Santa Fe Community College President Appoints Carmen Gonzales Interim Vice President

From a Santa Fe Community College press release...

Santa Fe Community College President Ana M. “Cha” Guzmán, Ed.D., today announced the appointment of Carmen Gonzales, Ph.D., as Interim Vice President for Student Success. Dr. Gonzales was formerly Vice President for Student Success at New Mexico State University. The appointment is part of President Guzmán’s reorganization of the administration to strengthen the college’s focus on student success.

“I am very pleased to announce this change, which will help Santa Fe CommunityCollege further develop and improve in the areas of retention, graduation, recruitment and student support services,” Guzmán said. “Dr. Gonzales comes to SFCC with a distinguished record of more than 17 years in higher education. We are fortunate to have her expertise as we build excellence in our systems to support students along their educational journey and toward higher academic achievement.”

Beginning at New Mexico State University in 1995 as an assistant professor in the College of Education, Gonzales also served as Project Director for the university’s Regional Educational Technology Assistance (RETA) Program and as Vice Provost/Dean for the College of Extended Learning. More recently she was an analyst for the New Mexico State Senate’s Education Committee.

She retired from NMSU in 2011, and has been a consultant to various organizations since then. She holds a bachelor’s degree in University Studies, a master’s degree in Special Education, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction in Multicultural TeacherEducation, all from the University of New Mexico.

Santa Fe native Gonzales said she looks forward to starting work at SFCC. “I am excited about joining Santa Fe Community College. I am familiar with many of the outstanding people and programs at the college, and I’m eager to help mobilize all of our resources toward common goals for student learning, persistence and attainment.”

According to Guzmán, establishing this new vice president position, which has replaced a position previously under institutional support, allows dollars to be placed where they are needed most: in student services. “We must place our greatest efforts toward helping students move through our programs so they will leave SFCC with the degrees and credentials they need to succeed,” she said.