Dear NMHU Community,

Welcome back! As President, I like to say that I’ve completed my freshmen year at Highlands. It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year since I started. I’m very excited to have students back on campus and for us to continue our essential work of bringing high-quality education to northern New Mexico and beyond. I’ve loved my time in New Mexico so far, and I’ve learned so much about the work we do at NMHU and the way we impact the lives of our students and communities.

At my state of the university address last Thursday, I spoke about the opportunities ahead of us for the academic year 2025-2026. While we won’t know for sure until census day in a few weeks, it looks like we may have a modest overall enrollment increase this fall, with significant growth in our new freshman and transfer student populations. We’ll continue to work with our faculty to strengthen our current academic programs and launch new academic initiatives such as our Doctorate of Nursing Practice. We received $150,000 from the state of New Mexico to begin designing a Doctorate of Social Work, which would be the first such degree in the state, and I know we have other initiatives for new and expanded programs in Business, Education, Computer Science, and Health related fields. We’re exploring many different ways to enhance residential living on the campus and are working with state and other partners for much needed renovations to our athletic facilities. The Board of Regents created the Highlands Land Development Corporation using the New Mexico Research Park and Economic Development Act, which will be able to develop the land adjacent to the golf course for residential and commercial use. In early September, we’ll be travelling to Mexico for a potential partnership with Anahuac University in Puebla, Mexico, for student and faculty exchange opportunities. It’s an exciting time to be a Cowboy!

We had a great turnout at Professional Development Week, and many thanks to the committee that organized that very successful event. Welcome once again to all the new faculty and staff who joined us there, and we’re all looking forward to a great semester. The ballroom was almost full:

Everything we do at Highlands is centered on our students, to provide them with the best possible opportunities for education, research, creative work, athletics competition, and community building. I look forward to another year of working on the triangle of success and achieving great things for our students, faculty, and staff.

On a more somber note, I’d like to take a moment to remember the members of our faculty and staff we have lost over the past year. Dr. Elaine Rodriquez was a long-time member of the History and Political Science department, where she worked with the Political Science club, the Legislative Fellows, and thousands of students, to help them understand the ins-and-outs of our governmental systems. Dr. Rodriquez put that education to public use as well, by serving a stint on the Las Vegas city council. Dr. William Hayward was equally dedicated as a member of the Exercise and Sport Sciences department, where he taught both face-to-face and online, educating generations of students to go out and do good in their professions. He also worked with our rugby team the Vatos. Martin “Marty” Lujan was an important member of our facilities crew, dedicated to his job and always happy to chat about Star Wars with students, faculty, and staff. All will be greatly missed.

On another serious topic, the NMHU administration continues to closely monitor federal executive orders that have rescinded the sensitive status of universities regarding immigration enforcement. University public spaces, such as the Student Union Building, building lobbies and hallways, and the library, may now be subject to ICE immigration enforcement actions. Restricted access spaces such as residence hall rooms, offices, and locked classrooms, and other areas that require a key card, locked doors, or monitored entryways for access, are protected to maintain safety and privacy and cannot be entered without an appropriate warrant.

The New Mexico Department of Justice and the Attorney General issued statewide guidance on immigration enforcement, including detailed guidance for primary and higher education institutions. That information can be found here:

https://nmdoj.gov/get-help/guidance-on-immigration-enforcement/

NMHU is a law-abiding institution. If any member of the university community is approached regarding immigration enforcement, issues, or questions by an ICE or other government official, please immediately and kindly refer those to Chief Clarence Romero, clromero@nmhu.edu, (505) 454-3278, to ensure that all legal requirements are followed. At our Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Santa Fe, and Farmington centers, also contact Chief Clarence Romero. If you receive a media inquiry, please contact University Relations through Vice-President David Lepre at davidlepre@nmhu.edu.

Let me remind everyone that NMHU does not formally collect information on the immigration status of our students.

You may direct affected students and employees to CARES Counseling Center, (505) 454-3445, Student Health Center, (505) 454-3218, or Employee Assistance Program (EAP), https://www.mybenefitsnm.com/EmployeeAssistancePlan.html.

And finally–save the date for the Matanza, Saturday, November 1st! We’ll be distributing 1,000 free tickets to students, faculty, staff, and members of the Las Vegas community in early September and also looking for volunteers to help us cook on Halloween and the morning of November 1st. Once again, Dr. Eric Romero will be our fearless leader as we embrace the food traditions of northern New Mexico and celebrate the community of Las Vegas. Stay tuned for more details.

Some other quick updates and upcoming events,

With enrollment on the rise, I wanted to share some quick highlights from a recent University Relations digital campaign. June saw strong digital engagement, with high traffic to key pages and strong return activity. The momentum we’ve built over the past fiscal year is clearly driving a motivated pipeline, as shown by steady household engagement and Apply Page conversions.

June 2025 Highlights

• 1,841 total households engaged
• 22 Apply Page visits
• 63% of Apply Page traffic came via organic search beginning with our advertisement
• 57% of all visitors were returning users
• Academics was the most visited content area

FY2025 Totals

• 21,131 total households engaged
• 744 total Apply Page visits

Our new Provost, Dr. Dann Brown, began in July; you can read the story about his hiring for more info on his background at https://www.nmhu.edu/nmhu-names-dr-dann-brown-provost/. Dr. Brown has jumped in with both feet at a busy time of the semester, as we bring in new faculty, launch new initiatives, and matriculate a new class of students. I’ve been very impressed with his breadth of knowledge and his extensive background in academia. We won’t hold his time at ENMU against him. I know everyone is excited to collaborate with Dr. Brown as we achieve great things for our students.

This week I’ve traveled to Las Cruces to attend the Legislative Finance Committee hearings and met with a significant donor and supporter while there; traveled to Rio Rancho to meet with another significant donor, and today I’m with UNM Taos Chancellor Dr. Mary Gutierrez to discuss transfer partnership between the two institutions.

Fall sports are here! Our NMHU athletics website has all the details, at https://nmhuathletics.com/. Soccer played an exhibition on Saturday, and football scrimmaged, and Volleyball and Track and Field will also be starting soon. Next Thursday, I’ll be on the road to watch our football team play ENMU in Portales, NM. Go Cowboys!

At various athletic events, check out our new Cornerstore, which will be selling Highlands branded gear:

This fall, I’m going to continue a tradition I started last year–hosting various teams, clubs, and other groups at the President’s residence on campus. Here’s me with the soccer team, enjoying the sunny weather:

We’ve had a busy summer on campus related to our state government. We hosted a number of legislative committees in our ballroom, and a few weeks ago, Senator Martin Henrich and State Senator Pete Campos held a roundtable on our campus, joined by our very own Dean Veena Parboteeah. Here’s the press release:

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, hosted a roundtable alongside New Mexico State Senator Pete Campos and other community leaders to discuss economic development opportunities in Las Vegas. The public officials and community leaders discussed the road to recovery from the Hermit’s Peak/ Calf Canyon Fire, support for small businesses and rural hospitals, and opportunities for education and workforce development at Luna Community College. 

Senator Heinrich was joined by Dean of the School of Business, Media and Technology at New Mexico Highlands University Dr. Veena Parboteeah, Las Vegas Community Foundation Executive Director Elmo Baca, the Hermit’s Peak Watershed Alliance Executive Director Lea Knutson, Jesse Lee of Land of Enchantment Guides, Luna Community College President Dr. Carol Linder, and other community leaders.

Let me finish by welcoming back our students once more. We had a busy move-in day, complete with barbecue, last Saturday:

Welcome back everyone and let’s have a great Fall 2025 semester.

Respectfully,

Dr. Neil Woolf
President
New Mexico Highlands University