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The CIA has taken a special interest in the University of New Mexico, announcing Thursday that the school is its first of five American colleges and universities that will be targeted for student recruitment into the intelligence agency.

CIA Director John Brennan made the announcement in person to about 300 people on campus before fielding questions from Emile Nakhleh, head of the school’s new Global and National Security Policy Institute, and members of the audience.

The other four schools have yet to be announced, making UNM the testing ground for the CIA’s recruiting effort intended to “cultivate an applicant pool” that is as diverse as America is.

“Improving diversity at CIA is not just a moral imperative, but a mission imperative … to collect on a target anywhere around the world.” Brennan told the crowd.

Nakhleh said after the announcement that the school is not paying or providing the CIA with an office or any funds, only working with it to allow the CIA to offer experiences and recruiting information to students to make them more hireable for federal security jobs.

That will probably include the CIA hosting “simulations, discussions, problem solving, exchanges with professions” in the field a student is interested in, he said. A recruiting officer will also likely visit the campus at regular intervals to be available to students – and faculty – from any department on campus.

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Brennan said Thursday that UNM was selected because of the diversity of its programs offered, its relationship and proximity to Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the school’s diverse student population.

The recruiting pitch and effort at UNM has riled some on campus, including faculty and staff at the Latin American and Iberian Institute who sent a memo Thursday expressing concern that the relationship between the school and intelligence agency could “interfere with the ability of students and faculty to safely and effectively conduct research in Latin America.”