by Shelby Kocurek
Daily Lobo
Greg Cajete, the new director of UNM's Native American Studies, said he has plans to transform the program's minor into a bachelor's degree program.
Cajete, a long time resident of New Mexico and member of the Santa Clara Pueblo, was appointed director in 2001, but because of sabbatical, he officially took over the position in May 2002. Cajete said he is now ready to take on the challenge of creating the bachelor's degree program after returning to UNM.
The program's plan is to the have bachelor's degree program ready for students in two years. It will comprise five areas of study of Native American Studies, including leadership studies, environmental studies, indigenous education, cultural and historical studies and language and literature. Each course in the new curriculum will fit within one of these areas and will include an emphasis on tribal values.
Cajete is examining the current curriculum and plans to sculpt it into a degree program by combining classes and adding about 15 additional courses to the current Native American Studies class list.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
"We have to take a very good look at how well the current curriculum has worked as a minor, the needs of the students, and then we have to enter into a strategic curriculum planning process, which we have undertaken," Cajete said
Roberto A. Ibarra, special assistant for diversity in Academic Affairs, said he was excited to have Cajete aboard.
"Much of higher education today lacks diversity in its curriculum," he said. "It is very hard to get to try to get a degree program out of it, but here in New Mexico, I think it is exceedingly important to be able to do that."
Ibarra added that because of the strong tribal population in the area, American Indians would benefit from having a degree program.
Cajete said that if people come together to participate and collaborate toward this common goal, the program would undoubtedly succeed.
UNM currently allows students to carry a minor in Native American Studies. Anywhere between 80 and 100 students pursue a minor in Native American Studies each year, Cajete said.
When the Native American Studies bachelor's degree program is established, UNM will be among only 25 other universities in the nation to offer it.
Prior to joining UNM, Cajete was a teacher, chair and dean of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. After a 25-year tenure, he came to UNM as the American Indian Education Specialist in the College of Education, where he still teaches classes.
Cajete has written a series of books. His latest work, Native Games for Life: A culturally Based Curriculum for Native Youth Leadership and Development, will appear in bookstores next year.
