New Mexico State University (NMSU) is a land-grant
university that has its main campus in Las Cruces
in southern New Mexico, United States. The school was founded in 1888 as a agricultural college
and preparatory school. As of 2004, enrollment counts nearly 24,000. NMSU offers a wide range of programs and awards bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.In sports, the NMSU's teams are called the Aggies, a nickname derived from the
school's agricultural beginnings. They compete in the Sun Belt
Conference (NCAA Division I-A), but will join the Western Athletic Conference in 2005. Their mascot is Pistol Pete and colors crimson and white.NMSU has major rivalries with the University of New
Mexico (the NMSU-New Mexico football game is called "The Battle of I-25"), and the University of Texas at El Paso (called "The Battle of I-10", with the winner of the NMSU-UTEP football game getting the Silver Spade).