New Mexico, University of

▪ university, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

      public, coeducational institution of higher learning, situated east of the Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. It offers a comprehensive array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs. The university comprises schools and colleges of arts and sciences, education, engineering, fine arts, architecture and planning, public administration, nursing, pharmacy, management, law, and medicine. It has the only schools of medicine, law, and architecture in the state. Academic specialities include Southwest American and Latin American studies. The university operates branch campuses in Gallup, Los Alamos, and in Valencia county, and graduate centres in Los Alamos and Santa Fe. Tamarind Institute, founded in 1970, has made important contributions to the field of lithography. Other areas of university research include meteorites, optoelectronics, engineering, robotics, nuclear power, and ceramics. Enrollment is approximately 25,000.

      The University of New Mexico was created by an act of the New Mexico Territorial Legislature in 1889. It began instruction in 1892, emphasizing a curriculum of liberal arts, sciences, literature, and teacher training. The law school opened in 1947 and the medical school in 1964. Most of the campus buildings reflect the architectural influence of New Mexico's Pueblo Indian and Hispanic cultures. Notable alumni include the writers Edward Abbey (Abbey, Edward), Leslie Marmon Silko (Silko, Leslie Marmon), and Rudolfo Anaya (Anaya, Rudolfo A.).

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