UNM almost complete
The University of New Mexico West Side is on pace to open in January, less than a year after construction started in the City Center.
The first building on campus, a 40,000-square-foot, two-story structure, is close to completion and UNM plans to be open for classes in mid-January.
Nearly three-quarters of the building will house classrooms and student support services. The UNM Medical Group will use approximately 10 percent of the space for administration, with the rest being used for faculty and staff offices and building systems.
The building will may ultimately become multi-institutional in nature as UNM’s “2+2” partnership with Central New Mexico Community College is refined. A new partnership with New Mexico State University is developing for the delivery of select programs, such as tourism and hospitality management.
“I’m elated that the City of Rio Rancho is beginning to build what in a period of time will be a seamless educational system where a child can go from pre-K to graduate school in the city of Rio Rancho,” Mayor Tom Swisstack said. “This is exciting for families who have children and who want to keep them close through those formative years.
“What it does, it becomes a magnet for helping the economic diversity in Rio Rancho and Sandoval County.”
UNM West campus is expected to ultimately house approximately 10,000 students.
