New Mexico State University is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Of the over 300 HSIs in the continental United States, less than a dozen offer doctoral degrees—this includes NMSU. As a Carnegie Research University with R1 status, NMSU is an HSI that is uniquely positioned to contribute to the NIH G-RISE mandate.
The first iterations of the NMSU RISE program under the National Institutes of Health R25 mechanism began in 2000, and continued for five grant cycles until 2022. In 2023 NIH transitioned the National Research Service Award (NRSA) training program to a T32, and G-RISE at NMSU began. Therefore, over the past twenty-five years, NMSU RISE and G-RISE has fostered and supported numerous students. The numbers listed are cumulative for the RISE R25 (last updated fall 2018):
- Over 301 RISE Scholars
- 305 NMSU degrees plus 51 that are in progress, including
- 203 BS degrees plus 40 that are in progress
- 56 MS degrees plus 4 that are in progress
- 43 PhD degrees plus 7 that are in progress
- Over 90% degree completion by RISE Scholars
- Over 147 student-authored publications
- Successful entry by [# of students] to graduate and postdoctoral positions in RU/VH universities (research universities with very high research activity)
Although for the first three grant cycles the program supported undergraduate students, G-RISE now focuses solely on graduate students to address the significant drop by underrepresented groups in degree attainment from bachelor's to master's and doctoral degrees.
NMSU STEM program takes new direction
NMSU highlighted the historic RISE program (video below) to acknowledge how the RISE to the Post doctorate Program generated nearly two decades of success. The promotional video was captured when the R25 RISE program, was renewed by the NIH for the fifth iteration.
