What is Extension?

What is a Land Grant University?

NMSU is a Land Grant University, and Extension is a critical part of that outreach. Learn more about Land Grant Universities in this short animation.

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Statewide Public Education Increases through University-wide Extension Programs

The New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service serves a unique role throughout the state. NMSU is the state's land grant university, and as mandated by its charter, is the "leading object" for agriculture, business, engineering, health sciences, and home economics, as well as educational programs in the liberal arts and natural sciences.

NMSU's uniqueness arises from its vision of teaching and learning, research, and cooperative extension functions - interdependent, mutually supportive, and central to carrying out its land grant mission.

NMSU's University-wide Cooperative Extension Service provides New Mexico's citizenry and communities with effective leadership and collaboration to foster economic, educational, and community development. Decisions on what educational programs are conducted in communities across the state are largely determined by local advisory committees and stakeholder groups. These educational programs are delivered by county-, area-, and state-level NMSU Extension faculty from throughout the university who specialize in an area of concern to New Mexicans. Often these Extension faculty represent the single state-wide or regional source for research-based information on a particular topic.