'We're consistent in serving our community': CNM celebrates 60th anniversary

Central New Mexico Community College, the largest community college in the state, celebrated its 60th anniversary Wednesday by opening its new Ted Chavez Trades and Technologies Center.

The center is named after the late alumnus and faculty member Ted Chavez, who studied HVAC at the school and “played a pivotal role in developing CNM’s trades programs,” according to the school’s website. His family was in attendance and honored at the celebration.

The new center includes five buildings to train students for trade careers such as welding, carpentry, plumbing and construction. The project cost $59 million, with $45 million going to construction. The state ponied up $22.4 million of that.

“CNM gave me the foundation I needed, not with technical knowledge, but the confidence to further my electrical career,” Anthony Ramirez, an alumnus who now teaches electrical trades at the school, said during the event. “Teaching at CNM has given me the chance to stay connected to the community and train the next generation of electricians, the people that will power New Mexico.”

CNM was founded in the summer of 1965, originally bearing the name Technical Vocational Institute. Its focus was on training the state’s workforce in trade careers.

Six decades later, as demand for those careers and interest in pursuing them grow, the school is still making big investments to train the state’s workforce.

“We’re certainly making sure that we’re leveraging the investments we’ve made in technology and changing our programming to be able to provide students with more access when they want courses and learning, connecting them more with relevant experiences,” CNM President Tracy Hartzler said in an interview earlier this month. “We’re consistent in serving our community.”

Among those in attendance were Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent Gabriella Blakey, New Mexico Higher Education Secretary Stephanie Rodriguez and Mayor Tim Keller.

Classes begin next month, and the new trade school is expected to serve at least 1,000 students.