As orientation and student success director for Aggie Welcome and Orientation, Nathan Cheesman is one of the first faces new students experience at New Mexico State University.
“I get to work with an amazing team and colleagues in many different offices to oversee and support our campus visit program, new student orientation and transition programs and family engagement, both for prospective and current students,” he said.
Cheesman’s responsibilities also include working with the President’s 1888 Leadership Initiative, overseeing the Aggie Launch Pad computer program and serving as a first-year experience instructor.
An NMSU staff member since 2019, Cheesman said he enjoys seeing NMSU students transform, learn and develop.
“I get to see this every day not just through the course that I teach, but also through the student staff in our office that I supervise,” he said. “But since I have been here to see a few waves of students, I also see this just walking through campus throughout the year. There are students that I remember their face or name from orientation and then I see them tabling, chatting with others, leading student organizations, graduating and applying to graduate school.”
An NMSU graduate, Cheesman earned his Ph.D. in educational leadership and administration in 2026.