Giving New Mexico State University freshmen the tools to become leaders on campus and beyond was the idea behind the 1888 Leadership Institute. Established in August 2025, the new leadership program concluded its first year in May 2026.
A priority for NMSU President Valerio Ferme, the 1888 Leadership Initiative serves as one of the foundations of student success at NMSU with initiative graduates taking student leadership roles and making a positive impact to campus life. The program focuses on fundamental principles essential for being successful Aggies: advocacy, grit, gratitude, integrity, execution and service.
Shayla Milian Morales, who completed her freshman year, appreciated how participating in the 1888 Leadership Initiative pushed her to try new things.
“It’s been an incredible program,” Milian Morales said. “I have learned a lot. I’ve been able to network with a lot of people, and it’s been a really great experience especially for someone who has been so shy their entire life.”
“The first year of the 1888 Leadership Initiative has established a strong foundation that will help shape how NMSU cultivates and supports the leadership development of Aggies for years to come,” said Vice President for Enrollment Management Tony Marin, who organized the initiative with William Conroy Honors college Dean Phame Camarena and NMSU graduate students, Josh Wood and Gabriela Lozano. “Student feedback highlights several key successes of the program, including the creation of a strong sense of community, meaningful connections with local, state and national leaders, and significant personal and professional leadership growth. Through these experiences, students have developed greater confidence, expanded their understanding of leadership, and strengthened their connection to the university and the broader community.”
The 1888 Leadership Initiative included several events throughout the academic year. It debuted with the 1888 Leadership Camp in August. The camp, which is open to both on-campus and off-campus first-time freshmen, featured activities such as team-building exercises, community and social events, leadership initiative meetings and freshman convocation.
The freshman convocation is a student-led event that welcomes the incoming class to campus. Upperclassmen and student groups including the Sundancers, the Pride of New Mexico Marching Band drumline, Ballet Folklórico Orgullo de Nuevo México and Mariachi Orgullo — lead the convocation programming and were joined by faculty, staff and administrators in celebrating the beginning of the academic journey for the freshman class. Ferme and the Associated Students of NMSU President Wyatt Ziehe welcomed more than 1,000 freshmen and their family members to NMSU.
The 1888 Leadership Series, which is open to all students, is a monthly program featuring interactive leadership presentations from national, regional, state and local leaders. Additionally, the 1888 Leadership Seminar, Leadership in Society, was a course taught by Ferme and Lori Keleher, philosophy professor, for participants interested in continued leadership development.
“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is communication,” Milian Morales said. “We learned in the seminar our strengths as people. I learned that I’m a very people-focused person, which I didn’t know.”
Online Registration is now open for the 2026 1888 Leadership Initiative Camp Aug. 13-15. The camp is free and open to all first-time freshmen enrolled at the Las Cruces campus. Registration will be limited to the first 120 students.
In his remarks to students at a spring reception, Ferme told 1888 Initiative students, “Come back and make this program even better, so we can continue to grow it and make this initiative a really distinctive feature of what it means to be an NMSU Aggie.”
To learn more about the 1888 Leadership Initiative, visit 1888leadership.nmsu.edu.
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CUTLINE: The new leadership program that debuted for first-time freshmen at New Mexico State University in August 2025, the 1888 Leadership Initiative, included a camp with activities such as team-building exercises, a speaker series and seminar course. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)