The University of New Mexico School of Engineering, originally known as the College of Engineering, opened in 1906 with a faculty of two and a single classroom. With time, advances in technology, social change, and the dedication and foresight of many talented people, the School has become a leader in education and research in engineering as well as computer science.
Education at the UNM School of Engineering has gone from slide rules to super computers and from lectures to sophisticated learning technologies. Highly interdisciplinary research is integrated with the classroom. Collaborations within UNM and with other universities, the national laboratories, and industry hold promise for innovative solutions to critical societal challenges.
Technology and social forces have shaped the School of Engineering, causing enrollment fluctuations and spurring the development of new programs. In recent decades, an emphasis on diversity and improving access to higher education for underrepresented groups has transformed a largely male Caucasian enrollment into a very diverse student body. More and more services are offered to help students succeed.
The following is a timeline of significant events in the history of the UNM School of Engineering. To read articles about the history of the School of Engineering, see the Spring 2007 issue of UNM Engineering. In both, we pay tribute to key individuals in our history, reflect on the important developments and events that shaped the School, and look to a future of discovery and innovation.
| 1889 - 1919 | 1920 - 1939 | 1940 - 1959 |
| 1960 - 1969 | 1970 - 1989 | 1990 - present |
1889 The Territorial Legislative Assembly of New Mexico establishes UNM.
1904 The College of Letters and Science offers electrical engineering classes.
1906 The College of Engineering opens with two faculty, nine students and courses
leading to four-year degrees in civil, electrical, mechanical, and mining engineering.
1909 Edmund Ross obtains the first engineering degree from UNM, a BA in Civil Engineering.
1910 The engineering building, known as Hadley Hall, is completely destroyed by fire.
1911 A four-year program in chemical engineering is offered.
1912 Charles R. Lembke receives the School of Engineering’s first BS degree.
1920 New Hadley Hall for Engineering (Hadley Hall II) is completed.
1930 Enrollment grows to 160 students; there are six faculty.
1938 The SOE is elected an institutional member of the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education (now ASEE).
1941 Engineering courses become part of the War Training Program.
1942 1192 students are enrolled in War Training Courses in addition to engineering students.
1943 The Navy College Program is established.
1947 Influx of WWII veterans, attending college under the GI Bill of Rights.
1951 The onset of the Korean War depletes student ranks; enrollment dips to 715 students.
1953 Civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering departments develop graduate programs.
1958 347 students are enrolled in graduate programs; funded research climbs to $300,000.
1960 The nuclear engineering program begins.
1965 Undergraduate enrollment rises to 1049; graduate enrollment to 348; 228 degrees awarded.
1968 Farris Engineering Center is completed.
1970 Three university buildings are named in honor of emeritus engineering faculty: Ford Utility Center, Wagner Hall and Farris Engineering Center.
1975 The Native American Program, School of Engineering (NAPCOE) is established.
1975 Research contract spending is $826,000, compared to $407,000 a year earlier.
1976 Computer science becomes a department in the School of Engineering.
1979 State legislature provides $2,000,000 for UNM engineering and science equipment.
1980 The ME Department moves into a new five million dollar building.
1983 The State of New Mexico creates the Center for High Technology Materials (CHTM) as a Center for Technical Excellence.
1984 With new lab equipment funded by 1979 legislation, the SOE is one of the best-equipped engineering colleges in the nation.
1984 The Institute for Space and Nuclear Power Studies (ISNPS) is founded.
1985 Degree programs in construction engineering and in construction management are initiated.
1986 Construction is completed on the new ECE building.
1989 The Minority Engineering Program is organized.
1993 Undergraduate enrollment is 1318; graduate enrollment is 614 and there are now 105 faculty; 330 degrees are granted; over $34 million in funded research.
1993 The Alliance for Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) is founded.
1993 Phillips Laboratory awards UNM $32.5 M to run the supercomputer center that will put UNM in league with the largest computer centers in the nation.
1993 UNM is named a minority-serving institution.
1994 UNM Center for High Performance Computing (HPC@UNM) is founded.
1995 The College of Engineering becomes the School of Engineering.
1995 The UNM Center for Micro-Engineered Materials (CMEM) is founded.
1996 New Mexico Lottery Scholarship begins; the SOE pre-major program increases enrollment.
1997 Partnerships are begun or expanded with Intel, Lockheed Martin, HP, Anderson Consulting, Ford, GM and the federal labs.
1998 The NASA PURSUE project begins its five-year, $2.5 million initiative to encourage undergraduate student research.
1998 The UNM Manufacturing Training and Technology Center is founded.
2000 1518 undergraduate students, 519 graduate students, 291 degrees granted, $41 million in funded research.
2006 The Center for Biomedical Engineering (CBME) is founded.
2007 SOE innovation has led to 148 patents and 13 start-up companies.
2009 Construction complete on the $42 million Centennial Engineering Center.
| 1910 - 1913 | Martin F. Angell |
| 1914 - 1919 | Charles E. Hodgin |
| 1920 - 1921 | J.M. Cochran |
| 1921 - 1925 | Thomas Taylor Eyre |
| 1926 - 1929 | Philip S. Donnell |
| 1930 - 1931 | R.S. Rockwood |
| 1931 - 1960 | Marshall E. Farris |
| 1960 - 1968 | Richard H. Clough |
| 1969 - 1974 | Richard C. Dove |
| 1974 - 1980 | William A. Gross |
| 1980 - 1986 | Gerald W. May |
| 1986 - 1987 | Richard H. Williams |
| 1987 - 1994 | James E. Thompson |
| 1994 - 1995 | Nasir Ahmed |
| 1995 - 2000 | Paul A. Fleury |
| 2000 - 2009 | Joseph L. Cecchi |
| 2009 -2011 | Arup Maji |
| 2011 - | Catalin Roman |