social Work, Criminal Justice, and Education. These programs will now help students who may begin in Roswell or Ruidoso complete their studies in Portales in a more seamless and supportive way. Students can more easily navigate the One Eastern System and remain part of the One Eastern Family as they move through their academic journeys.

Students like Robert Ruiz exemplify ENMU and why One Eastern matters. Robert is 46-years-old, and he worked in his family's flooring business starting at age 15. He served in the United States Marine Corps for six years and went back to laying carpet. When the family business sold, Robert applied to ENMU-Ruidoso, where he's now two credits shy of an associate of arts degree. He's a student ambassador, Phi Theta Kappa, and Educator's Rising member. In his first semester, he suffered severe carbon monoxide illness. And days later, delivered a speech about supporting students' dreams. He'll transfer to Portales for his Bachelor of Arts and eventually wants to earn a master's degree. Robert's dream is to be a geology teacher back home in Ruidoso.

I want to thank all the members of One Eastern Taskforce who have been doing this work. It is because of this work that Robert will one day soon change the life of a young student who comes into his classroom. Robert, I am here because of the public-school teachers who changed my life. I have no doubt you will also be one of those teachers. Again, we talk about numbers, but remember those numbers represent lives changed.

Ensuring our system is built to be easily navigated and responsive to the changing needs of our students, our families, and our region, is fundamental to our mission. It is necessary for continued growth. Developing new ways to grow enrollment will be critical as we face the changing realities of higher education and work to meet the evolving needs of our region.

Just as we found innovative ways to match those first bricks, we are honoring our past to find innovative ways to grow our enrollment. In 1927, Portales was designated as the site for a new "normal school" to serve the more than 40 percent of the state's high school graduates who lived in Eastern New Mexico. This year we are honoring that mission. We began an initiative to renew and build new partnerships with our K-12 schools and community colleges.

We're starting our second five-year marketing and recruitment plan for enrollment. This plan will help us strengthen our enrollment strategy and help us adjust to the changing demographics of future college students. As we develop new enrollment markets, our commitment to our region and to the mission that was outlined in 1927 — to serve our region's high school graduates — remains strong.

Provost Laurenz and I — along with Ralphie and Roxy — will be visiting our local middle schools to meet with teachers and students. We will raise awareness, as early in their lives as possible, that college is an option, and they are part of the ENMU family. We will also work with our high schools to better align their curricula and their dual-credit offerings. This will also create a seamless pathway into one of our ENMU campuses.

It is not work confined to the ENMU System. We are also working with our area community college partners. We have been working to develop CCC 2 ENMU. This is an initiative designed to co-market ENMU and Clovis Community College to area schools. This will help to model the importance of college life and academic success in our region, no matter where one begins. Dr. Jonathan Fuentes, President of Clovis Community College, could not be here today as CCC is on their Spring Break. However, I would recognize him and thank Cody Spitz and our ENMU enrollment team.

President Fuentes and I put together a joint steering committee to put action behind the agreements and degree offerings. As we build for the future, it is clear transfer and concurrent student enrollment will increase in importance. But again, we don't grow for the sake of growth, we don't seek increased enrollment for the numbers, but rather, we grow to meet the people whose lives we can change:

People like Vic Robledo: A first-generation college student, Vic transferred to ENMU from Del Mar College. As a 27-year-old student, she underwent substantial life transitions – including childbirth and ending a marriage. Her determination to finish the education she started a decade ago exemplifies Eastern. ENMU's supportive environment, together with her grit and persistence, made it possible for her to grow. She now has the tools to better understand and address the social challenges many families face today. She will be graduating this semester; then heading to NMSU for graduate school next fall. And we will forgive her for that!

This is another great example of how our One Eastern vision is being built — one detail, one collaboration, one student at time, all rooted firmly in our history and our mission. As our bold vision for our future growth has been built one detail at a time, our infrastructure will also require the same attention.

Not long after those masons laid the first courses of brick for the Administration Building in 1930, the realities of the Great Depression set in. The finished building stood nearly vacant for three years. I say nearly vacant because it was occupied by a few head of cattle looking for some relief from the high plains weather. In 1940, times were still tough for early ENMU students. They brought cows to school, sold eggs, chickens, and rented horses to local citizens to finance their education.

Well, financial aid regulations have sure changed since then. I'm sure Brent Small and his staff, while putting up with many regulations and challenges, are happy not to have livestock added to the mix. While financial regulations have changed, our commitment to our region's agricultural community has not. As I stated earlier, our mission was born by our region and focused on the unique challenges our community faces. As an agricultural community, many of our students come from family businesses. We are working to help our students and their families navigate the rapidly changing future in Eastern New Mexico's agricultural industries.

I am proud to report that last year the voters approved a $2 million GO Bond to begin work on the first phase of our agricultural offerings with an animal production and management facility. I recently received news from our last legislative session that another GO Bond request for $15 million was passed and will go to the voters this fall for a new ag and arts building. If approved, this will be the largest GO Bond awarded to ENMU in our history!

In addition to this significant asset to our Portales campus, the new Student Support Services building will be completed at the end of the spring. As you may have read in the Green and Silver, this new "front door" to campus has been designed with every detail in mind to create a sense of belonging and support for our students. From every piece of furniture, to every office space, to their layout, the lighting, to every brick, correctly colored, the new SSS Building will help ENMU students be successful and supported on- and off-campus.

We often talk about student support. However, it cannot be overemphasized how important these services are to our students who are often the first in their families to go to college or may be experiencing unique, non-traditional, challenges. Possibly one of the most important services we can offer our students is private and supportive test environments. The new building will house the Student Success With Accessibility Training program or SWAT. This is a peer-mentoring program, which is essential to potential career success, improved academic achievement, personal growth, and expanded professional networks. This resource, in conjunction with the Accessibility Resource Training Center, has been pivotal to the success of our students.

Students like Jaycie Kringel and Atiya Mackey: Jaycie says that the testing center helps her reach her highest potential. She has had testing challenges her entire life, and without these essential accommodations she would struggle to "put pencil to paper." And Atiya says the mentors from the SWAT program help her stay organized, confident, and connected to important resources. Building buildings is one thing, but building confidence is what we are here for!

Again, we do not build just to build, grow just to grow, or change just to change, but work to meet the unique, changing needs of our students. The extra support that will be offered in the new SSS building will continue to make it possible for students like Jaycie and Atiya to not just make it through college, but to flourish and thrive.

I would also like to recognize Dr. Christy Johanson, Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services, who helped lead the efforts and programming for the new SSS building. Growing to meet the dynamic career needs of our students is part of supporting student success across the entire One Eastern System.

Construction crews at ENMU Ruidoso are breaking ground now for the Workforce Training Building. This building will help customize our students' career pathways into the high-demand fields of welding, construction, electrical, HVAC, and cybersecurity.

In Roswell, several capital projects are taking place, including a new health science remodel, which will work to meet the ever-present demand in Roswell for nursing students. And the expansion of the Aviation Maintenance Building will continue to change lives by streamlining students from high school, through college, into high-demand and high-paying careers.

Stories like this one shared by President Dr. Shawn Powell about a Roswell native and 2023 graduate of the Early College High School program in Roswell. This student completed an A.A.S. in Aviation Maintenance Technology and was immediately hired by the Roswell Air Center. He earned his Airframe and Powerplant license from the Federal Aviation Administration in the summer of 2023. By fall 2024, he was supervising eight other mechanics while earning his A.P. license.

These new facilities demonstrate our commitment to responding to the changing needs of our students and the industries for which we are training them. They are "concrete" examples of how our collective vision for One Eastern is being built by all of us — one student, one career, one brick at a time.

Of course, as a regional comprehensive university system, much of this growth could not happen without the support of our legislators and the state of New Mexico. However, like our vision, which is built one small detail at a time, legislative and state support is built one relationship at a time.

As I noted, we have the largest GO Bond request in ENMU history going to the voters this fall. Together with that, we were awarded a total of $28 million in new operating and capital support this year! This has been possible because of many long trips to Santa Fe with Vice President for Administration and Finance and System Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Tony Major and Todd Dekay, our new Government Relations Officer.

While the revenue we receive from the state is essential to our operations and our growth, working to diversify our revenue streams and to raise the visibility of our university is essential for our future. This year our Advancement Division continued to work integrating alumni engagement, the ENMU Foundation, and university communications into one strategic vision. With a full quarter left in the fiscal year, our Advancement team surpassed their $4.23 million goal — marking their fourth straight record year. In fact, in just the last two-and-a-half fiscal years, since they came together as one team, they have raised just under $25 million.

Of course, by now, everyone is familiar with a ROO — the unique sound a Greyhound makes — and what we have highlighted as our call to purpose — our "why." In November, the Advancement Team launched our first-ever university-wide annual giving campaign "One Roo for ENMU." This is a way for all our constituents to support areas of the university they care most about. In just 118 days since the launch, One Roo has raised over $127,800 — including challenge gifts — from 155 donors and 183 gifts. I would like to recognize Mr. Warren Lloyd, Vice President of Advancement and Public Relations, and the members of the Advancement team for all of their hard work.

We are proud of these numbers. They illustrate the commitment and investment of all of you and our alumni. However, under the numbers, behind the dollars, are the real stories of people whose lives will be changed because of this support. This year, Professor Dawn Wink became ENMU's first-ever fully endowed chair, which was fully funded by philanthropic support. In addition to being the Dr. Gay Su Pinnell Endowed Chair of Literacy Research and Language Education, she will take leadership over the first endowed literacy center at ENMU.

Dr. Wink will lead the urgent effort to address our region's literacy gap and set in place a year-round reading clinic open to not just K-12 students, but to anyone that wants to learn to read. Faculty scholars, like Dr. Wink, conduct world-class research to help address the challenges specific to our region. Their innovative and inclusive research offers our students rare, hands-on, opportunities that will dramatically accelerate their pathways into graduate and post-graduate programs. It will also help propel them into important research fields that are essential to our region and the nation.

This investment in our faculty has been taking place for a long time. It began in a focused and strategic way 10 years ago as part of our quality initiative. That was focused on faculty investment; helping our faculty understand the unique needs of our students and helping them develop professionally. Every decade we undergo reaccreditation, and another Quality Initiative is a part of our accreditation process. I am happy to report that the same person who led the Faculty Investment Initiative is also leading this year's Quality Initiative.

Dr. Jamie Laurenz, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, has begun guiding a university-wide initiative focused on Student Success from the day they begin their educational journey with us to the first day of their career. This has involved an extensive reimagination of the entire student experience. We are revisiting and revising everything from the first-year-experience, to curricular development, to our capstone projects, to our office of career services, all the way through how we strategically leverage our alumni networks to ensure student success after graduation. In addition to Dr. Laurenz, I would like to recognize all of the members of Quality Initiative Committee.

While we are investing in our students' future, our faculty are investing in our students' academic rigor and high-impact experiences through creating student-faculty research opportunities. This year our Portales campus faculty received grants totaling just over $8 million.

Our students and their families choose ENMU because of the opportunity to gain a world-class education in a small campus environment where their professors know them and nurture their academic potential.

Faculty like Dr. Corey Green, an assistant professor of environmental toxicology, who received a grant this year from NIH/New Mexico. He will use the grant to study the effects of specific aquatic organisms who model unique traits of adaptation and loss — the results of which could have broad implications about environmental pollution and contamination — in our region and beyond. ENMU undergraduates will have the unique opportunity to work in his lab on this research that will put them at an advantage in the STEM fields.

Another faculty researcher who is helping our students gain critical research experience while building the rural behavioral health workforce in New Mexico is Dr. Amy Russell, an assistant professor in our Department of Social Work. She was awarded a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services to be paid over four years to help address the lack of rural mental health care and social workers in our region. The grant will be used to pay Master of Social Work Students' research stipends and help with their licensure process. Most of her students are from our region and they have experienced many of the same obstacles as those they are treating. She reports that all of them plan to stay here.

Dr. Eduoardo Ceh-Varela received a grant to fund a symposium in Artificial Intelligence. He will soon use the funds to bring three experts to Eastern to share their research directly with our math and computer science majors. One of the experts happens to be one of Dr. Ceh-Varela's former ENMU students. One of the biggest challenges our students often face is a lack of social, professional, and academic networks. Dr. Ceh-Varela's work exemplifies how ENMU is changing this and how our faculty-scholars start with one shared goal: Our students!

The benefits of world-class research opportunities open doors for our students. They are able to compete at the highest level because of the care and commitment of our faculty together with their own unique drive and passion.

Faculty-student innovation is what brought Marissa Meierdierks to ENMU. Marissa is a chemistry student who has secured internships with Los Alamos National Laboratory and the National Nuclear Security Administration. Through a faculty-student partnership with Dr. Juchao Yan, she's developed resilience, critical thinking skills, and confidence – particularly in learning to navigate the challenges and uncertainties of experimental research.

Our Greyhounds are tenacious, driven, optimistic, and they find opportunities in change. It is hard enough to push through adversity to be successful in an academically rigorous environment, but to be competitive at the highest levels of Division II athletics at the same time, adds another level of toughness and commitment.

ENMU Ruidoso admitted their first group of student-athletes in the Fall of 2025 and this spring. This provides an opportunity for regional student-athletes in Ruidoso to stay in the region and thrive.

Possibly one of the toughest collegiate sports is rodeo. This year, ENMU Ruidoso's rodeo athlete, Olyvia Georgeanne Hildman, ranked #6 in Breakaway Roping. The competition was held by the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association — Grand Canyon region. Exemplifying the kind of grit, tenacity, and character athletics provides our student-athletes in Ruidoso is Cole Hanshew. A 23-year-old, working toward his associates of science degree, he balances his studies with extracurriculars. He is a member of the cross-country and golf teams, a member of Phi Theta Kappa, and a student worker.

Here in Portales, our Greyhound Athletics has had a stellar year not just on the field and courts, but in the classroom. In the last year, 125 student-athletes have graduated from ENMU. 324 student-athletes were named to Lone Star Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll in the last two semesters with GPAs of 3.30 or higher.

And Mo Austin, a starting point guard from our Men's Basketball Team and member of my leadership academy, was named the Lone Star Conference academic player of the year for academic excellence and athletic performance. Mo carried a 3.8 GPA this year. Of course, we all know by now that the Men's Basketball team advanced to the final round of the Lone Star Conference Championship. And our Women's Basketball team advanced to the second round. Both teams made it into the first round of the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament.

At this point in their lives, it's common or typical for our student-athletes to measure their success in wins and losses, in rings and trophies. But let's not forget, they give us local heroes to cheer for and bring our campus and community together. Just like student art, music, and theatre performances are part of the fabric of the community, athletics, too, are a part of the university and community experience. So, while we love to win, being a student-athlete at Eastern is about adding to an important tradition and legacy that will live on forever.

I would like to recognize coaches Vo and Huber and both of their teams of student-athletes. In addition to our champion Basketball teams, Greyhounds represented Eastern at the highest level of Cross Country. Chama el-Hadiri, representing Greyhound Cross Country, was named the Lone Star Conference Freshman of the year. Congratulations to Chama, Coach Harden, his staff, and any of all of our track and field athletes.

We have a great coaching staff and athletics department led by Kevin Fite that work every day to provide a great experience for our campus and our community through athletics. They also work to help cultivate leadership, service, and success in our student athletes.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the newest addition to athletics staff, our new head football coach Art Briles. His accolades in D1 collegiate football are extensive, but his coaching success and his personal story are a testament to Greyhound grit, perseverance, and fellowship. Since joining the Greyhound family in November 2025, he has recruited 17 transfer athletes! Having world-class, nationally recognized, collegiate athletics plays a significant role in enrollment growth, our national visibility, and our regional economic development. Coach Briles, his staff and his athletes are practicing as we speak so they could not make it over, but we recognize their contribution.

Many of the regional challenges we are working to address together are intertwined. Literacy, rural health care, behavioral health, environmental and agricultural science, childcare, changing K-12 demographics, all have a connection to regional economic development.

Last year I formed my President's Executive Council whose charge is focused on health care, literacy, and rural economic development. Chaired by Mr. Steve Loy, this group, in just a short time, has made great strides, and their impact is already being felt. Our community leaders are coming together, innovating, and exploring aspirational plans to help this community and the ENMU System grow and thrive far into the future.

The partnership we maintain with the community is essential. Our mutual growth is dependent on each other. As we build our vision together, one detail at a time, our collaboration with the city and the county couldn't be more important. The strength of our relationship is happening one community partnership at a time. Much of this work is done quietly and behind the scenes, but it happens because of the passion and commitment of our community members.

We are not growing to grow, changing to change, but weaving together opportunities we face from inevitable change. It takes boldness, courage, care, and consideration for every detail.

The State of Eastern is growing, thriving, innovating, and unifying.

I've recognized a lot of people today who exemplify our shared vision. At this time, I would like to ask everyone to rise and raise your glass for a toast to our future.

The State of Eastern is the state of the people, lives, communities, and this region, which we are all working together to serve. We are One Eastern, One Family, One person at a time. I offer a toast to each and every one of you who make up One Eastern.

Thank You.

And in the languages that reflect the cultures of this land I emphasize:

Ke Nii Gli

Somos Familia

We are Family