The Alumni Garden honors and memorializes individuals who have attended the Normal School of the Territory of New Mexico, New Mexico State Normal School, New Mexico State Teacher’s College, New Mexico Western College and Western New Mexico University (WNMU). It serves as a location for groups and organizations, both on campus and from the community, to gather and hold functions or celebrations.

On the lawn northeast of Western New Mexico University’s historic Hunter Hall is our Alumni Garden, which serves as a point of identification for persons whose lives have been significantly influenced by WNMU.

Designs were approved for the Alumni Gardens in 2002. The idea was to honor all those who have stepped on campus since the University opened its doors in 1893.

Once known as the Normal School of the Territory of New Mexico, New Mexico State Normal School, New Mexico State Teachers College and New Mexico Western College, Western New Mexico University is what it is today because of its alumni.

On Oct. 27, 2006, the WNMU Alumni Garden Committee proudly unveiled the brand new Garden to the community. The committee consisted of Eugene Gomez, Jimmy Jones, Patsy Madrid, Christy Miller, Ken Puleston, Jan Sherman and Betty St. John. Without the help from Court Hall, First New Mexico Bank, Mike Martinez, Henry Sanchez, Silver Heights Nursery, the WNMU Maintenance Department, of course all of the WNMU Alumni Garden Donors, the Alumni Garden would not exist today.

Today the garden is enjoyed by neighborhood children playing, students taking selfies on the bridge, faculty students and staff sitting under the gazebo. You’ll often find people enjoying lunch out on a bench, students studying, and dogs and their owners taking in the sun, as well as the smells and sounds of the garden. It is a place not only to honor those who went to school here but a place to enjoy and create memories in while attending WNMU or living in the University Community.

• To provide a legacy of history for future generations of WNMU students and faculty
• To provide ongoing funding for the mission of Western New Mexico University
• To serve as a setting for various activities for the university and community
• To provide a setting for permanent memorial plaques, names etched in stone, and trees named in honor of those special to WNMU

If you would like to utilize the Alumni Garden for an activity or event, call the Alumni Affairs office at 575-538-6675 or email  alumni@wnmu.edu