Jay Gogue, Interim President of the NMSU System | Official Website
Jay Gogue, Interim President of the NMSU System | Official Website
The Department of Agricultural and Extension Education at New Mexico State University (NMSU) has experienced significant growth under the leadership of Steven Fraze. Since joining NMSU in 2020, Fraze, along with his faculty, has focused on developing the department with a student-first approach.
“One of the things I try to work on with my faculty is to make sure that they are student-first faculty,” said Fraze. “They put students first in everything and make it a priority that they don’t have a group of 20 students in their program – they have 20 individuals in their program and each one is different.”
Assistant Professor Lacey Roberts-Hill emphasized the importance of this philosophy for student retention and success. “I feel that I have helped the growth of the department by doing my best to develop and teach innovative and engaging courses that not only pique students’ interest but equip them for future careers,” she stated.
Fraze hired new faculty members Don Edgar, Shannon Norris-Parish, Roberts-Hill, and William Norris between 2020 and 2022. Together, they developed a curriculum featuring 14 new courses under Agricultural Communications. The first cohort from this program graduated in spring 2024.
In collaboration with the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, AXED established an Agricultural Strategic Communications graduate program in 2021. This program has gained popularity among students, leading to an increase in graduate enrollment as all classes moved online.
Fraze noted increased undergraduate enrollment during summer orientation compared to pre-pandemic numbers. Student-teachers within the Agricultural Education program nearly doubled as well. The department plans to launch a Ph.D. program called Human Dimensions of Agriculture.
After four decades in higher education, including time at Texas Tech University, Fraze will retire in January 2025. Reflecting on his tenure at NMSU, he shared: “Coming over here was coming back to my roots a little bit.”
Roberts-Hill praised Fraze's mentorship: “Dr. Fraze is a wonderful mentor and has been an incredible driver for our department.”
A version of this story appeared in ACES Magazine's fall 2024 issue.
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