Kimberly Sanchez Rael, Chair of the Board of Regents at the University of New Mexico | The University of New Mexico
The College of Education and Human Sciences (COEHS) at the University of New Mexico is welcoming 19 new faculty members this fall, marking the largest 'freshman class of faculty' in recent years.
“To have an incoming class of this size is atypical and a real opportunity," said Rebecca Sánchez, associate dean for Equity, Inclusion, and Faculty Affairs within COEHS. "In my recollection, we haven’t had a class this big in many years, if ever, and it’s significant. I think it shows a real commitment by the university and state of New Mexico to address education and human science fields.”
The new professionals bring a broad range of expertise to the college. Sánchez noted that all five departments within the school welcomed new faculty this semester.
"Anything from bilingual education to teacher preparation, we have special educators coming in who serve in distinct ways within that field. Exercise science and counselor education has grown," Sánchez said. “We had seen different types of attrition due to retirement or for several years New Mexico had a budget crunch, so because we had shrunk a bit, every department that got new faculty really had genuine needs.”
Sánchez emphasized that the addition of these new faculty members means COEHS now has greater expertise and talent to address pressing issues associated with education and human science disciplines.
“Our programming in this college is very much oriented to directly trying to improve society in different ways, so I feel like having this new group of faculty helps us be better prepared to meet some of the challenges of the demands and needs society is facing," she said.
Dean Kris Goodrich expressed excitement about the new faculty members. “The College and I couldn’t be more excited to welcome our incoming faculty class of 19. Our new faculty brings diverse skills and research interests that complement the experience and expertise of our continuing faculty," Goodrich said. "The State and University’s investment in the COEHS positions the College on a trajectory of growth that will dramatically increase our capacity to support New Mexico, especially in light of the Yazzie-Martinez case.”
With these additions, COEHS now has 98 permanent faculty members along with several visiting staff members either hired or in the process of being hired. The new professionals make up nearly 20% of the total faculty in the college.
