Out of ashes can come something good — a S.F. campus of UNM
Regarding the imminent closure of Santa Fe University of Art and Design — there should be a local push encouraging The University of New Mexico to open a satellite campus on the soon-to-be vacated site.
While Santa Fe boasts several other excellent institutions, they are specialized and favor those seeking a classical education, an art degree or an associate degree. UNM is more wellrounded and, as New Mexico’s flagship university, has a strong reputation, within and outside of academia and within and outside of New Mexico.
Opening a campus in Santa Fe would greatly benefit the local community: by creating jobs (academic, administrative and custodial, among others); by allowing locals to take diverse courses while working toward a bachelor’s degree right here in Santa Fe — anyone who has commuted to Albuquerque to take classes at UNM while living in Santa Fe (myself included) can attest how challenging it is to balance that with a full- or part-time work schedule. It would encourage more young people to stay in town to pursue an education while bringing in students from outside; it would prevent a tax revenue void created by Santa Fe University of Art and Design’s absence; and yet another corporate entity would be kept from buying the campus and attempting to turn a profit by exploiting students and mismanaging departments and curricula.
A local movement to convince UNM to acquire the campus would be a boon to Santa Fe. In addition to providing opportunities for students and community members, it would be a wise long-term investment in educating and strengthening our city from within. I come from a small college town back east, and on a recent visit, my parents were surprised at the lack of higher education available. Talking to a local business owner (who had heard of my hometown), my dad mentioned that Santa Fe is not much bigger, to which the shop owner retorted, “Yeah, but you have that university and we have a prison!”
Santa Feans would be remiss to pass up this opportunity, but by letting UNM’s administration and our local politicians know that this is something we want for our community, we could all reap the benefits for decades to come.
Elliot Jackson is a modern language enthusiast by desire and a local barista by trade, hoping to use his skills to influence positive growth and change in himself and the lives of those around him.