2026 GO Bond 3
$81 million for campuses across the New Mexico State University system.
General Obligation Bond 3 for Higher Education
NMSU Project Summaries
Multi-disciplinary Academic Building: This multi-disciplinary building situated in the heart of NMSU’s Las Cruces campus will address NMSU’s current need for additional Technology-Enabled Active Learning (TEAL) classrooms and collaboration zones, adding 100,000 square feet of new construction located at the corner of Williams Avenue and Stewart Street, where Roberts Hall and Regents Row residence hall were demolished in 2020. Design phase begins this fall in preparation for the start of construction next summer, pending approval by voters. ($55 million)
Critical Infrastructure Modernization: Building on $20 million investment approved by voters in 2024 for infrastructure upgrades, this marks the next phase in our ongoing efforts to replace and repair critical infrastructure throughout the Las Cruces campus. NMSU’s steam delivery system currently has the necessary capacity to meet the campus demand; however, it has extreme pipeline infrastructure degradation. The intent of this project is to replace failed and deficient steam distribution infrastructure throughout campus to improve the utility reliability, energy efficiency, reduction in operations and maintenance costs, facility indoor air quality, student experience and research success. ($20 million)
Other NMSU System Projects
- Reforestation Center, Phase 2:(NMSU, New Mexico Highlands, UNM) Construction of equipment storage building and greenhouse 3 addition to produce additional 1.25 million seedlings annually as part of a project to develop a reforestation economy and restores New Mexico’s forests and the ecosystems they provide: $17.65 million
- DACC Sunland Park: Expansion and renovation of Sunland Park campus that will add 7,900 ft2 of additional space to address growth needs for workforce expansion in the Santa Teresa Port of Entry and Industrial Park area and allow expansion of our nursing program: $4 million
- NMSU Alamogordo: Replace all keyed interior and exterior entry doors with electronic key control access, enhancing safety, security and access flexibility: $1 million
- NMSU Grants: Replace all keyed interior and exterior entry doors for all buildings with electronic key control access, enhancing safety, security and access flexibility: $1 million
Other Noteworthy Higher Ed Projects
- University of New Mexico: New medical school that would double the number of doctors we train in-state within 10 years: $116 million
- Central New Mexico Community College: Technical Innovation and Entrepreneurial Center that will prepare students for careers in technologies and the industries shaping our state’s future: $15 million
- Eastern New Mexico University: Agriculture and Arts Building that will provide state-of-the art education to support innovation in farming and ranching: $15 million
- New Mexico Tech: important improvements to the Mineral Science and Engineering complex: $40 million
How will GO Bond 3 help New Mexico’s future take shape?
Passage of the GO Bond is a continued investment in the facilities we already have.
The taxpayers of New Mexico have shown over and over that they believe in the value of higher education and support the construction of buildings and facilities to fulfill our teaching, research and outreach missions. We must continue to invest in maintaining those facilities to ensure they last and continue to provide a safe, modern environment for impactful research activities.
Passage of the GO Bond will help NMSU better serve its land-grant mission.
Our agricultural research centers across the state sustain and support New Mexico’s diverse environment, farms, ranches, forests, and rural and urban communities. The Agricultural Experiment Station is a key component of the land-grant mission that guides NMSU. In 2023, the AES brought in nearly $22 million in grants and contracts, along with $3.9 million in federal appropriations. Each center serves as an outdoor research facility and is representative of New Mexico’s varied geographical and environmental conditions. These facilities need significant repairs and maintenance to continue operating safely and effectively.
Passage of the GO Bond will improve the learning environment for our students.
The infrastructure upgrades planned for NMSU’s Las Cruces campus will make all our campus facilities more comfortable, improve the air quality, and increase the reliability of our utilities, ensuring that valuable research lab equipment and projects are protected. Providing a safe, comfortable, state-of-the-art learning environment for our students is our top priority for our facilities, and this investment will move us toward a more energy efficient future at NMSU.
Dates to Remember
October 6 – Last day to register to vote (however, same-day registration is now available)
October 6 – Absentee ballots begin to be mailed
October 6 – Early in-person voting at the Doña Ana County Government Center only
October 17 – Early in-person voting available at Alternate Early Voting Centers. Visit www.dacelections.com for a list of locations
November 3 – Election Day
GO Bond 3 Statewide:
Invest in Higher Education
Learn more about impactful higher education projects across New Mexico that will be supported by GO Bond 3 at HigherEdBond3.com.
ZERO
Increase in tax rate associated with the approval of GO Bond 3
$352 MILLION
Funds available for colleges and universities all across the state
$81 MILLION
For the NMSU system, including our community colleges statewide
Learn more about GO Bond 3
The Opportunity Scholarship, which became law in July 2022, provides money for qualifying adult students to get an education at a four-year or community college. It is available to working adults who may have started and not finished college or working adults who want to complete specialized training in a trade or earn a college degree. The Lottery Scholarship was established in 1996 to provide high school graduates with funding to pay part of the cost of attending community college or a four-year public college or university full-time.
GO Bond 3 is ONLY designed to provide public colleges and universities with funds to renovate existing facilities; replace old, outdated facilities with new facilities; or upgrade campuses with new technology or safety enhancements. It does not provide funds to students. GO Bond 3 funds are intended to make colleges and universities safe places to learn that are competitive with public colleges and universities in other states. The funds cannot be used for any purpose other than projects listed in the legislation that authorized the bond question to be put on the ballot.
The goals are to: 1) maintain the public colleges and universities taxpayers have already invested in; and 2) graduate professionals with in-demand skills who will stay in New Mexico and contribute to our state's future.
Many degrees and certificates (healthcare, trades, technology, etc.) REQUIRE a blend of classroom, laboratory and/or hands-on learning as well as online instruction. Also, some students learn more effectively in a classroom than an online setting, so it is important to provide options. In addition, many public colleges and universities offer meeting and performance spaces to groups throughout their communities.
The 2026 GO Bond to support higher education is tax neutral, as verified by the State of New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration. These bonds are a replacement of general obligation bonds for higher education that are expiring or have already expired.
If GO Bond 3 fails to pass, there is no guarantee property tax rates will be reduced, nor will it give the State of New Mexico the ability to use this money for other purposes. The last time the GO Bond for higher education failed was in 2010. After that election, we could not find evidence that property taxes decreased in any county in New Mexico.
Absolutely. Recent research shows that a community college education returns about $4.80 in future income for every dollar a student invests. Over a lifetime, a bachelor’s degree holder earns a median income of $2.8 million – roughly 75% more than those with only a high school diploma. Plus, bachelor’s degree holders are about half as likely to be unemployed compared to their peers with only a high school diploma in today’s economy.
Research shows the bond will create about one (1) job, on average, for every $100,000 in funding in architecture, construction and related fields. Therefore, this year's bond funding of nearly $352 million will create an estimated 3,500 jobs. People who renovate or build facilities or provide services contribute to the economies of the communities where public colleges and facilities are located in by eating, staying in and purchasing goods and services in those communities. Plus, communities and counties benefit from increases in gross receipts taxes.
Thank you for supporting 2024 GO Bond 3!
New Mexico State University's funding priorities for the 2024 GO Bond 3 included facilities to meet vital concerns in New Mexico:
- Agricultural Experiment Station Maintenance, Repairs & Upgrades
- Steam Tunnel & Electrical Infrastructure Upgrades
- Las Cruces Campus Facility Construction
- Improvements at our community college campuses
Continue to invest in the facilities we already have: The taxpayers of New Mexico have shown over and over that they believe in the value of higher education and support the construction of buildings and facilities to fulfill our teaching, research and outreach missions. We must continue to invest in maintaining those facilities to ensure they last and continue to provide a safe, modern environment for impactful research activities.
Better serve our land-grant mission: Our agricultural research centers across the state sustain and support New Mexico’s diverse environment, farms, ranches, forests, and rural and urban communities. The Agricultural Experiment Station is a key component of the land-grant mission that guides NMSU. In 2023, the AES brought in nearly $22 million in grants and contracts, along with $3.9 million in federal appropriations. Each center serves as an outdoor research facility and is representative of New Mexico’s varied geographical and environmental conditions. These facilities need significant repairs and maintenance to continue operating safely and effectively.
Improve the learning environment for our students: The infrastructure upgrades planned for NMSU’s Las Cruces campus will make all our campus facilities more comfortable, improve the air quality, and increase the reliability of our utilities, ensuring that valuable research lab equipment and projects are protected. Providing a safe, comfortable, state-of-the-art learning environment for our students is our top priority for our facilities, and this investment will move us toward a more energy efficient future at NMSU.
Thank you for supporting 2022 GO Bond 3!
New Mexico State University's funding priorities for the 2022 GO Bond 3 included facilities to meet vital concerns in New Mexico:
- Thomas & Brown Hall Replacement
- Health & Social Services Building and O'Donnell Hall Renovations
- Nursing Skills and Simulation Center Expansion
- New Mexico Department of Agriculture Renovation, Phase 3
Help address our state’s nurse and educator shortages: With new state-of-the-art equipment for the nursing skills and simulation lab and state-of-the-art multi-disciplinary smart classrooms for the College of Health, Education and Social Transformation, we can attract and retain students interested in becoming nurses, public health experts, and teachers. Investing in New Mexico students will set them up with the skills and experience needed to serve their communities right here in New Mexico.
Help shape New Mexico’s future workforce: The key to New Mexico’s economic long-term stability is to attract high-tech industry. The space industry and the energy-water-food nexus are top priorities, and NMSU is an essential part of the labor equation. Economic expansion depends on a highly trained and available workforce that includes a wide variety of disciplines working in concert to solve critical issues and support workforce development. By fully reimagining the design and function of Thomas & Brown Hall, the College of Engineering is poised to nurture cross-disciplinary, collaborative, and distance learning to promote the success of students from all over NMSU.
Support the needs of NM’s agriculture industry: The new and modernized New Mexico Department of Agriculture facility will provide additional space for new programs and initiatives. It’s key to NMDA’s mission of promoting a fair marketplace, food protection, marketing and economic development; supporting the beneficial use and conservation of natural resources; and working cooperatively with the public and private sectors.
Agricultural Modernization and Educational Facilities Phase 2
New Mexico State University's #1 funding priority for the 2020 GO Bond C included facilities to meet vital concerns in New Mexico:
- Water Conservation & Rangeland Ecology
- Human Health & Biomedical Research
- Food Security & Animal Production Efficiency
- Student Learning & Public Outreach
Enhancing multidisciplinary research and experiential learning to create a vibrant workforce and economy for New Mexico.
