Dear colleagues,
Thank you for reading these messages and providing feedback on the content. Given that summer is approaching, I have decided to postpone staff searches in the Provost Office until August, when the Fall semester begins. This will allow for broader participation and engagement from the faculty community.
During my recent travels to Santa Fe, and Hyderabad (India), I witnessed NMSU Global being acknowledged as frontrunner in higher education. At the Legislative Finance Committee meeting in Santa Fe, it became evident that the State of New Mexico is looking to NMSU to provide leadership in online education for institutions across the state. About 11,500 NM students are currently spending their money on online programs at schools outside New Mexico!
In the STEM-rich region of South India, NMSU Global is now well known, and about 125 students expressed interest in two-day spot admissions Our leadership team is embarking on a trip to Chihuahua, Mexico, to expand collaboration opportunities with the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua. We aim to extend our existing partnerships in agriculture and engineering to other disciplines.
As I engage with our academic units, I'm discovering exciting new opportunities to synergize our on-campus academic offerings with NMSU Global. These opportunities involve streamlining international student services to eliminate duplication and overlap while introducing fresh initiatives in their stead. Additionally, we aim to optimize resources and increase faculty positions in disciplines actively engaged in online education.
I am thrilled to highlight recent news on the exceptional achievements of three outstanding students embarking on exciting international activities.
Nicole Johnson has been selected as the first-ever recipient from NMSU for the Rangel Graduate Fellowship Program. Ms. Johnson will graduate with a degree in Social Work this May. As a recipient of this competitive award, Ms. Johnson will receive funding for a two-year Master's program in international affairs, two paid internships with the U.S. State Department, and she will be fast-tracked into a position with the U.S. Foreign Service.
Giulio del Piccolo has been selected for the Fulbright Program for 2024. Mr. Giulio will spend the 2024-2025 academic year in south-central Chile, affiliated with Dr. Konrad Gorski at the Universidad Austral de Chile. His work will assess fish diversity patterns in seven local rivers, contributing to scientific efforts to understand and address river degradation. His project is an important contribution to scientific work on healthy aquatic ecosystems.
Molly Streich has been selected as the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst - Research Internships in Science and Engineering (DAAD-RISE) for 2024. Ms. Streich will spend the summer of 2024 in Munich, Germany, working on the cellular physiology and molecular pathology of the Alzheimer risk gene AB13. Her application built on the work she has done at NMSU with Dr. Christopher Baker. This year's DAAD-RISE program accepted only 13 percent of their applicant, and attracted talented young scientists from all over the world.
I congratulate Dean Phame Camarena of Conroy Honors College and Dr. Andrea Orzoff, Honors Faculty Fellow and Fellowship Office Director, for facilitating these successes. As we strive for excellence at NMSU, we seize local and global opportunities and empower our students and faculty to reach new heights. We are NMSU.
Lakshmi Reddi
Interim Provost
New Mexico State University
