Texas Book Company Opens New Bookstore
at New Mexico Tech

GREENVILLE, TX., Sept. 11, 2006 – Years in the planning, and months in the making, the three-story Joseph A. Fidel Student Services Center opened its doors, with an official dedication coinciding with commencement services on May 13. The official grand opening of the Bookstore and the Fidel Student Services Center was celebrated August 21 – September 1.

In addition to the new Bookstore, the 92,000-square-foot complex houses all university functions that relate to student needs, such as Admission, Registrar, Financial Aid, Auxiliary Services, Residential Life, Food Services, Campus Post Office, Career Services, International and Exchange Programs, the Student Health Center, Counseling and Disability Services, Advising Resource Center, Advancement, student financial accounts, and cashier. A spacious, glass-lined atrium rises to a height of 57 feet, offering beautiful views of the campus, and a first-floor lined with windows replaces the university’s aging dining room.

Just down the hall from the Bookstore, the coffee shop serves Starbucks coffee and assorted baked goods. Other building amenities include a computer pod, a small student lounge/television room, scattered seating areas throughout the hallways, a large game room, and outside patios.

"I am very excited to have a new building where our students can make one stop and take care of almost all of their student needs," said Dr. Ricardo Maestas, Vice President for Student and University Relations. "The new Fidel Student Center is the crown jewel of the campus," said Maestas. Total cost of the new center exceeds $18 million, including four years of legislative funding and institutional reserves, according to Lonnie Marquez, Senior Associate Vice President for Administration and Finance.

The Bookstore’s grand opening was part of a huge grand opening celebration, including games, prizes and discounted specials to coincide with the beginning of the Fall semester. Winners of the kayak and beautiful amethyst geode are pictured. "Texas Book Company is proud to be a part of this monumental project at New Mexico Tech," said Brent Dyer, President. "The new Bookstore and the Fidel Center offer Tech students services and high tech conveniences fitting for a world leader in education and research," said Dyer.

New Mexico Tech, in Socorro, New Mexico, is an undergraduate and graduate university specializing in science and engineering education and world-class research programs. New Mexico Tech is ranked as one of the nation’s best institutions for an undergraduate education, according to the recently published 2007 edition of The Princeton Review Guide to the Best 361 Colleges. New Mexico Tech has again been listed among the nation’s top 100 best values in public colleges and universities, according to rankings published in the current issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. New Mexico Tech is a world leader in many areas of research, including hydrology, astrophysics, atmospheric physics, geophysics, homeland security, information technology, geosciences, energetic materials engineering, and petroleum recovery.