# New Mexico State University Foundation

New Mexico State University Foundation is an Endowment / Foundation based in Las Cruces, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** Las Cruces, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States
- **Founded:** 1959
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** alwaysanaggie.org
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/nmsufoundation

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The foundation was chartered in 1959 as a private nonprofit corporation separate from the university's balance sheet. Dr. Sylvia Acosta serves as CEO, while Louis A. Vega, President of Dow North America, chairs the board. The entity's sole purpose is to secure, manage, and protect private gifts for New Mexico State University, a land-grant institution in Las Cruces. The investment portfolio is organized around a common endowment pool so holdings can be managed collectively. Asset classes include venture capital, mixed-use real estate concentrated in New Mexico, and tangible assets such as the Zuhl Collection — a museum of petrified wood and fossils housed on campus. Angeles Investors recognized the foundation with a 2025 Higher Education Impact Award, reflecting active engagement with the broader investment community as a means of sourcing opportunities. Three named governance bodies steer operations and allocations. Ross A. McCallister, Jr. chairs the Investment Committee, setting the risk parameters for the pooled portfolio. Former Board Chair Christian Hendrickson, a partner at Sherman & Howard L.L.C. As an endowment tied to a public land-grant university, the foundation operates with a structural commitment to intergenerational stewardship. It must balance the university's immediate programmatic needs against the perpetual obligation to preserve real-purchasing-power. That tension — between a regional land-grant mission and the foundation's private governance — defines its capital-allocation decisions more than any single manager or vintage.

## Sectors

- Venture Capital (General)

## People

- Dr. Sylvia Acosta — CEO
- Louis A. Vega — Board Chair
- Ross A. McCallister, Jr. — Investment Committee Chair

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at the New Mexico State University Foundation?

Ross A. McCallister, Jr. chairs the Investment Committee, which determines asset allocation and manager selection for the common endowment pool. CEO Dr. Sylvia Acosta leads the foundation's overall operations, while the Board of Directors, chaired by Louis A. Vega, has ultimate fiduciary oversight.

### Is the NMSU Foundation part of New Mexico State University?

Legally, no. It is a privately governed 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1959 to accept, manage, and steward private gifts for NMSU. This separation insulates donated assets from state budget cycles while ensuring all funds are deployed exclusively to advance the university's land-grant mission.

### What types of assets does the foundation hold?

The portfolio is held in a common endowment pool that includes venture capital investments, mixed-use real estate in New Mexico, and the Zuhl Collection — a museum-grade assembly of petrified wood and fossils displayed on the NMSU campus. The foundation also carries affiliations with organizations like the Association of Governing Boards and Angeles Investors.

### How does the foundation's land-grant status influence its investment posture?

As a supporting organization for a land-grant university, the foundation's mandate extends beyond pure financial return. The common endowment pool must fund scholarships, research, and extension programs across rural New Mexico, which can influence liquidity preferences and favor allocations that align with the university's long-term educational and community-outreach objectives.

## Related profiles

- [New Mexico Small Business Investment Corporation](https://altss.com/profile/new-mexico-small-business-investment-corporation)
- [New Orleans Employers International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL-CIO Pension Fund](https://altss.com/profile/new-orleans-employers-international-longshoremen-s-association-afl-cio-pension-fund)

---

Last updated: 2026-08-11T02:43:31.692Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/new-mexico-state-university-foundation

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology