UNM West

UNM West in Rio Rancho

Dr. Elizabeth Miller, Acting Director
The University of New Mexico
Rio Rancho Operations and Branch Academic Affairs
2600 College Blvd. NE
Rio Rancho, NM 87144
(505) 925-8669
FAX: (505) 925-8684
e-mail: unmwest@unm.edu 
Web site: http://statewide.unm.edu/

UNM West has been offering courses in the Rio Rancho area since 1990. Originally approved by the University as a center for non-credit, continuing education, UNM West significantly expanded its scope in 1996 and began offering lower-division, upper-division, and graduate level courses at multiple sites on the “west side.” Employing both on-site and ITV delivery in 8-week and 16-week formats, UNM West has provided an expanding array of courses supporting core requirements for a variety of bachelor’s and selected graduate programs. In 2004, offices and classrooms were opened at 2600 The American Road SE, Suite 250.

In 2008, a “2+2” partnership agreement was approved by the University between UNM West and Central New Mexico Community College (CNM). The intent of the agreement is to provide “west side” residents with an opportunity for seamless transition between CNM and UNM, with CNM offering core courses at the lower division and UNM West offering primarily upper-division and graduate level courses. A key component of the partnership will be the coordination of student support services between CNM and UNM West for those CNM students intending to pursue a baccalaureate degree at UNM.

With the support of a gross receipts tax approved by the Rio Rancho community in 2008, a permanent campus for UNM West is being planned for the Rio Rancho City Center on a multi-institutional site that will also include a CNM campus, a teaching hospital to be developed through the UNM Medical Group, and a proposed new partnership with New Mexico State University. A long-range master plan for the “west side” campus will be completed by December 2008, with construction of a Phase I building proposed to begin as early as January 2009, with completion in early 2010.

The further expansion of course offerings at UNM West will continue in Spring 2009, led by new B.B.A. and M.B.A. course sequences to be offered through the Anderson School of Management. An expansion of course offerings in American Studies and Sociology is also being planned, with other new offerings to be determined over time by individual departments, schools, and colleges at UNM. Long-term, UNM West will continue to nurture its multi-institutional capability, and will not only address the needs of UNM’s rapidly growing “west side” constituency, but will help extend the University’s ability to address educational, social, cultural, and economic needs throughout the region and state.

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