President Barceló wins Prestigious Academic Award
Northern New Mexico College President Dr. Nancy “Rusty” Barceló recently received word that she had been selected as the NACCS (National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies) 2012 Scholar. This award is the highest honor bestowed by NACCS and was established in 1981 to recognize life achievements and contributions to academia of scholars in Chicana and Chicano Studies. President Barceló will be honored by NACCS at its annual conference in Chicago in March 2012.
She has been a long-time member of the academic organization, and she was nominated by three separate groups within the organization: the Midwest Foco, the Tejas Foco and the Chicana Caucus. She said she didn’t know about the nominations, so the award came as a surprise to her.
On the national and global levels, the NACCS Scholar award is symbolic of the fact that there is now a large and diverse body of juried academic research in the field of Chicano/a Studies. NACCS has launched many great careers and fostered numerous works that have been published in peer-reviewed journals. The award is in line with Dr. Barceló’s lifelong work as a noted educator on multiculturalism.
In fact, Dr. Barceló’s Blackberry continues to buzz with congratulatory messages from colleagues and supporters near and far, all of whom recognize what a powerful achievement this is, and what it signifies for many others who are doing similar work in academia. In light of this award, Rusty hopes that a Chicano/a and Hispana/o Studies program will come into being at Northern. This would complement Northern’s efforts in preparing students for work in a diverse world.
When she taught, says Dr. Barceló, “The students would say to me: ‘why am I just learning about this now?’” For them, these studies opened a window that shed light on their role as participants in a diverse world. By learning more about all of the cultures and peoples with whom they will one day be working, students are always better prepared to enter into a working relationship with the communities they will serve.
