Mesalands garners favorable ranking

Mesalands Community College has been ranked ninth in the nation, three levels above last year’s rating, out of 728 community colleges evaluated, by Wallet Hub, an Internet credit rating and reporting firm based in the Washington, D.C., area.

The rise in ratings adds to a string of favorable developments at the college in recent years, President Thomas Newsom said.

Last year, Wallet Hub listed Mesalands at 12th in the nation.

Wallet Hub based its ranking on cost and outcomes.

Mesalands’ most favorable scores in Wallet Hub’s ratings were in “share of full-time faculty,” where it ranked first, and in graduation rate, where it ranked 15th among the colleges rated, figures from Wallet Hub’s website show. The website is at https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-community-colleges/15076.

Cost factors were less highly rated, but still favorable, according to figures on the Wallet Hub website. Mesalands ranked 53rd in cost and financing and 87th in cost of in-state tuition at $1,740 per student.

The college, however, scored 321st in a “free community college” ranking since New Mexico neither has nor has proposed any free tuition programs, Wallet Hub information shows.

Mesalands ranked 166th in grant and scholarship aid per student at $4,779, and 65th in per-pupil Spending at $19,243 in total expenses per full-time equivalent enrollment, the numbers show.

Along with the good news in the overall rating, Mesalands’ enrollment has risen, campus expansion is under way, and wind energy, allied health and creative arts programs are bringing in students from a wide area, Newsom said.

In the spring 2017 semester, which began in January, Mesalands’ enrollment totaled 998, 18 percent higher than the 845 enrollment reported in spring 2016, according to a college news release.

Mesalands’ rising enrollment, increasing for eight of the past nine semesters, runs counter to a nationwide trend of declining community college enrollments recorded by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, the news release said.

Newsom said enrollments were up for the summer term, and in the wind energy program.

Newsom credits three attitude factors for the college’s improving record.

First, he said, is “the hard work of all faculty and staff to develop a culture of accessibility and student success.”

Second, he said, is “overwhelming” support from the community.

Third, “We treat each student as an individual, and we have been placing greater emphasis on our unique programs,” he said.

Aaron Kennedy, vice president of student affairs at Mesalands, gave credit to programs in recruitment, tracking student progress, and graduation.

The college has been emphasizing these areas for nine years, Kennedy said,

In recent years, he said, the college has maintained a Student Success Committee that includes Newsom, Kennedy, Vice President of Academic Affairs Natalie Gillard and other faculty and staff.

The committee looks over student records, Kennedy said, and “if a student is falling behind, we assign them a mentor” and offer guidance to help students help in the right areas.

The emphasis on student tracking and retention has become more important as the college has attracted more students from different parts of the county.

The rodeo team, for instance, has attracted students from as far away as Hawaii, Kennedy said, and the wind program has enrolled students from nearly all 50 states. Educational experience from still in high school in dual enrollment plans, to students in the wind program who come in with master’s degrees, he said.

Newsom said wind energy is just one unique program at Mesalands. Others include allied health program and arts programs that include artistic silversmithing and fine-arts foundry skills with bronze and aluminum.

The college continues to encourage science, technology, engineering and mathematics study as it enters the last year of a $3.8 million grant.

In allied health, he said, the college has responded to community calls to establish an emergency medical technician training program this year, added to the certified nursing assistant and phlebotomy programs already in place.

The college is also preparing to add major improvements to its agricultural trade programs as it plans to expand rodeo, farrier and animal science programs to property located next to the Tucumcari cemetery northwest of the main campus.

In addition, Newsom said, the expansion will include 30 acres for planting crops for research, partnering with the New Mexico State University’s Agricultural Research Station in Tucumcari.