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New Mexico State University

SPED Graduate Program Goals and Objectives

(Based on the NMSU Living the Vision Document and on the SPED/CD Department Five-Year Goals and Objectives)

  1. Goal: The SPED program will be nationally recognized for its academic programs at undergraduate and graduate levels
    Objectives:
    • Attract increasing numbers of well-qualified students into the undergraduate, masters, Ed.S. and doctoral programs
    • Increase access to academic degree and licensure programs through distance education graduate online coursework
    • Retain a competitive percentage of students to degree completion and licensure at the undergraduate and graduate levels
    • Develop doctoral level leadership in special education and graduate qualified doctoral candidates
  2. Goal: To have a high quality, diverse faculty, staff and student body in SPED programs
    Objectives:
    • Achieve diversity among students, staff, and faculty in special education programs similar to New
    • Achieve diversity among SPED faculty similar to peer institutions
    • Provide faculty in adequate numbers to assure quality teaching and academic support for students at undergraduate and graduate levels
    • Increase external funding for the purpose of supporting ethnically diverse students in the completion of licensure or degrees in special education
    • Attract, hire and retain a Native American faculty member in the Department
  3. Goal: To serve as an engine for economic, social, educational and community development in New Mexico.
    Objectives:
    • Address critical shortages of certified special education personnel in schools in New Mexico
    • Increase the numbers of special educators who can assist populations that are culturally and linguistically diverse and disabled in the State
    • Provide training and employment opportunities for prospective special education teachers in rural areas in the State
    • Provide professional development opportunities to Hispanic and Native American persons interested in becoming special educators in New Mexico
    • Provide direct services to children, youth and families with disabilities in New Mexico

SPED Program Outcomes

  1. The Special Education Program continues to be the leader in special education personnel preparation within New Mexico. The department has the highest enrollment of special education majors of any program in the state, houses one of two educational diagnostician training programs in the state, and offers the only nationally accredited programs in teaching the visually impaired and orientation and mobility specialists. National and state student recruitment efforts have created increased program visibility. During the past five years, the graduate program in special education has experienced tremendous growth. For example, the special education master's program has grown from 212 students in 2003 to 353 students currently. This growth was largely fueled by interest in the alternative licensure program in special education and by individuals returning to pursue a "traditional" master's degree program in special education in response to the state's new three-tier licensure system. The alternative licensure program is now completely available on-line and has enrolled students from each county in the state. The doctoral emphasis in Bilingual Special Education continues to be in the national spotlight - with more students graduating from NMSU with this emphasis than any other program in the nation.
  2. The faculty and student body are diverse and representative of the campus and New Mexico and exceed the diversity found in similar departments in peer institutions. Federal funding in the area of bilingual special education has assisted in expanding the diversity of doctoral students within the department. During the past five years, program faculty members were awarded the Donald C. Roush Award for Teaching Excellence, the Patricia Christmore Award for Teaching Excellence, the Dean's Excellence in Teaching, Research, and Service Awards, the Fulton Chair, and a Regent's Professorship. Efforts to attract and hire a faculty member who is Native American have not been successful.
  3. As indicated by this record growth and tremendous student interest, the provision of excellent instruction and programmatic options continues to be a primary focus of the special education program. Faculty members are continually looking for innovative ways to meet state, regional, and national training needs. The importance of this focus is underscored by the tremendous shortages across the field of special education. The expansion of the alternative licensure program in special education, the addition of more than 140 new graduate students, and development of distance education opportunities for students seeking advancement in the state's new three-tier licensure system are the result of these innovative approaches. These efforts are in addition to ongoing program, departmental, and college demands and are a testimony to the sincere commitment of departmental faculty to bettering the lives of children in New Mexico. Additional professional development opportunities for Hispanic and Native American students and professionals included the annual Border Walking Conference and academic sponsorship of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Office of Indian Education Programs' National Special Education Conference and four subsequent nation-wide trainings for Native American educators and parents regarding special education needs.