In the digital age, a text message is often a preferred method of communication, but New Mexico State University isn’t settling for a quick message. The Calling All Aggies campaign is a campuswide initiative to enhance student retention and graduation success.
“Calling All Aggies is in simplest terms a phone calling campaign, but in reality, it goes well beyond just calling students,” Associate Director of Admissions Nathan Cheesman said. “This is a program that utilizes the personal touch that faculty and staff at the university can have to help students with the business of staying in college.
“It is designed to catch holds and small errors that the students may have made which might keep them from enrolling in the next semester, and to then work with university personnel to correct these issues so the students can enroll,” Cheesman said. “This can be setting up an advising meeting, get resources to take care of holds or just be aware that they never registered.”
The Calling All Aggies campaign was recognized by the Association for Orientation, Transition and Retention in Higher Education Region III with the Innovative Program Award in Retention at its awards ceremony March 30 in Denton, Texas. Calling All Aggies was established in spring 2007. The platform that supports the campaign was developed and is supported by NMSU’s Information Technology-Student Information Management team.
“I was excited and proud to see this outreach get recognized because it is an effort that requires participation from staff across NMSU including American Indian Programs, Latin American Programs, Aggie Welcome and Orientation, Student Success Center, Center for Academic Advising and Student Support, Aggie One Stop and the academic colleges to name a few,” Assistant Director of Advising Technology Freddie Romero said.
“The credit has to go to the hardworking staff and faculty who prioritize student support,” he added. “It is no small feat to call thousands of students in a matter of weeks, and it can only be done with a dedicated team of student support professionals.”
Calling All Aggies reached out to more than 3,000 students who were enrolled in spring 2024 but had not enrolled for fall 2024 courses. The initiative similarly called more than 1,800 students and within that same time frame helped more than 1,200 enroll in spring 2025 classes.
“Students have to contend with such a wide array of issues that sometimes it is difficult to find a solution that NMSU can directly help with. Regardless, reaching out to students shows that the university cares about them and that we will do everything we can to help them continue on in their programs,” Romero said.
While most of the callers are from Student Engagement and Enrollment Management, college and graduate school representatives also participate. The campaign in fall 2024 calling yielded 48 volunteers from across campus including Rick Marlatt, Graduate School and International Affairs associate dean and professor, and Jimi Ickes, College of Engineering program operations director.
“Different populations of students have different needs. The targeted support that Jimi and Dean Marlatt provided to engineering and graduate students helped to make this fall’s campaign a success,” Romero said.
“This is a significantly important outreach platform that allows us to maintain strong connectivity across the campus community in that we are able to reinforce direct lines between students and the tremendous NMSU staff, faculty and student success champions who can support students regardless of the contexts shaping their current enrollment situation,” said Marlatt, who also participated when he was director of the School of Teacher Preparation, Administration and Leadership. “Some students simply need to be connected with their adviser for guidance or are waiting on a particular section to open. Being able to answer those questions and support students as needed is a privilege. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with our colleagues and support students however possible. In terms of being able to interact with students, the experience, as always, was gratifying.
“I am always blown away by the number of students we are able to reach in a short period of time and impressed with the impact this outreach has on students’ registration and their opportunities for academic success,” Marlatt added.
“I find these calling campaigns to be a very positive experience for both me and the students I speak with,” Ickes said. “Most are happy to receive a reminder, others may have an academic or financial issue. If our office cannot assist them, I get them in touch with the office that can assist them.”
The campaign during spring 2025 will begin May 15. To participate in the campaign, access to the Calling All Aggies platform and Navigate 360 is necessary. Instructions on how to request access and additional details regarding Calling All Aggies are available online.
Training for continuing and new volunteers will be offered from 3 to 4 p.m. Monday, April 21, and 3 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, in Corbett Center Student Union, Room 302. For additional training opportunities and information, contact Romero at freddier@nmsu.edu.
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NMSU photo by Josh Bachman