A Message from Inaugural Dean Yoshitaka "Yoshi" Iwasaki
What makes the College of HEST at NMSU uniquely distinctive? In other words, what are the key differentiators or signature strengths of the College of HEST? I think there are two sets of questions to ask ourselves in response to those questions about differentiations and signature strengths: (a) who do we serve? and (b) why do we matter?
First, our location/landscape and people who reside in this location matter. NMSU is New Mexico’s land-grant public research university in the Borderlands region as Hispanic and Minority Serving Institution (HSI/MSI). Accordingly, HEST is fully committed to serving citizens of New Mexico with its respectful attention to people and communities that have been historically underserved. Essentially, we are a steward of our place and communities where our university and college are anchored.
Second, our HEST mission and vision being developed and implemented are captured within three pillars:
1. Collaborative Relationships — i.e., take a village to put people first — coherent organizational culture and community-building is the foundational secret sauce for our success;2. Social Justice and Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity (EID) with our track-record and evidence of stories about social economic mobility of our students, alumni, and their families; and
3. Social Transformation, which is about co-creating and implementing socially transformative solutions to have impacts on people and communities we serve, in health, education, and social sciences, across an ecosystem of pre-K-12 and higher education, and workforce and community development. We are committed to real impactful transformation, not just in a transactional way. Read More
