Campuses & Facilities

Main DACC Campus

3400 S. Espina St, Las Cruces, NM 88003 - Telephone 505-527-7500 - Google Map

The central campus of Doña Ana Community College is located on 15 acres adjacent to the main campus of NMSU in Las Cruces, New Mexico. DACC also operates a campus on the East Mesa of Las Cruces, as well as centers in Anthony, Sunland Park and White Sands Missile Range. To make a community college education even more accessible, classes are also offered at some of the local high schools.

East Mesa Campus

2800 N. Sonoma Ranch Blvd, Las Cruces, NM 88011 - Telephone 505-528-7250 - Google Map

Opening in August 2003, the East Mesa Campus served more than nine 900 students its first semester and more than 1,200 the second semester. The campus houses a library, a computer lab, and the administrative and faculty offices of the Business and Information Systems Division.

South County Centers

Gadsden Center - 1700 E. O'Hara Road, Anthony, NM 88201 - Telephone 505-882-3939 - Google Map

Sunland Park Center - 3365 McNutt Road, Sunland Park, NM 88063 - Telephone 505-874-7780 - Google Map

DACC operates two centers in the southern portion of Doña Ana County. The Gadsden Center is located immediately to the east of O'Hara Road overpass at Interstate 10 in Anthony. The Sunland Park Center is located on McNutt Road, approximately three and a half miles south of Country Club Road.

Both centers offer freshman and sophomore-level coursework in vocational, technical, developmental, and general education, as well as the Associate of Arts, Associate of Criminal Justice, and Associate of Pre-Business degrees. The centers also provide concurrent enrollment programming for the Gadsden School District and Customized Training and Community Education courses. ESL, GED, and citizenship classes for the border area are available through the ABE program, also housed at the centers. Refer to the section titled, “Adult Basic Education,” in this catalog for a full listing of services.

Attending Gadsden Center or Sunland Park Center is similar to attending the Las Cruces campus of DACC. Tuition is the same, applications are accepted throughout the year, and the COMPASS assessment (for placement in classes) is offered on-site virtually every weekday. While these centers follow the same policies, procedures, and academic calendar as the central campus, class scheduling differs. Classes are offered in the afternoon and the evening to meet the needs of the local community.

Courses

The Gadsden and Sunland Park centers offer a variety of general education courses that meet departmental and college requirements in liberal arts and business. Typical general education subjects are communications, economics, English composition, math, psychology, and sociology. All general education courses offered through the south county centers are consistent with Veterans Administration and Social Security Administration regulations.

Academic Calendar

The south county centers follow the same academic calendar as the DACC central campus. Classes offered at these sites can be found in the DACC class schedule.
Most academic services for students enrolling in classes at the centers are available on site. These services include admissions, registration, advising, tuition payment, schedule changes, withdrawals, and purchase of textbooks.

Admissions

Degree and non-degree applicants seeking admission may apply at either center, at DACC’s Central Campus, or at the new East Mesa Campus in Las Cruces. Students attending a satellite center may attend classes at either of the Las Cruces campuses of Doña Ana Community College, NMSU’s main campus, or other NMSU branches, without completing additional admissions procedures. Students may attend one or more campuses simultaneously; however, the total credit-hour load may not exceed that stipulated by the normal class-load policy. A one­time application fee of $15 is charged for students who have never before applied to NMSU or one of its branches.

Student Services

All students currently attending, or planning to at­tend, one of the south county centers also may use the student services available at either of the Doña Ana Community College campuses in Las Cruces. An adviser is available at the south county centers to advise students as they make career, program, and scheduling choices. DACC students may also take advantage of tutoring services at either or both locations.

White Sands Center

Building 465 - White Sands Missile Range, NM - 505-678-6198 - (Google Map)

The center offers freshman and sophomore-level coursework in general education, technical and developmental studies, and several associate degree programs. DACC programs are open to service members, civilians, and those living in surrounding communities. Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents aliens possessing a bona fide Emigrant Alien Card allowing permanent residency in the United Sates can attend the White Sands Center. Students attending classes must obtain a post pass and vehicle pass. Call WSC staff for current procedures.

Academic services for students enrolling in classes are admissions, registration, advising, tuition payment, schedule changes, withdrawals, and purchase of textbooks.

Students attending the White Sands Center may pursue the following associate degrees:

• Associate of Arts
• Associate in Pre-Business
• Associate in Criminal Justice
• Associate of Applied Science
  Option: Computer Technology
• Associate General Studies
  

The associate degree programs in liberal arts, pre-business, and criminal justice articulate to NMSU and other colleges for students desiring to pursue baccalaureate degrees. These programs include the lower-division general education courses typically found in four-year college degree programs. Students planning to transfer to upper-division programs at NMSU or other universities are advised to consult the catalogs and appropriate representatives of those institutions. Schedules and degree plans for the above programs are available at the White Sands Center and the DACC administrative offices in Las Cruces.

The White Sands Center offers a variety of general education courses in the social sciences, liberal studies, sciences, and general studies.

All courses offered through the center are consistent with Veterans Administration and Social Security Administration regulations.

Academic Schedule

The White Sands Center has four eight-week academic mini-sessions and one five-week summer session. Occasionally, the center will offer courses in a 16-week format. A schedule of classes for each semester is published in advance of registration for the term. White Sands Center classes are included in the DACC Schedule of Classes.

Admissions

Degree and non-degree applicants seeking admission may apply at the White Sands Center. Students attending the center may also attend classes at any other DACC location, NMSU’s main campus, or other NMSU branches without completing additional admissions procedures. While students may attend one or more campuses simultaneously, the total credit-hour load may not exceed that stipulated by the normal class-load policy. A one-time application fee of $15 is charged for students who have never before applied to NMSU or one of its branches.

Tuition

El Paso residents and other out-of-state residents may attend WSC and pay out-of-district rates. During each regular semester, in-state, out-of-district tuition will be charged for the first six credits. Out­of-state tuition will be retroactively charged when the total credits for both mini sessions combined exceeds six credits.

Financial Aid

Grants, loans, and some scholarships are available. Please refer to the financial aid section in the front of this catalog, or consult the main campus Financial Aid Office. Students may combine credit hours from multiple campuses for full-time load assessment for financial aid purposes. Federal aid application forms are available at the White Sands Center administrative office.

Student Services

White Sands Center students and prospective students may use the student services available at the DACC central campus in Las Cruces. Counseling and testing are offered at specified times at the White Sands Center. An adviser is available at the center to advise students as they make program and scheduling choices.

Service members Opportunity Colleges Associate Degree (SOCAD)

The SOCAD program is for military service personnel, and is offered through a network of cooperating colleges and universities. The SOCAD program offers military personnel opportunities to earn college credit for skills and knowledge acquired while in the military service and obtain an associate degree in three areas. Military family members are also eligible for the SOCAD program. See the DACC/White Sands Center administrative office for further details.

Mesquite Neighborhood Learning Center

890 N. Tornillo St., Las Cruces, NM. - 505-528-4050 - Google Map

Initially funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2000, and now funded through a second HUD Hispanic Serving Institutions—Assisting Communities grant, the Mesquite Neighborhood Learning Center brings education to those who otherwise might not have access to it.

The center's focus is on providing low-income students with the knowledge necessary to obtain a higher education, while developing work-related skills. Transitional classes and workshops involving work-readiness skills allow students to eventually move on to college and careers. GED and ESL classes are offered on site through DACC's Adult Basic Education Division.

Another goal is to establish relationships between students and the center's partners throughout the community. Numerous community agencies and businesses have partnered with Mesquite Neighborhood Learning Center and the City of Las Cruces to provide health care, legal assistance, computer literacy, child care, and many other services.

Recent developments under the grant include three components:

• Micro-enterprise classes offered by the Small Business Development Center, through which MNLC student learn the many facets of opening their own business
• Work readiness
• Service Learning
• Landscaping classes and classes leading to custodial certification also are offered