By Valerio C. Ferme
President, New Mexico State University
New Mexico voters have many important decisions to make this fall, with key statewide races, funding questions, and constitutional amendments on the Nov. 3 ballot. One measure that we hope our citizens will support is general obligation bond question 3, which would provide roughly $352 million for building and renovation projects at colleges, universities and specialty schools, including $81 million for the New Mexico State University system’s campuses and facilities statewide. Significantly, the measure does not impose a tax rate increase on our citizens.
That funding, if approved, has the potential to reshape learning, healthcare, and economic development in New Mexico. As we chart NMSU’s course for the coming years, the strategic direction for our university’s next chapter as a nationally recognized R1 land-grant university will center a culture of excellence that spans the university system, elevating success at the student, faculty, staff, and institutional level. In order to accomplish our goals for growth and development in these areas, we must invest in the kinds of innovative and sustainable environments that empower our students to succeed.
The goals we’ve identified for our university serve the mission that has defined NMSU from its founding as the state’s first land-grant institution: educating the people of our state and nation, advancing research and innovation, and deepening public service across all 33 counties we serve.
At the heart of the general obligation bond question for NMSU is a transformative $55 million investment in a state-of-the-art multi-disciplinary academic facility – a bold reimagining of how learning happens at NMSU. Designed as a centralized hub for shared classrooms and next-generation labs, the facility will house Technology Enabled Active Learning (TEAL) environments, alongside ethically conceived virtual reality, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence spaces that prepare students for the careers and challenges of tomorrow.
This facility will improve our classroom utilization efficiency, promote cross-disciplinary collaboration, and support modern, flexible teaching methods. It aligns with our strategic campus planning to bring faculty and students closer to the heart of campus and create vibrant, adaptable learning environments where discovery thrives.
The bond question adds to that vision with $20 million for critical steam delivery infrastructure modernization at our Las Cruces campus, $4 million for expansion and upgrades at NMSU's Doña Ana Community College Sunland Park campus, and $1 million each for NMSU's Alamogordo and Grants campuses – ensuring every corner of the NMSU system is positioned to grow.
Other institutions around the state, as well as partnerships among some of our neighboring four-year institutions, are also poised to receive impactful investments with the support of New Mexico voters. The flagship project for this election cycle’s bond funding is $116 million for a new medical school at the University of New Mexico that would double the number of doctors we train in the state within 10 years. (While we may be rivals in sports, advancing opportunities like this for New Mexico’s future is one arena where we and our Lobo counterparts are on the same side.)
Additionally, the New Mexico Reforestation Center, our partnership with UNM, New Mexico Highlands University and the state’s forestry division, is slated to receive $17.65 million for the second phase of its buildout. The center is already operative in addressing the reforestation backlog in our state caused by catastrophic wildfires, drought, and rising temperatures. And yet, the multi-phase buildout of this facility at NMSU’s John T. Harrington Forestry Research Center in Mora will also support a stable professional and technical workforce for ecological restoration in New Mexico and leverage science-based reforestation as a tool for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
We recognize that voters are being asked to support these essential projects during financially stressful times for many. As I mentioned in my opening paragraph, however, there will be no tax rate increase if the bond passes. The bond also does not add a new tax or increase the rate of the existing property tax. Instead, the GO Bond would bring $351.5 million into the state, creating as many as 3,500 construction, architecture and related jobs and increasing gross receipts tax income to state and local governments. Conversely, a failure to pass this measure would not give the state of New Mexico the ability to use this money for other purposes.
If passed, GO Bond 3 would do more than create the innovative and cutting-edge learning environment that will help provide for students at New Mexico State. Broadly, across the state, it has the potential to transform the landscape of healthcare access for our citizens, and to elevate the level of training and workforce opportunities and economic prosperity for all New Mexicans. It’s an investment in our people, in their health, and in the transformative power of coming together to raise all boats to the next level.
Valerio C. Ferme is president of the New Mexico State University system. He may be reached at president@nmsu.edu. For more information on NMSU’s proposed 2026 GO Bond 3 projects, visit gobond.nmsu.edu.