State Master Plan for Higher Education: Building New Mexico's Future

Developed with broad statewide public input through 16 town hall meetings, individual conversations with business and education leadership and more than 2,000 participants in an online survey, the State Master Plan for Higher Education serves as a road map for addressing the needs of all students preparing to enter, entering or enrolling in higher education in New Mexico. A statutory requirement, the state had never previously outlined a statewide plan for higher education until Cabinet Secretary of Higher Education Dr. Viola Florez initiated the process in 2009 and oversaw the production of the plan throughout 2010.

State Master Plan for Higher Education

Preface & Introduction
Priority Recommendations
Section I: Higher Education for New Mexico's Future
Section II: Meeting the Educational Needs of Students
Section III: Meeting the Needs of the State
Section IV: Meeting Educational Needs through Partnerships & Collaborations
Section V: Meeting State Needs through Higher Education
Appendix A: Map of New Mexico's Public Colleges & Universities
Appendix B: List of New Mexico's Public Colleges & Universities


Clearly summarized in the State Master Plan are some of the most challenging issues New Mexicans face in pursuing higher education; nowhere else are they listed in one location. The plan contains numerous short-and long-term recommendations. Highlighted are twelve recommendations considered top priority, including retaining a Cabinet-level Higher Education Department, designing a new public higher education funding formula, establishing a statewide P-20 Counsel, creating a statewide longitudinal student data system, improving teacher quality, among others.