HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 60

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2010

INTRODUCED BY

Danice Picraux

A JOINT MEMORIAL

ENDORSING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO'S INITIATIVE FOR A HUMANITIES RESEARCH AND TEACHING CENTER.

     WHEREAS, national recognition of the university of New Mexico as a research-intensive institution reflects the significant contributions that faculty members in all fields, including the humanities, make to the national knowledge base and the funding that supports creation of new knowledge; and

     WHEREAS, the driving forces behind the university of New Mexico's strengths in interdisciplinary humanities research and teaching include the internationally recognized faculty and programs in native language preservation, border studies, regional studies and transnational, international and global studies; and

     WHEREAS, the university of New Mexico is in a unique position to be a leader in critical state and national efforts to understand the synergies between global forces and local values; and

     WHEREAS, the tension between local and global forces and how people understand it will become necessary parts of every student's education in the twenty-first century; and

     WHEREAS, the university of New Mexico and the state currently benefit from the expertise of humanities faculty members scattered across the campus who have reached out statewide to develop public programs, policy conferences and training and resources for public educators at all levels in the state; and

     WHEREAS, the humanities faculty at the university of New Mexico sees a need to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration with the public schools and with branch college and community college faculty to expand efforts in public programming, in developing curricula and resources around the issues of globalism and localism, in twenty-first-century strategies for language and cultural preservation and instruction and in linking communities across space through the use of informatics and digital platforms; and

     WHEREAS, the university of New Mexico has endorsed a proposal by the humanities faculty to establish a humanities teaching and research center with a central goal of facilitating the development of outreach efforts to enhance humanities-based activities, knowledge and resources in public venues, in the public schools and at branch colleges and community colleges across the state; and

     WHEREAS, the university of New Mexico is requesting funding under the national endowment for the humanities challenge grant program to assist in the development of the humanities teaching and research center;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the New Mexico congressional delegation be urged to support the university of New Mexico's initiative for the establishment of a humanities teaching and research center with funding from the national endowment for the humanities challenge grant program; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislature encourage the public education department, the higher education department, the cultural affairs department and any other relevant agencies to work with the humanities teaching and research center to develop programs and resources for addressing the social and cultural issues facing New Mexico in the twenty-first century; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the office of the governor, the public education department, the higher education department and the cultural affairs department.

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