Regents heard campus housing is 98% full while about 48% of non-represented staff remain below their salary-grade minimums

Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News

SILVER CITY - Western New Mexico University is confronting pressure on two fronts as enrollment grows: campus housing is nearly full and almost half of the university’s non-represented staff are being paid below the minimum for their salary grades.

The WNMU Board of Regents heard recently that campus residence halls are operating at 98% overall capacity, with Mustang Village at 102% and Muir Heights at 94%.

At the same meeting, university officials reported a 20% year-over-year increase in first-time undergraduate enrollment.

President Jose E. Coll told regents that student retention and housing capacity remain priorities as the university weighs future residential expansion through public-private partnerships.

Housing pressure grows with enrollment

WNMU officials said undergraduate recruitment has gained momentum as the university works to increase enrollment and retention.

Executive Director of Admissions and Recruitment Andrew Lunt reported 94 booked campus tours bringing 529 visitors to campus. Spring Discovery Day produced what the university described as a 94% return on investment among registered students.

International enrollment reached 104 students, while graduate applications increased 30% from the previous year.

Dual enrollment, however, fell 41% after a state rule change eliminated mandatory high school participation.

Coll told regents the decrease is not expected to affect university funding under the state’s current higher education funding formula.

With residence halls nearly full, university leaders are beginning to look at additional housing capacity through potential public-private partnerships.

Nearly half of non-represented staff below minimums

Regents also received the results of a staff compensation study launched in January.

Stacie Jackson of Valliant Consulting Group told the board that while most WNMU employees fall within competitive market ranges, roughly 48% of non-represented staff are paid below the minimum established for their salary grades.

University officials said bringing those employees to the minimum thresholds and addressing salary compression would require a significant financial investment.

Administrators are working with shared governance groups on an implementation plan aimed at addressing the disparities.

The compensation study was presented for information and no implementation plan was approved at their recent meeting.

Regents approve funding requests

The board also approved WNMU’s unadjusted and unaudited fourth-quarter financial certification for fiscal year 2026 and an annual endowment report showing $120,000 in drawdowns for student and faculty support.

Regents approved fiscal year 2028 Research and Public Service Project requests for submission to the New Mexico Higher Education Department.

Those requests include proposed increases for athletics transportation safety, the Web-Based Network for Teacher Licensure, the teacher mentoring network and the Early Childhood Center of Excellence, along with a new funding request for the Cultural Affairs Program.

The board also approved priority capital funding requests focused on housing design, student recreation and baseball facility improvements.

WNMU’s next Board of Regents meeting is scheduled for Dec. 10, ahead of fall commencement.

Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. If you have a personal story to share or a lead we should follow up on, reach out at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or connect with him on X at @damienwillis.