About the Community College
In 1965, Doña Ana County was designated by the New Mexico Department of Education as an appropriate site in southern New Mexico for an area vocational-technical school. In 1971, the boards of education of the Gadsden, Hatch, and Las Cruces school districts requested that New Mexico State University establish a branch community college located on its campus in Las Cruces to offer postsecondary vocational-technical education in Doña Ana County. The NMSU Board of Regents approved the request in 1972, and the voters in Doña Ana County approved an operational mill levy in May 1973. The institution became an official entity on July 1, 1973. It began offering vocational training programs on Septemb