Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University of New Mexico to Convert Sorority House to ROTC Center

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/08/21

The University of New Mexico, located in Albuquerque, N.M., has announced plans to renovate a former sorority house into a center for the campus ROTC program. The decision was made not only from a sustainability standpoint, but also to provide the ROTC facilities with a much-needed upgrade. The UNM Board of Regents’ Finance and Facilities committee has approved a $9.5-million budget for the project that still has to be approved by the full board.

“The building isn’t in great shape right now,” said UNM student Kiera Hanley in reference to the peeling paint, broken windows, and crumbling exterior walls of the former Alpha Chi Omega sorority house. “But it will be nice to have use for it. I think it’s really important to try to sustain every building UNM has right now instead of using more resources than necessary. It’s a perfectly good building that needs renovating.”

The ROTC center will provide space for the university’s Air Force, Army, and Navy service units. “The three are currently housed in separate, inadequate, older buildings which do not support 21st-century ROTC training or educational needs—or provide a higher educational environment,” said Lisa Marbury, UNM assistant vice president of Campus Environments & Facilities. The current facilities don’t meet state standards, ADA standards, and sometimes don’t have enough room for female recruits, she said.

Renovation plans for the 18,732-square-foot space also include facilities like classrooms, computer rooms, study areas, team-building training areas, offices, conference rooms, library space, and shared event spaces. Each of the three branches of service will have its own designated space within the building. UNM is partnering with RMKM Architecture, P.C. on the project.

UNM Regents said they hope the new facilities will make the campus ROTC program more attractive and competitive on a national scale. “If you go to Texas or Tulane or any other of these major universities, the facilities they provide for these programs are pretty impressive,” said UNM Regent William Payne. “So when we bring prospective students to UNM, it will be nice to have a state-of-the-art facility to encourage them to come here with.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • University of Oklahoma Announces New Campus Master Plan

    The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., recently announced that it will soon launch a new, comprehensive Campus Master Plan to guide the campus’ physical development during the next decade, according to a news release.

  • Universities Continue to Launch Multimillion-Dollar Campus Transformations

    What makes the current wave of campus development especially noteworthy is its emphasis on multi-use functionality and community integration. Institutions are no longer investing solely in academic or athletic facilities in isolation. Instead, they are creating destinations that blend recreation, health, housing, and event-driven economic activity.

  • A digital silhouette works at a computer, immersed in a glowing, interconnected world

    How Will AI Transform Learning Space Design?

    For years, higher education has designed learning spaces around technology as a tool for display, capture, collaboration, and connectivity. AI changes that equation.

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.