GRANTS, NM – At a time when many colleges in America are struggling to get enrollment back to pre-COVID numbers, NMSU-Grants has achieved the seemingly impossible. “We were the first campus in the NMSU system to return staff to in-person work,” Patrick Clingman said. Clingman, the Vice President for Student Services, went on to say that “I have this title, but I advise. I have one other advisor. We strive to make a personal connection with every student.”
Marlene Chavez-Toivanen, Vice-President for Academic Affairs, talked about a relational approach with the student body. “Our team has had to learn to be nimble. Faculty are required to be on campus Monday through Thursday for office hours, and it’s recommended that instructors teach one inperson class each week.”
The commitment to being in-person and showing up for students has had powerful results. Numbers dipped in the spring of 2020 from a head count of 863 to 758 as the country accepted the devastating reality of COVID-19. Spring of 2022 the numbers remained low at 556. Fast forward to spring 2023, and the head count is 771. NMSU-Grants has had a 38.7 percent increase in its student enrollment. In comparison, NMSU Main campus had a 14.6 percent increase (since spring 2022) in its student body, and Dona Ana campus was only up 3.6 percent. According to both Clingman and Chavez-Toivanen, interpersonal relationships may form the glue that keeps students connected to a tiny campus tucked away in Grants, New Mexico.
Nationwide, there was a 4.6 percent increase in FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) applications from high school seniors between 2020 and 2022 and a nine percent increase from schools that serve primarily Black and Hispanic students, according to Inside Higher Ed.
“Relationships are very important here. You will be valued. We serve this community,” Clingman said. Beyond general advising, each department has a manager who is also responsible for program advising. “If a student majors in welding, that student will receive advising from the Welding program Manager,” Chavez- Toivanen added.
Beyond interpersonal connections, NMSUGrants has added high demand certificate programs like Medical Coding and Phlebotomy. They also offer an associate’s degree in Counseling and Community Psychology as a stepping stone to a bachelor’s degree. The automotive program has collaborated with the Ford ACE (Automotive Career Exploration) program which enables students to not only gain automotive training but to simultaneously earn micro-credentials recognized by Ford dealerships nationwide. “This is a very transferable credential,” according to Chavez-Toivanen.
Though the majority of NMSU-Grants students are traditional college age (18-22), the average age is 25, and many students work and have children. With offerings as diverse as a GED to a BS in Nursing, the college may be an “untapped resource,” according to Chavez-Toivanen. Just off of Roosevelt Avenue, the NMSUGrants campus is easily accessible to any resident considering exploring options in higher education.
“We’re a community college. We’ve got to be here for the community,” Clingman said.