NMSU Alumni is calling on the more than 142,000 Aggie alumni around the world to get engaged and use their voices and their platforms to promote NMSU.
Aggie Champions is a new initiative for those proud Aggies who want to support their alma mater, but haven’t been able to previously because of time constraints or distance. The Aggie Champions program provides opportunities for Aggies to engage, advocate and promote on behalf of NMSU, both in person and digitally from anywhere in the world.
“Aggie Champions love their alma mater, love the work that NMSU is doing, and want to help amplify the opportunities for support,” said Mayra Marquez, assistant vice president for Alumni Relations and Annual Giving. “They are trusted sources of information for what’s happening on campus and the great things that students, staff, and faculty are doing,” she said.
The concept is simple: Aggie Champions are given the tools to promote campus, the NMSU Foundation, as well as NMSU Alumni activities and initiatives to their own social circles, in person and online. For example, if someone is passionate about NM State Athletics, then the Aggie Champions program will provide them with the in-the-know information they need to amplify Athletics events and campaigns to spread the news and ramp up support. They’ll be provided with an Aggie Champion tool kit and a giving link to encourage donations. NMSU Alumni will track your progress and keep you updated on your impact.
“When you sign up to be an Aggie Champion, you’ll receive information about specific campaigns or projects that fit within your areas of interest. Informally, of course, anyone can be an Aggie supporter. But when you make it formal as an Aggie Champion, you can count on us getting you information and we count on you to get that information out into the world,” Marquez said.
That information might include fundraising campaigns, Alumni Network events, NMSU Alumni mixers, tailgates, webinars, athletics events, or even just sharing good news from NMSU.
One of the first alums to sign up as an Aggie Champion was Susan Plantz ’83, who resides in Brentwood, Tenn. Already a board member with the NMSU Foundation, she wanted to amplify her voice on behalf of NMSU and the Aggie Champions program provided that outlet.
“I absolutely loved my college experience here. NMSU opened up my life and gave me the training I needed to succeed in life. I have a deep desire to give back to the University that gave me my degree. I made lifelong friends here. And I want to see NMSU succeed, grow and prosper,” said Plantz.
“I recommend that if you love NMSU, appreciate the degree(s) you earned here, and want to re-engage with your alma mater, become an Aggie Champion. You’ll make a host of new Aggie Alumni friends who you might not otherwise would ever get to know, you’ll have fun and enjoy re-connection with the University. You can help promote events, help current students and make our University even stronger,” she added.
How to become an Aggie Champion
Anyone interested in signing up as an Aggie Champion can visit alwaysanaggie.org/aggie-champions/.
Marquez said Aggie Champions can tailor their experience to meet their needs, their interests and their availability, making it easy for anyone to participate.
“Your time commitment is up to you, however it fits into your schedule. You can be a Champion for a single crowdfunding campaign, for your particular area of interest, or for all things NMSU! Plus, you can customize your plan to your own personality. If you are all over social media, great! If you prefer to make in-person connections, we love that, too,” she said.
Looking to the future, special events will be organized for Aggie Champions, such as private receptions before events and other unique opportunities to interact with fellow Champions.
Current Aggie Champions are a mix of staff, faculty, alumni, and NMSU Foundation board members. Businesses that provide matching gifts during crowdfunding initiatives receive their own custom Champion tool kits for their team to use, plus recognition on NMSU Alumni social media.
The first Aggie Champions helped with the April 2025 Founders Day |1888 Minutes of Giving crowdfunding campaign by promoting the campaign on their social networks and encouraging fellow alumni, friends and family members to donate. Their efforts contributed to a successful campaign, with more than $385,744 raised for NMSU programs over the course of two days.
“It was so much fun to see the Champions react when they saw the number of clicks and dollars they generated. They had no idea they could make that kind of impact. That quantitative information about how people are reacting to their posts really helped them understand how much their voices matter in encouraging support for NMSU.”
This story first appeared in the Spring 2026 edition of Aggie Up! To view the full issue visit: alwaysanaggie.org/stories/aggieup-spring-2026.