New Mexico State University has launched a new web platform, Crimson Connection, to replace the Aggie Life application as a resource to search for campus events, student organizations, news and campus resources.
Crimson Connection was created to be a more robust application than Aggie Life, said Ann Goodman, associate vice president of student development and dean of students.
Crimson Connection, https://crimsonconnection.nmsu.edu, aims to increase student involvement on campus. The portal includes a calendar with school events. By listing the experiences and events students have participated in outside the classroom, Crimson Connection can compile their cocurricular transcripts by documenting the events students have attended throughout their time at NMSU. Crimson Connection is also a tool for student organizations to interact with its members. Features of the platform include attendance, planning and organizational news as well as being the go-to place for maintaining an organization’s important documents.
“More students will be able to know more about what’s going on and be active with their organizations. It’s a really easy process and it’s very user friendly and it’s an intuitive platform,” said Sarah Edwards, director of Student Involvement and Leadership Programs.
Megan Balkin, chief elections officer for the Associated Students of New Mexico State University, is one of the many students excited to see how campus organizations will utilize the new portal as a means of giving back to NMSU students.
“Now that we have the new system, I can’t wait to see the campus utilize it to its fullest extent,” Balkin said. “I want to give a huge thanks to Melissa Adock Montoya in the Student Involvement and Leadership Programs office who worked diligently alongside Dr. Goodman and Dr. Edwards to not only help me put on the (ASNMSU officer) elections, but also to make sure Crimson Connection is programmed and ready for use for all the organizations campus wide. I'm excited to see Crimson Connection be utilized throughout the NMSU community.”
The utilization of the new portal is anticipated to increase student engagement campus wide.
Crimson Connection acquires details about each user’s profile to look for organizations they may be interested in. Students who find and engage with an organization on campus are more likely to have higher GPAs and come back for the next semester, Edwards said.
“All of those little details are things that will help translate into our students finding somewhere that they belong outside of the classroom. A sense of belonging and that involvement piece are research proven that they are contributing factors of higher retention,” Edwards said.
The new portal also provides students with information about campus resources that may help those struggling to complete their degrees and graduate.
“It provides better knowledge about resources,” Edwards said. “If students are able to get more involved, if more students can find that fit in their involvement, their relationships and that support network that comes as an offshoot of that are contributing factors that lead to graduation.”
“We’re going to be generating a lot of information about how to utilize it and how it can benefit people individually as students, as well as organizational leadership, as well as our various campus partners in other departments,” Goodman said.
Students are encouraged to build their personal portals and start interacting and providing feedback for what can be improved in the months to come. Students who would like to participate in promoting Crimson Connection can contact the Department of Student Life at crimsonconnection@nmsu.edu for more tips on getting the most out of utilizing the portal.
If students or staff need assistance navigating the portal, Melissa Adcock, student life communications and IT coordinator can be contacted within the portal’s feedback or help link, or contact the dean of students office directly at dos@nmsu.edu.