SOCORRO, N.M. July 29, 2009 – The New Mexico Tech Board of Regents met in special session to approve the Fiscal Year 2011 requests for Research and Public Service Project funding.

The Board called the special meeting to meet the state Higher Education Department imposed an August 1 deadline for submitting requests for increased funding.

Tech President Dr. Daniel H. Lopez said the submitted requests are not related to the university’s I&G general fund budget.

“With the current economic climate, we have little chance of getting budget expansions,” he said. “But we have no chance at all if we don’t submit requests.”

The university’s board approved 10 requests for increased funding:

1. Geophysical Research Center $1,085,432

      An increase of $103,932 over Fiscal Year 2010

2. Petroleum Research Recovery Center $2,692,900

      An increase of $392,900 over FY 2010

3. Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center $956,120

      An increase of $108,120 over FY 2010

4. N.M. Bureau of Geology $4,931,308

      An increase of $862,108 over FY 2010

5. Aquifer Mapping project $306,868

      An increase of $47,968 over FY 2010

6. Institute for Complex Additive Systems Analysis $1,103,597

      An increase of $124,797 over FY 2010

7. Magdalena Ridge K-12 Educational Enhancement $250,000

      No request in FY 2010

8. Science Fair and Science Olympiad professional development $478,319

      An increase of $29,719 over FY 2010

9. New Mexico Center for Energy Policy $350,000

      An increase of $162,600 over FY 2010

10. MESA $2,314,700

      An increase of $1,063,800 over FY 2010

The board also approved three special project funding requests that do not represent increases. These Research and Public Service Project requests are at the same funding level as the FY 2010 requests. Although not due until September, the board also approved these recommendations:

1. Intramural Athletics $248,100

2. Cave and Karst Institute $518,800

3. N.M. Bureau of Mine Inspection $302,100

– NMT –

By Thomas Guengerich