CNM president speaks to Economic Forum about her institution's impact

For 60 years, Central New Mexico Community College has been improving people’s lives and contributing to the local workforce, according to the institution’s president.

CNM President Tracy Hartzler delivered that message Wednesday during her remarks to the Economic Forum of Albuquerque, a group of business leaders who meet regularly to get updates on issues facing the local economy. She said the college trains workers to meet the needs of local businesses.

Hartzler, who has served as president since 2020, said CNM opened on July 1, 1965 as the Technical Vocational Institute with a mere 150 students. In 2006, TVI changed its name to CNM and today boasts nearly 27,500 students — making it the largest higher education in the state in terms of the number of undergraduates — and had a $798 million economic impact in the 2022 fiscal year, Hartzler said.

“We’ve been around for quite a while ... because we are responsive,” Hartzler told forum members during a morning meeting at Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town. “We listen to what you need. We listen to what our students and learners need.”

She used the word “learner” to “break the language about a traditional student.” Many of CNM’s students are nontraditional, meaning they are older, already have a degree or are returning to school to obtain a new skill, Hartzler said. “Learner” refers to any student who comes through CNM’s door, she said.

Over 600 employers engage with CNM and 60% of them hire the institution’s graduates, according to Hartzler.

CNM has implemented a number of workforce training programs, known as “bootcamps,” to boost the number of graduates, particularly in science, technology, engineering and math fields, she said. CNM will share a $127 million U.S. Department of Commerce grant with two other western states to train more quantum computer mechanics, Hartzler said.

With the institution’s 60th anniversary on the horizon, Hartzler said forum members will be able to join CNM officials in numerous events, including opening a new skilled trades facility on June 29. The facility will help meet the demands of the construction industry, which is facing a significant shortfall in workers, according to a CNM news release.

Hartzler said her big ask of forum members was their support to help CNM grow. Even as many of them might already partner with the institution or hire its graduates, Hartzler said she needed them to advocate for CNM, too.

Emily Howard, executive director of the Economic Forum of Albuquerque, said she thought it was important for Hartzler to share how CNM is impacting the local economy.

“But I also wanted her to have the space to explain what she needs from the business community and what her expectations are regarding those partnerships,” Howard said.