Director's Message
Dr. Gregory A. Cajete, Director
Native American Studies &
Associate Professor, College of Education
The 2003-2004 year was highlighted by the development, submission and approval of the Bachelor’s in Native Studies Degree Proposal by the University of New Mexico Registrar and the Faculty Senate Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. This is a monumental event in UNM-NAS history. Once the degree is similarly approved by the full UNM faculty senate, Board of Regents and the New Mexico Commission of Higher Education the degree will become an official part of UNM degree programs. We anticipate that final approval of the degree will occur some time during the Spring 2005 Semester. The proposed degree is an extension of the already successful minor in Native Studies currently offered through the UNM University College.
The new B.A. degree in Native American Studies will include four distinct, but inter-related curricular strands. These strands are Indigenous Language and Education; Indigenous Arts and Literature; Indigenous Leadership and Self-determination and; Indigenous Cultural and Environmental Studies. Each of these strands will incorporate experiential learning along with interdisciplinary academic study as a foundation for application of student learning to Native American contexts. This new and expanded curriculum holds great promise for helping UNM-NAS to fully realize its inherent potential as a premier program among southwestern universities.
The planning for the implementation of the new Bachelor’s degree will be the primary focus of NAS faculty and staff during the 2005-2006 academic year. Special emphasis will placed on the development and delivery of NAS course offerings and the introduction of several new courses related to the strands proposed in the new BA degree.
