Gateway leads to education

The Gateway program helps incoming freshman who don’t quite meet minimum college requirements to prepare for UNM’s classes.

Gateway allows UNM to partner with Central New Mexico Community College, Santa Fe Community College, NM Junior College, San Juan College and all of the UNM branch campuses, where students in the program can take classes. Students who complete 24 hours in the program at any of the available campuses are guaranteed admission to UNM.

Terry Babbitt, vice president for general admission at UNM, said the program is used to encourage students who don’t initially meet admission requirements.

“Instead of rejecting students who apply for admission and don’t meet the requirements, we can accept them into the Gateway program,” he said.

Though they are not officially UNM students, gateway participants have access to UNM’s advisement center, Johnson Center, UNM libraries and can live on campus if dorms are available after UNM students have had the first pick.

CNM President Kathie Winograd said the Gateway program signals a collaboration between New Mexico’s flagship research university and community colleges in the state.

“It’s about students and improving the likelihood of their success by providing better educational opportunities with fewer barriers,” she said.

UNM President David Schmidly agreed.

“Our bottom line is student success,” he said in 2007 after approving the program. “Working with CNM, we can provide for the varied needs of New Mexico students while keeping focused on the ultimate goal of seeing (that) they earn a degree.”

This year the UNM Gateway program has 229 students, up 123 from last year.

According to the UNM-CNM Gateway Program Agreement, students eligible for the program must agree to meet with their advisers at least once per semester, maintain continuous full-time enrollment during fall and spring semesters, maintain at least a 2.0 GPA, complete at least 24 credit hours of specified coursework in a general studies degree program and limit participation in the program to no more than two academic years.

“For the state of New Mexico, this is an important and groundbreaking agreement between a university and a community college,” Winograd said. “This agreement is focused directly on student success, and it will help move higher education in New Mexico in a more progressive and effective direction.”