College of HEST receives nearly $25 million for health, education programs

About $25 million in grants were awarded to the College of HEST by the New Mexico Higher Education Department in 2022 to establish four new endowment funds and increase two existing endowment funds.

The NMSU Foundation will invest and manage the funds in support of NMSU’s nursing, education and social work programs. All funds will be invested in the foundation's long-term investment pool and distributed annually according to its investment policy.

“Our state’s investments into higher education are integral to optimizing the co-creation of a coherent ecosystem of early childhood education, K-12, higher education and adult learning, which are drivers for robust workforce and community development” says College of HEST Dean Yoshi Iwasaki. 

NMHED funded the following requests made on behalf of NMSU:

• $2,500,000 for NMSU endowed nursing faculty
• $6,000,000 for NMSU endowed positions in educator preparation
• $16,500,000 for the NMSU School of Social Work True Initiative
• $25,000 for the Esperanza/Covarrubias Endowed Helping Hands Scholarship
• $250,000 for the Papen-Aprendamos Professorship

“HEST offers high-demand essential programs to genuinely serve the growing needs of our communities in New Mexico and beyond,” Iwasaki says. “As a solution-oriented destination college, HEST is a resourceful place-based anchor organization to act as an accountable steward of the places and communities we serve.”