Page 2 - Enews September 2020

We understand there is some fear and confusion regarding the current status of operations at NMMI. Here is the response NMMI provided
to the New Mexico Higher Education NMHED) yesterday afternoon. To be clear, there is absolutely no expectation that NMMI will be
shutdown. NMHED and NMMI are currently in discussions to amicably resolve some of the issues noted by HED’s letter of September 3,
2020. We are very confident that these issues will be resolved by agreement soon and that we can all get back to focusing on the Ca-
dets. In the meantime, it is very important that you continue to support NMMI. The best way to do that now is to wear your mask and
maintain social distancing guidelines. These are challenging times but we know that the NMMI
family will rise to the occasion.
Thank you for your continued support.
MG Grizzle

September 10, 2020

Mr. Ricky Serna and Ms. Stephanie Rodriquez
Interim Agency Authority
New Mexico Higher Education Department
2044 Galisteo Street, Suite 4
Santa Fe, NM 87505-2100

Dear Ms. Rodriguez and Mr. Serna:

Since news of the novel coronavirus hit New Mexico in March of this year, NMMI's Board of Regents and staff have worked tirelessly to
develop a plan for reopening to ensure that we were able to provide a safe educational and instructional environment for the NMMI Corps
of Cadets in accordance with our Constitutional mandate. NMMI is not a "public school" but rather a state educational institution as
enumerated by Article 12, Section 11of the New Mexico Constitution. NMMI is also unique because it houses 100% of the student body.
As a result, the policies and protocols we implemented reflect the unique nature of the NMMI experience.

On March 14, 2020, the New Mexico Department of Higher Education ("HED") provided the following guidance, "the Board of Regents
and Governing Boards of New Mexico's higher education institutions have the authority to make decisions for their respective institutions"
and "encouraged" adherence to "public health and safety guidelines." That guidance has been NMMI's directive towards developing our
plan to reopen.

On May 4, 2020, HED released its proposal for opening campuses. That proposal noted:

 Colleges and universities throughout New Mexico have different missions and serve different students,
 Higher education institutions have unique governance structures.
 Each college and university will design plans with protocols, guidelines and schedules that address the diverse safety needs and issues
for their students, faculty, staff and community members; and,
 There is not one plan for higher education.

On June 2, 2020, NMMI issued a press release announcing its intent to resume classes on August 17, 2020,but that it would forgo any
holiday breaks and end the Fall term on November 25, 2020. A copy was provided via email to both then-HED Director, Kathie Winograd
and Ms. Rodriguez. On June 15, 2020, NMMI informed then-Director Winograd and Ms. Rodriguez that cadets would be returning to
campus within the next five weeks. No objections were made. An initial copy of NMMI's reopening plan was provided on July 2, 2020.
On July 14, 2020, NMMI submitted a revised return to school plan as well as all subsequent revisions to HED. The latest revised plan is
being provided herewith ("Fall 2020 Return to Campus Plan and Protocols"). Pursuant to its July 14, 2020 plan, NMMI began
matriculating cadets for the 2020-21 year as early as July 19, 2020 when United States Army Cadet Command Early Commissioning
Cadets arrived on campus. NMMI's Fall cadre arrived on July 23, 2020. NMMI was clear in our plan that it intended to provide "in room"
learning for both secondary and post-secondary cadets. No executive nor public health order expressly prohibits "in room" instruction for
NMMI's 2020-21 academic school year.

The NMMI Board of Regents reviewed and duly considered whether secondary and post-secondary instruction could be separated prior to
the start of the academic year and determined that separation would be detrimental to NMMI's core educational mission. NMMI is the only
state-supported, nationally accredited co-educational military boarding school in the United States that offers an integrated four-year
college preparatory high school and university transferable junior college. As a totally integrated high school and college learning
environment in which a single, consolidated faculty and staff support a six-year seamless high school and junior college experience, this
structure of NMMI’s academic curriculum and campus does not readily allow one to be separated from the other. Indeed, seven cadets are
currently on track to be dual degree graduates this spring. On August 4, 2020, NMMI participated in an online video conference briefing
with HED and again outlined NMMI's plan to fully reopen on August 6, 2020. No objections were raised regarding NMMI's plan. Instead,
it was discussed that NMMI's unique military style boarding educational environment likely rendered "normal" guidelines inapplicable.

Furthermore, since April 28, 2020, the New Mexico Independent Community College organization began holding weekly updates via
online video conference that addressed, in part, school campus reopenings. To our knowledge, HED representatives were present during
most, if not all, of those online meetings. Over the following weeks and months that NMMI participated in those meetings, each college
president, including myself, briefed the group on their return to school plans. Members of the Legislative Finance Committee ("LFC"),
Department of Finance and Administration ("DFA"), and HED had numerous opportunities to express concerns about NMMI's proposed
plan. None were ever communicated nor received. As result, NMMI proceeded with the back to school plan that was provided to HED in
July.

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