Northern New Mexico College is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

Española, New Mexico Española is a city primarily in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. A portion of the central and eastern section of the city is in Santa Fe County. Founded as a railroad village some distance from the old Indian town of San Juan de lo ...

.NNMC website
/ref>

History

Northern was founded in El Rito, New Mexico in 1909 as the Spanish American Normal School, with the original mission of providing teacher training for the area's Spanish speakers.El Rito Campus overview
/ref> The college's original mission and Constitutional charter makes Northern the first Hispanic-serving institution in the United States. Northern opened its Española campus in 1971 and expanded its mission to include technical vocational programs, eventually becoming the state's first designated

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...

. In 2004, new legislation allowed Northern to offer a baccalaureate program in Elementary Education. In 2005, legislation was enacted which changed the name to Northern New Mexico College, permitting it to offer four-year degrees in any program deemed necessary and appropriate. Between then and today, 11 more baccalaureate programs were approved. The main campus is now in Española; the El Rito campus is open and active with hands-on technical trades programs. In 2019, the New Mexico Legislature unanimously approved NNMC's creation of the NNMC Branch Community College. Also in 2019 Rio Arriba and Santa Fe County voters approved an annual mill levy to establish and sustain associate degree programs in trades at Northern. The first programs to be implemented were plumbing/pipefitting and electrical, with the hands-on portion of those programs taking place on the College’s El Rito campus. The Mill Levy also provides for the expansion of dual credit and trades education opportunities for residents of the Española, Pojoaque, Chama Valley, Mesa Vista, and Jemez Mountain School districts, including free transportation to and from Northern’s campuses.

Academics

Northern New Mexico College primarily serves rural communities from within a radius of the main campus in Española, including eight Native American Pueblos, in one of the most underserved areas in the state. Now one of the state's four regional comprehensive institutions, it offers more than 50 bachelor's, associate, and certificate programs. In addition, the college has reintroduced technical trades programs in electrical and plumbing/pipefitting, in partnership with two local unions and five public school districts through its new co-located Branch Community College, the first of its kind in the state's history. Northern's Continuing Education program, through partnerships with the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters and the Regional Development Corporation, offers hands-on training camps for in carpentry, welding and linemen skills. The college is organized into two schools: * The School of STEM-H (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Health) * The School of Liberal Arts, Business, and Education In 2019, NNMC's co-located Branch Community College added the Department of Technical Trades, currently offering Electrical and Plumbing Technology programs. Its student body is predominantly

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

(74%) and is 38% male and 62% female. It is a member of the

Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities A Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) is defined in federal law as an accredited, degree-granting, public or private nonprofit institution of higher education with 25% or more total undergraduate Hispanic or Latino full-time equivalent (FTE) stude ...

Accreditation

Northern is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

to grant associate and bachelor's degrees. Additional accreditations include: * The Bachelor of Engineering in Information Engineering Technology Program is accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC) of

ABET The ABET (incorporated as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc.) is a non-governmental organization that accredits post-secondary education programs in applied and natural sciences, computing, engineering and engineering ...

* The associate degree Nursing Program is accredited by the

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing The National League for Nursing (NLN) is a national organization for faculty nurses and leaders in nurse education. It offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives ...

. * The Bachelor in Nursing (RN-BSN) is accredited by the

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) is a nursing education accrediting agency in the United States. The CCNE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. CCNE accreditation is a voluntary, self-regulatory process, and the ...

. * The Department of Business Administration's bachelor's and associate degree programs are accredited by the

Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), formerly the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs, is a U.S. organization offering accreditation services to business programs focused on teaching and learni ...

* The Department of Education is accredited based on the

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) was a professional accreditor focused on accrediting teacher education programs in U.S. colleges and universities. It was founded in 1954 and was recognized as an accreditor by ...

(NCATE) standards from November 2016 to Spring 2023. Additionally, the college's occupational courses are approved by the New Mexico State Department of Public Education and the barbering, cosmetology, and nursing programs are approved by their respective state licensing boards.

Campuses

The primary campus in Española, consists of a tract extending from U.S. Highway 84/

285 The year 285 ( CCLXXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the "Year of the Consulship of Carinus and Aurelius" (or, less frequently, "year ...

to the banks of the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...

. It is approximately north of Santa Fe. The El Rito campus is Northern's historical campus. It is north of Española.

Governance

Northern New Mexico's president is former New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas. He reports to a board of regents whose members are appointed by the governor of New Mexico.

Athletics

The Northern New Mexico athletic teams are called The Eagles. The college is a member of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

(NAIA), primarily competing as an NAIA Independent within the Continental Athletic Conference since the 2009–10 academic year. Northern New Mexico competes in eight intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include basketball, cross country and golf; while women's sports include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, dance and golf.

History

The athletics department was launched in 2005. The Eagles began their first competitive men's and women's basketball seasons in 2009.

Notable alumni

Phillip Archuleta Phillip M. "Felipe" Archuleta (May 12, 1949 – December 16, 2014) was an American politician. Political career Archuleta was a Democratic member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, serving from 2013 until his death on December 16, ...

, New Mexico state legislator *

Valerie Espinoza Valerie Espinoza is an American politician from New Mexico. She was a member of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission from the 3rd district, covering all of Los Alamos and Taos Counties, and parts of Bernalillo, Mora, Rio Arriba, San ...

, New Mexico Public Regulation Commissioner *

Debbie Rodella Debbie A. Rodella (born November 28, 1961) is an American politician who served as a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives from 1993 to 2018. A Democrat, she represented Legislative District 41 located in Rio Arriba, Santa Fe, and Ta ...

, New Mexico state legislatorVotesmart.org.-Debbie Rodella
/ref> * Jacob Torres, Engineer and Plant Scientist at Kennedy Space Center in Florida *

Rose B. Simpson Rose B. Simpson (Santa Clara Pueblo) (born 1983) is a mixed-media artist who works in ceramic, metal, fashion, painting, music, performance, and installation. She lives and works in Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico. Her work has been exhibited at SI ...

, Artis

References

External links

Official website

Official athletics website
{{authority control Public universities and colleges in New Mexico Education in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico Educational institutions established in 1909 Buildings and structures in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico 1909 establishments in New Mexico Territory Española, New Mexico