The name says it all. New Mexico State University’s Professional Golf Management program has long been one of a limited number of programs accredited by the Professional Golfers’ Association of America. Now, the program will share the PGA’s name, becoming the NMSU PGA Golf Management program. The name change ensures students their program is fully accredited and endorsed by the PGA.

“The PGA endorsement makes all the difference in the world,” said Pat Gavin, director of NMSU’s PGA Golf Management program.

The PGA Golf Management program is a 4.5-year curriculum for aspiring PGA professionals. It includes an internship and player ability test. Gavin pointed out that not every university with a professional golf management program has the PGA accreditation.

“Some kids might expect that endorsement when they see a program called professional golf management. That’s why NMSU and the other accredited schools are now using the actual PGA logo and letters. As a whole, it’s just a matter of protecting the name.”

NMSU’s program became only the third in the nation to be endorsed by the PGA of America in 1987. Today, 20 universities have professional golf management programs endorsed by the PGA.

The program currently has 200 students, including 50 incoming freshmen. Gavin said PGA Golf Management students have a 100 percent job placement rate after they graduate. He also credits NMSU’s large alumni networking base for helping former NMSU graduates continue to find jobs long after they leave the university.

An evaluation team representing the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools announced its preliminary recommendation that New Mexico State University’s Las Cruces and Grants campuses be reaccredited for a 10-year period during an exit report today, April 30.

Members of the 12-member team will return to their respective institutions and begin preparing a formal report from their comprehensive evaluation visit that took place April 28-30.

“Accreditation is about two things – quality assurance and improvement. We were highly impressed with the programs, initiatives and individuals at NMSU and particularly the institution’s progress in the last three years,” said Celestino Fernandez, of the University of Arizona and chair of the HLC Consultant-Evaluator Team. “NMSU should continue on the trajectory it has charted for itself.”

The HLC visit was the culmination of NMSU’s extensive institutional review addressing the commission’s requirements and criteria for reaccreditation. In February, the university submitted a comprehensive self-study report to the HLC, which included a special emphasis focus on the Foundations of Excellence® in the First College Year (FoE).

“Reaccreditation is essential if NMSU intends to continue on its journey to excellence and service,” said NMSU President Michael Martin. “The HLC team proved to be first rate. They brought expertise, commitment and insight to their tasks. We sincerely appreciate their service to NMSU. We look forward to their report and we are committed to implementing both the letter and spirit of their recommendations.”

“The importance of the Higher Learning Commission accreditation process is that it provided our institution with an opportunity to reflect on our mission, accomplishments and directions for the future,” said Waded Cruzado, executive vice president and provost. “The team’s recommendation for reaccreditation is a testament to the quality of our faculty, students, staff and alumni and it galvanizes our commitment to the constituents that we serve. Faithful to our mission, we take pride in making a difference, in advancing knowledge and in serving the educational needs of our diverse populations.”

The Higher Learning Commission is one of six accrediting agencies in the U.S. that provide institutional accreditation on a regional basis. Institutional accreditation evaluates an entire institution and accredits it as a whole. Other agencies provide accreditation for specific programs. Accreditation is voluntary. The commission accredits about 1,100 institutions of higher education in a 19-state region. The commission is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

NMSU was first accredited by HLC in 1926, with its last full review in 1998. Its accreditation is at the doctoral-degree level and includes degree sites at various other locations within the state.

The HLC team will submit a formal recommendation to the commission for continuing status for the university. The recommendation of the site team will go through a review process and then the commission’s board of trustees makes the final decision.

New Mexico State University has partnered with private investors Jack Ellis and Bill White to expand its presence in the multi-million-dollar genetic testing industry.

The Genetic Testing Laboratory Inc., a for-profit DNA-based human identity lab, is located on the NMSU campus.

Kevin Boberg, director of NMSU’s Arrowhead Center Inc. and associate dean of the College of Business Administration and Economics, said the new company will build upon what the existing nonprofit laboratory, which started as a partnership between NMSU’s Physical Science Laboratory and the molecular biology graduate program in 2002, has accomplished.

“After four years of operation under the umbrella of NMSU, it was decided that GTL would be a good candidate to commercialize, to spin out from the university,” Boberg said.

The NMSU Board of Regents approved the creation and operation of the company during its meeting today, March 14.

“This is exactly what we would like to do with these programs, spin them off whenever possible into a private sector enterprise,” said NMSU President Michael V. Martin. “This is the model that we would like to continue as we have technologies or innovations which have the opportunity to advance in the private sector. I congratulate Dean Garrey Carruthers for working it out and making it work.”

“We look forward to having a relationship with NMSU on this business venture,” Ellis said. “This not only benefits us but the state as well, since we will be hiring employees and contributing to the economic development of the region.”

Both Ellis and White are from El Paso and own multiple businesses throughout the region. Ellis owns the Interstate Batteries franchise in El Paso and oil and gas interests in Texas. White’s company, Grubb & Ellis Best/White, is the Grubb & Ellis franchisee along the U.S.-Mexico border. In addition, White’s company is the Carl’s Jr. franchisee in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico.

The lab, which is accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks, will offer a variety of services including paternity and maternity testing; immigration testing; and various forms of relationship testing such as siblingship, twin zygosity and parentage reconstruction using DNA from grandparents, aunts or uncles if a parent is not available. In addition, the company has home test kits available, and provides legally binding tests for use in courts within the United States.

Students from NMSU’s business college did a market analysis of the genetic testing industry, which indicated that the market is growing and advancing at a rapid pace, Boberg said.

The market analysis cites a 2004 report on the genetic testing market by the research firm Frost & Sullivan, which states that the revenues generated by genetic testing totaled $319.9 million in 2000 and estimates that profits will reach $877.2 million by 2006.

“I think that a key to the long-term success of the laboratory is to diversify the DNA-based services we offer,” said Peter Lammers, a biochemistry professor at NMSU. Lammers noted that two key opportunities for the future are the forensic and clinical testing markets.

The idea to create the laboratory originated with Lammers and John Spalding and Stefan Long of NMSU’s Physical Science Laboratory.

“We would like our faculty to become much more entrepreneurial, and this is an example where faculty work has actually paid off in creating a for-profit company in Las Cruces,” said Garrey Carruthers, dean of the business college and vice provost for economic development.

The benefits of the partnership are both monetary and educational.

The university will have a 35 percent equity stake in the company, and the collaboration will provide students and faculty with jobs and research opportunities. Furthermore, as GTL explores new markets beyond parentage, NMSU’s mission of research and development will play a key role in this diversification.

The new company will have a five-member board of directors, two of whom will be from NMSU.

New Mexico State University’s College of Business Administration and Economics and Clovis Community College (CCC) signed an agreement to improve the process of academic credit transfers from the community college to the university.

The agreement, which is now in effect, allows business students from the community college to transfer with ease to New Mexico State.

“This would assist those students who are interested in a ‘2-plus-2 program’ in that it lets them know how their CCC courses will be counted by NMSU,” said Kathleen Brook, associate dean of the business college.

Business students at CCC who have completed lower division courses could enroll in the business college’s degree completion program with a major in general business.

“They can do this by coming to the main campus or taking Internet courses offered by the college,” Brook said.

Beverlee J. McClure, president of CCC, said agreements such as this should not be an option, it should be the rule.

“All of our students (in New Mexico) should be guaranteed that where ever they are they could walk through the door of a two-year school and go anywhere they want from there and get access to opportunities,” McClure said.

Clovis Community College is a two-year institution that serves a seven county area. With a student population of more than 4,000 students, CCC is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools; the National League for Nursing; Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation for Radiologic Technology; and is authorized as a State of New Mexico Area Vocational School. It began as a branch campus to Eastern New Mexico State University in 1961 and in 1990 voters approved the formation of a locally-governed, locally-controlled community college.

New Mexico State University, founded in 1888, is a comprehensive institution dedicated to teaching, research and service at the graduate and undergraduate level. It is the only land-grant institution that is also classified as Hispanic-serving by the federal government and classified by the Carnegie Foundation in the top research category, Research-Extensive.

In an effort to meet the demands of today’s agricultural industry, New Mexico State University has developed a new graduate-level program that will train future mid- and upper-level executives for the food and fiber industry.

NMSU’s College of Business Administration and Economics and College of Agriculture and Home Economics partnered to create a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program with a specialization in agribusiness.

“What we have created is a unique program that meets the demands of the industry and students, and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) accreditation requirements,” said Wayne Headrick, director of NMSU’s MBA Program. “It will provide a new graduate-level educational opportunity and open access to an additional pool of quality jobs for our students.”

Headrick said the program includes five agribusiness courses (15 credit hours) and seven core courses (21 credit hours) from the “general” MBA program.

“Students in the agribusiness specialization will be getting the same business background as other MBA students,” he said. “They will acquire the same analytical, communication and presentations skills, but they will get to apply them in the context of agribusiness.”

Organizers said there are a few universities that offer similar specializations within their MBA programs in the Midwest and a few throughout the West, but, to their knowledge, there are no such programs in the Southwest.

“Graduates of the program will be getting the kind of credentials that they need to be successful executives in the agribusiness sector,” Headrick said.

Octavio A. Ramirez, professor and department head of Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business and Extension Economics at NMSU, said businesses in the agricultural, food and fiber industry seek people who have the qualifications of an MBA but also substantial background, knowledge and expertise in the agriculture sector.

“This program takes the extra steps to ensure that its graduates satisfy all of the requirements needed to earn an MBA degree that is fully accredited, while providing them with specialized advanced training in agribusiness management, agribusiness marketing, international agricultural trade and policy, agricultural commodity and future markets, and other key aspects related to agricultural, food and fiber business administration,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez said the food and fiber industry employs about 17 percent of the labor force in the United States and other industrialized countries, and more than 25 percent worldwide. He added that some major agribusiness corporations such as Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, ConAgra Foods, Pioneer-Dupont, Nestle and Kraft Foods provide excellent career opportunities in marketing, management and administration for MBA graduates. Graduates from a program like this can also seek careers in the public sector with agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Bureau of Land Management.

Students in the program also will have the opportunity to participate in scholarly projects addressing agribusiness issues under the direction of experts in the field, Ramirez said.

New Mexico State University’s College of Business Administration and Economics is now offering a degree-completion program to help place-bound students receive a bachelor’s degree from NMSU.

“The idea is that a student will take the first two years of classes at a place other than the main campus and then we will provide upper-division courses for the last two years,” said Kathy Brook, associate dean and distance education coordinator for the college.

The program, which is also known as a “2-plus-2” program, is still pending accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

“We recognize that there are over 20 two-year college programs around the state, and this program was developed specifically for those students who wish to stay at a location other than the main campus but who want to receive a bachelor’s degree in business from NMSU,” said Garrey Carruthers, dean of the College of Business Administration and Economics.

Students of the program will take their courses online. They will major in general business and receive a bachelor’s degree in business administration. The course work for the freshman and sophomore years may be completed at a junior or community college. The junior- and senior-level courses include upper-division business core courses and eight other upper- division courses, with a limit of two per business discipline.

“It has a fairly broad appeal,” Brook said of the program. “It’s very well suited for somebody who is going into a small business and needs to know something about all the aspects of business. Given that there are a lot of small businesses in New Mexico, it’s a degree that fits pretty well and we are very optimistic about it.”

Brook said students doing internships and co-ops out of the area can also take advantage of individual courses.

For more information about the program, contact Brook at (505) 646-5431.

The College of Business Administration and Economics at New Mexico State University has achieved reaccreditation of its undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees in business administration by the board of directors of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

“This achievement is a high-water mark for the college,” said Danny Arnold, dean of the college of business. “The faculty, staff and administrators have been working toward this goal for the last 10 years. It provides concrete validation for the college’s efforts, particularly since the organization accredits achievement in excellence rather than simply meeting minimum standards. It provides the stamp of excellence.”

The accreditation is for 10 years. The college’s undergraduate program has been accredited by the AACSB since 1972 and the graduate program since 1981.

The business college has 2,061 undergraduate students and 158 graduate students.

To achieve AACSB International accreditation, business programs must satisfy the expectations of a wide range of quality standards relating to curriculum, faculty resources, admissions, degree requirement, library and computer facilities, financial resources and intellectual climate that are mission-linked.

As of November, there are 432 accredited members all over the world.

The AACSB, the premier accrediting agency and service organization for business schools, is a not-for-profit organization consisting of more than 900 educational organizations and corporations worldwide devoted to the promotion and improvement of higher education in business administration and management.

Las Cruces, New Mexico. The College of Business at New Mexico State University has achieved reaccreditation of its undergraduate/master’s/doctoral) degree programs in business administration and accounting by recent action of the Board of Directors of AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The official announcement was made November 18, 2002.

As of November 2002, there are 432 accredited members – 406 in North America (396 in the U.S., eight in Canada and two in Mexico), 15 in Europe, four in Asia, one in Australia, one in Central America, two in the Middle East, and three in South America.

To achieve AACSB International accreditation, business programs must satisfy the expectations of a wide range of quality standards relating to curriculum, faculty resources, admissions, degree requirement, library and computer facilities, financial resources, and intellectual climate that all are mission-linked.

During the accreditation process, College of Business was visited and evaluated by business school deans, accounting educators and corporate representatives, who are leaders in the field of management education, applying AACSB International accreditation standards that are widely accepted and adopted by the educational and business communities.

“This achievement is a high-water mark for the College. The faculty, staff and administrators have been working towards this goal for the last ten years. It provides concrete validation for the college’s efforts, particularly since the organization accredits achievement of excellence rather than simply meeting minimum standards,” stated Danny Arnold, Dean of the College of Business at New Mexico State University.

AACSB International is a not-for-profit organization consisting of more than 900 educational organizations and corporations, world-wide, devoted to the promotion and improvement of higher education in business administration and management. Its mission is to provide global leadership in advancing management education through accreditation and by fostering international interchanges, key business linkages, sharing of best practice, and professional development.

AACSB International is the premier accrediting agency and service organization for business schools and has its headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A. For more information, please contact Tom Weiser, Communications Manager, NMSU Business, 505-646-6290.