Information is provided to help coordinate the mission statements of New Mexico's 23 state colleges and universities. After introducing the legal and statutory basis for the mission statements, the official mission statements of the 23 public institutions are presented. The mission statements are compared with state laws and statutes that are relevant to the missions, and the text of relevant statutes is appended. Profiles of the postsecondary institutions and the populations they serve are also presented. The profiles, which combine narrative information and charts, cover the history of each institution, the economic picture of the community in which each school is located, and a budgetary history (revenue sources and expenditures since 1979) of each institution. The profile also describes the student population according to certain characteristics (e.g., age, sex, and ethnic distribution; geographic origin; part-time versus full-time enrollment; headcount and full-time equivalent status). A description of the faculty follows, including such characteristics as headcount, distribution by rank, student-faculty ratios, part-time versus full-time status, and qualifications. Finally, ways that colleges contribute to their communities and to general knowledge are described. (SW)