The Academic Ecosystem

Gerald W. Thomas

An issue-oriented, century-long history of New Mexico State University, a Land-Grant College. The University founded by Hiram Hadley and supporters in 1888 with five students has grown to over 20,000 students and five campuses. During this process of development, major issues emerged involving financial, physical, and biological resources. The interactions of these issues creates a "academic climate" where, if the system is functioning well, the principle purposes of the University can be accomplished: expansion of knowledge, transfer of knowledge, and the preservation of knowledge. While these goals appear straight-forward, the process of reaching them is often cumbersome and complicated. Many of the critical issues that emerge in the system are not directly related to the primary goals of the institution. Likewise, pollution and perturbations invade the University environment...