History is made for UNM and the College of Nursing
November 22, 2023
An unprecedented appointment has made history this month for The University of New Mexico College of Nursing and the state of New Mexico.
Barbara Damron, PhD, MSN, RN, FAAN, professor and senior advisor to the dean of the College of Nursing, has been elected as the Vice-Chair of the Western Institute Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). This is the first time someone from UNM has held the position and Damron is excited to use this opportunity to benefit those seeking impactful higher education in the state and across the western United States and US territories.
Damron says, “I am very thankful to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for appointing me as a WICHE Commissioner. WICHE vice chairs are not able to be elected without an appointment as a commissioner by their state’s governor. Additionally, Lieutenant Governor Howie Morales’ support was impactful for this opportunity. Without them I would not be joining the leadership of WICHE – one of four compacts of higher education in our country.”
WICHE’s mission is to promote and orchestrate educational access and excellence for all residents of the West through innovation, cooperation, resource sharing, and sound public policy. As vice chair, Damron is in an advantageous position to become the next WICHE chair. She is already collaborating with current Chair Antwan Jefferson, PhD, and Immediate Past Chair Matt Freeman, JD, to enhance student exchange programs between continental US schools and Pacific territories like Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
“The territories in the Pacific are filled with rural communities that experience natural disasters and have growing challenges with mental health care. These are also challenges that communities like New Mexico face. We are more similar than we think and approaching collaboration, resource sharing and innovation through exchange programs can benefit health care and higher education on a global scale,” Damron says.
Her tenacity and wealth of knowledge stem from a career steeped in legislation, nursing education and health care policy. Her previous roles as the New Mexico Higher Education Department Cabinet Secretary, the State Higher Education Executive Officer and as the executive who established the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) in New Mexico have prepared her for this series of WICHE leadership roles where she will head higher education initiatives in a commission created by the states and ratified by the US Congress.
Damron says, “WICHE is one of the most effective compacts for higher education in existence. It is a straightforward cohort of innovators and leaders prepared to approach challenges and opportunities in interdisciplinary ways. We work together and use our past and current professional lives to better education. I am thrilled that New Mexico and the UNM College of Nursing will be present with me during this time with WICHE. I owe a lot to this state and this university.”
