About Us
The New Mexico OER (NMOER) Consortium was formed to address the rising costs of higher education by promoting the use and development of free, openly licensed educational resources.
- Mission & Vision: We aim to connect New Mexico’s educators to reduce textbook costs and make high-quality education more affordable for all students.
- History & Founding Members: Initiated by visionary institutions—University of New Mexico (UNM), Santa Fe Community College (SFCC), and Central New Mexico Community College (CNMCC)—the Consortium was founded to promote collaboration across campuses.
- Governance Structure: We operate with a representative Board of Directors and elected officers, guided by our bylaws to ensure inclusive and transparent decision-making.
- Bylaws: Our governance policies are available for download, with key highlights available directly on the site for easy reference.
Department of Education Grant Awarded to UNM
The University of New Mexico (UNM) has been selected as one of the recipients of the federal Open Textbook Grant for nearly $2.125 million dollars, recognizing its commitment to advancing education through Open Educational Resources (OER). With this grant funding, UNM will create the New Mexico Open Educational Resources (NMOER) Consortium to help faculty across the state to adopt open access materials.
About the grant, New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich, who has helped to secure funding to support this federal program through his role on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said, “I am pleased to now welcome this major investment to help UNM provide more cost-effective course materials to more students.”
The NMOER Consortium will allocate funding and resources to faculty at UNM, CNM, and SFCC. Read more in UNM's Newsroom.
UNM
As the flagship institution and consortium leader, UNM secured a transformative $2.125 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Open Textbooks Pilot Program in 2023, establishing the New Mexico OER (NMOER) Consortium oer.unm.eduUNM UCAM Newsroom. Through UNM’s University Libraries and OER Initiative, faculty receive comprehensive support to adopt, adapt, and create open-access teaching materials that align with academic freedom and instructional excellence oer.unm.eduUNM UCAM Newsroom.
UNM’s Pressbooks-hosted platform showcases a Faculty OER Guide and multiple OER textbooks crafted for courses across disciplines oer.unm.eduNM OER Consortium. By 2024–2025, the consortium’s efforts are projected to save students between $466,000 and $486,000, amplifying educational equity across the state oer.unm.eduUNM UCAM Newsroom.
CNM
As a founding partner, CNM brings its rich community college perspective to the consortium. Alongside UNM and SFCC, CNM plays a key role in developing OER materials and integrating them into its curricula, benefiting from the federal grant and joining in the statewide push for affordable education oer.unm.eduUNM UCAM NewsroomNM OER Consortium.
SFCC
Similarly, SFCC anchors the consortium’s reach into diverse communities, ensuring OER development extends beyond flagship universities to regional learners. SFCC faculty are actively engaged in creating and piloting open resources alongside CNM, with the supportive infrastructure provided through UNM’s grant-funded initiatives oer.unm.eduUNM UCAM NewsroomNM OER Consortium.
NMOER
The NMOER Consortium unites the University of New Mexico, Central New Mexico Community College, and Santa Fe Community College in a bold mission: making higher education more equitable, accessible, and affordable for all New Mexican learners. Backed by a generous $2.125 million federal grant, the consortium empowers faculty to adopt, adapt, and create open educational resources tailored to the needs of our diverse state.
- University of New Mexico leads the charge—sparking innovation through its OER initiative, serving as the consortium’s administrative backbone, and publishing open textbooks and guides via its Pressbooks hub.
- Central New Mexico Community College brings invaluable community-focused insights and drives OER integration across its classrooms.
- Santa Fe Community College extends our mission into regional communities, enriching instruction with culturally responsive, openly licensed materials.
Together, these institutions are projected to save students nearly half a million dollars in textbook costs during the 2024–2025 academic year alone, fostering a learning ecosystem that’s inclusive, sustainable, and learner-centered.
