New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) is a public university located in Las Vegas, New Mexico, United States.
History
The university was first established as New Mexico Normal School in 1893, with the prominent archaeologist Edgar Lee Hewett serving as its first president. The institution became New Mexico Normal University in 1902, and then New Mexico Highlands University in 1941, as it expanded its role beyond teacher education. Today, NMHU offers graduate and undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, education, and social work.
Located in Las Vegas, a city with a population of about 16,000, Highlands' main campus is close to recreational and wilderness areas and is within an hour's drive of Santa Fe and two hours from Albuquerque.
The majority of the school's approximately 3,765 students are from New Mexico and are Latino. Highlands' programs focus on its multiethnic student body, especially the Latino and American Indian cultures distinctive of New Mexico.
Accreditation
NMHU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and also has specialty accreditations. The School of Education received full accreditation by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) in 2012. The School of Business is accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). The School of Social Work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The School of Social and Behavioral Sciences is accredited by the Master's in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC).
Academics
Undergraduate and graduate degrees
- College of Arts and Sciences
- School of Business
- School of Education
- School of Social Work
Student life
There are over 50 student organizations at NMHU.
Student government
Student government at New Mexico Highlands University is composed of three branches: executive, legislative (senate), and judicial. Student senate is represented by undergraduate students in addition to individual graduate student representatives from their respective colleges and schools of the university. Each undergraduate senator is responsible for representing 100 students. The dean of students serves as the advisor to student government. Elections for student government take place in the Spring of each academic year. Executives (president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer) and senators are elected by the entire student body. The president pro-tempore serves as the majority floor leader and is elected from within the ranks of the senate to the position each year. The parliamentarian is appointed by the president at the first student senate meeting of the academic year.
Executive officers
Athletics
NMHU's athletic teams are nicknamed the Cowboys / Cowgirls, and compete in the NCAA's Division II's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Ten varsity athletics programs are offered, including women's soccer, cross-country, track, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, wrestling, baseball and college football.
Statewide centers
In the 1997-1998 academic year, New Mexico Highlands University established an extended learning center in Rio Rancho and began offering upper-division undergraduate and graduate courses in business, accounting, education, and social work. The center has continued with classes in those areas and has added studies in criminal justice, public affairs administration, computer science and general and school counseling.
There are also many other centers, including in Santa Fe, Farmington, and, Rio Rancho.
In pop culture
The campus can be seen in the movie Red Dawn as the town of Las Vegas substituted for a fictional community of Calumet, Colorado. It can also be seen in the John Carpenter film Vampires.
Notable alumni
- David James Baker, filmmaker and media producer
- Mark Cotney, NFL player
- Charlie Cowan, NFL All Pro tackle
- Bill Dinwiddie, NBA player
- Carl Garrett, AFL/NFL 1969 AFL Rookie of the Year
- Len Garrett, NFL player
- Reggie Garrett, NFL player
- Eddie Guerrero (1967â€"2005), WWE wrestler
- Keith Jardine, football player; retired mixed martial artist, formerly for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Strikeforce, and King of the Cage
- Leroy Lamis, sculptor
- Nathan Macias (MBA), Texas politician and retired lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force
- Chris Newsome, basketball player, Meralco Bolts
- Lionel Taylor, NFL, leading pass receiver
- Sam Williams, NFL player
- Don Woods (American football), NFL player, 1974 NFL Rookie of the Year
References
External links
- Official website
- New Mexico Highlands Athletics website
