New Mexico State University at Alamogordo (NMSU-A) is situated in the foothills, at the base of the Sacramento Mountains. This vantage point overlooks the city of Alamogordo and the Tularosa Basin. The service area of the school includes Holloman Air Force Base (HAFB), White Sands Missile Range, and stretches beyond the view to include the Mescalero Apache Reservation and approximately twenty villages and towns. Much of the south-central New Mexico region benefits from the convenient location of the campus.

NMSU-A was established in 1958 with an initial enrollment of 278 students. The classes were held at night on the Alamogordo High School campus. The objective of this post-secondary educational venture was to serve the military and civilian personnel from HAFB, as well as students from the local non-military population.

Over the years enrollment has expanded to a present population of over 1,800 students. At the same time, the number and the character of students’ objectives have also grown. The basic two-year traditional university-credited education has been expanded and enriched. NMSU-A has evolved from offering only two-year traditional education courses to providing occupational/technical programs and courses for personal enrichment as well as selected bachelor completion programs through NMSU-Las Cruces Distance Education.

NMSU-A is a two-year community college campus dedicated to the concept of high-quality, cost-effective education that meets the needs of a diverse community. While some students continue to value the long-established core courses, others are seeking alternatives to the traditional liberal arts education. Every possible effort is being made at NMSU-A to keep programs and curricula flexible in order to accommodate varied and expanding community educational needs.