ENMU receives $2 million donation

Eastern New Mexico University has received a $2 million donation from the Allsup Family Charitable Foundation, according to a university news release.

Officials said the donation is the largest single donation ever made to the ENMU Foundation.

Approximately $418,200 of the funds will be dedicated to early childhood initiatives, including the “We Believe in You” scholarship, a Child Development Center internship program and a farm-to-table initiative. The remaining $1.5 million will be used to benefit education, health care, agriculture and business programs at the university, the release stated.

“On behalf of ENMU, I express our deepest appreciation to the Allsup Family Charitable Foundation. Gifts such as this are truly transformational,” said ENMU Chancellor James Johnston in the release. “As a regional comprehensive university, these funds will change the lives of the students we serve as well as the region in which we live and work.”

According to the release, the “We Believe in You” scholarship will make it easier for students to transfer into ENMU’s teaching programs. The Child Development Center internship program will establish a new pre-residency program that embeds education students into early childhood education classes.

In a partnership between ENMU’s Agriculture, Culinary Arts department and the Child Development Center, the farm-to-table initiative will provide hands-on activities, nutritional education, and life-long learning about food sustainability for pre-Kindergarten and ENMU students.

Applications for funding, intended for innovative proposals with a lasting impact on ENMU students and the state of New Mexico, will be accepted by the vice president for academic affairs from departmental deans, with awards slated to commence in the fall of 2027.

“One of the biggest challenges our state faces is a shortage of highly qualified teachers; the Allsup Family Foundation’s philanthropic foresight enables us to ‘grow our own’ educators and enhance New Mexico’s skilled workforce,” said Jamie Laurenz, vice president of academic affairs. “In addition to the College of Education and Technology, this substantial gift will help advance our academic strengths in business, agriculture, and health care.”