By KRWG News
Las Cruces – At a regular meeting Thursday, June 23, the New Mexico State University Board of Regents adopted a master plan for housing at the university.
The housing plan, which is an addendum to the university's overall master plan, was originally completed in 2002. The 2009 update the Regents adopted at the meeting was based on recommendations by Brailsford and Dunlavey Inc., a facility planning and program management firm. The firm's report to the university provides guidance on long-term strategic planning and is intended to be a high level overall plan for investment.
The plan reflects significant changes in the on-campus housing market over the last few years, including a dramatic increase in occupancy, a new focus on programming for enhanced student retention, and replacement and renovation of older facilities.
In other business, the Regents heard reports from the four NMSU community college presidents, who discussed the infrastructure, enrollment and programs of their individual campuses. As a whole, the NMSU community college presidents are committed this year to initiatives that smooth the transfer of students from community college campuses to the Las Cruces campus.
"We are so proud of all that you do for the NMSU system and the state of New Mexico. You make such a difference," said Regents Chair Laura Conniff.
Additionally, the Regents recognized Davon House, defensive back for the NMSU football team from 2007-2010, who was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round as the 131st pick overall in the 2011 NFL Draft.
The board also presented the Above & Beyond Award to Curtis Ewing, manager of NMSU's ICT Systems Group. The Above & Beyond Award recognizes full-time employees who go the extra distance in service to any and all aspects of the NMSU system. Individuals are recognized for performance that goes "above and beyond" their regular responsibilities and for demonstrating a positive attitude that inspires others.
Ewing manages both the PC Server and the Unix Server groups at ICT, which are responsible for the core computer systems that keep NMSU running, including email, banner, mynmsu and other critical administrative systems. In his nomination, Matt Presser, who works in the Unix group with Ewing, said, "Curtis works above and beyond every day. He regularly puts in 10-12 hour days managing multiple groups, projects and personalities and sometimes single-handedly keeps NMSU's computer infrastructure going. He is the last line of defense when it comes to technical problems at ICT."