New Mexico Military Institute


New Mexico Military Institute is a public military junior college in Roswell, New Mexico. Founded in 1891, NMMI operates under the auspices of the State of New Mexico, under a dedicated Board of Regents that reports to the Governor of New Mexico. A land-grant institution located in the city center of Roswell, New Mexico, NMMI enrolls nearly 1,000 cadets at the junior college and high school levels each year. NMMI is the only state-supported military college located in the western United States and has many notable alumni that have served at senior levels in the military and private sector.
Academic school years at NMMI usually begin with nearly 1,000 cadets enrolled, with slight attrition occurring during the school year due to the demanding nature of academic and physical requirements on students. The school's two-year Army ROTC Early Commissioning Program commissions approximately 30 cadets each year as U.S. Army second lieutenants, and almost 100 cadets each year go to one of the five major United States Service academies.
The school's motto is "Duty, Honor, and Achievement." NMMI's athletic teams are the Broncos and the Colts. The school's colors are scarlet and black. The Cadet Honor Code, which was voted into place by a unanimous vote of the Corps of Cadets in 1921, states "A Cadet Will Not Lie, Cheat, or Steal, Nor Tolerate Those Who Do" and is administered by an Honor Board of Cadets, advised by Cadre and Staff.

History

New Mexico Military Institute was founded by Colonel Robert S. Goss and Captain Joseph C. Lea in 1891, originally as the Goss Military Institute, with an initial enrollment of 38 students. It was recognized by the territorial legislature and renamed NMMI in 1893. While the legislature had recognized the school, it failed to provide funding, and the school was forced to close its doors on "Bad Friday", March 29, 1895. In the winter of 1894-1895 a funding bill was prepared and approved by the legislature. James J. Hagerman donated a 40-acre tract of land which became the current location of the Institute. The school reopened in the fall of 1898.
Hundreds of Institute graduates served in World War I and World War II, including Medal of Honor recipient John C. Morgan and hotelier Conrad Hilton of the Hilton Hotels chain. In 1948, the Institute introduced a four-year liberal arts college program but discontinued it in 1956. The Institute became fully coeducational in 1977, although some females had attended as non-cadet day students from 1891 to 1898. The current superintendent, Major General Jerry W. Grizzle, was appointed in 2010.
In 2013, the Institute broke off relations with the Alumni Association over disagreement about finances. Members of the Alumni Association claimed that this was an effort by the school to gain access and control of the over $5.2 million in assets of the association. On June 10, 2013, the Institute filed a lawsuit in Chaves County, New Mexico, to take control of the assets of the Alumni Association. Editorial response to the Institute's actions has been generally negative, calling it a "hijacking" of the group and its resources. On April 21, 2015, the Fifth Judicial District Court found that the Alumni Association had not breached its agreement with NMMI and that NMMI had "improperly terminated" the agreement. The judge required the Association to turn over the funds.

Campus

The original area of land for the campus was donated to the school by local rancher James J. Hagerman, for whom the main barracks complex is named. The Institute's buildings are made in a uniform Gothic Revival style out of buff brick. Its architecture and organization was inspired by the Virginia Military Institute. The campus is a designated area on the National Register of Historic Places.

Cadet life

Cadets are organized into a Corps of Cadets, following the organization of a cavalry regiment with a Headquarters Troop that comprises the Marching Band. The regiment comprises three squadrons consisting of four to five troops each. Cadets are structured into classes, 6th Class through 1st Class. Cadets are all treated on the basis of earned merit. The military boarding school environment is maintained by the cadet leadership, with all academic classes, meals, and military and physical training occurring "on post" in a controlled environment. Based on the rank structure of the Virginia Military Institute, cadets start out as New Cadets, also known as RATs. They then advance to become Yearlings, and finally Old Cadets. College and High school RAT for a semester. First the next year they are known as yearlings and after the one year mark they are called old Cadets. Cadets also earn Junior or Senior Army ROTC positions outside of the Corps. These factors determine a cadet's privileges and authority and define social interactions at the Institute.
Rules are enforced using a system of tours and demerits. A tour is simply one full hour of marching in uniform with a rifle. Cadets with excessive demerits may be put on disciplinary probation, in which many of their privileges are taken away. Similarly, cadets who fail to meet standards of academic performance are put on academic probation, in which their privileges are largely revoked. Punishment at the Institute is strict and quickly administered by the cadre and staff of the Institute when regulations are not followed. Leaving post is generally only authorized on weekends, holidays and during family visits.

Athletics

The football team, the Broncos, competes in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference with six Texas schools and one Oklahoma school. Its other sports compete in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference. The high school football team is the Colts.

Notable alumni