ON THE BORDER

The College of Education is located in the middle of the border region. I see the border region as the space that TX, NM, AZ and CA shares with Mexico. We are in a prime location geographically for our faculty to represent the best of the best in bi-national affairs and teaching. My vision for the NMSU COE is to be the trend setting institution in the areas of leadership, setting standards and helping others achieve those standards. We have high visibility and added responsibility. These are positive in our quest to prepare teachers and administrators.

PROJECTS

One of our greatest accomplishments has been preparing our teachers and administrators to not only become leaders, but be able to do this in a fashion that challenges mainstream ideas. In our border setting and while considering the make-up of our community, one that is multicultural, it is important to realize what "mainstream" is and identify the needs of our area. We must prepare individuals to serve the needs of children on the border especially those of English Language Learners. We have three active grants that are accomplishing this. Supporting Innovative Leaders in Today's Schools (SILTS) involves exemplary bilingual teachers and is helping prepare them to become district leaders. Leadership in Border Rural Areas (LIBRA) and Preparing Leaders Together (PLT) are preparing teachers in all specializations to become leaders in border schools who understand the unique needs of English Language Learners and the community.

FUTURE

We must be the fore-runner in creating the first bi-national center for education. Our location and expertise will allow us to do this. However, we must all work together to do it right! We need to provide more accessibility to education in the border region, create pilot and lab schools where teachers and administrators from both sides of the border work together, and create partnerships between children, parents, communities, teachers and administrators. Collaboration between departments in the COE and other universities to reach this goal is just around the corner.