Calexico native appointed SDSU-Imperial Valley dean
CALEXICO — A native of this city will be returning home to become the next dean of San Diego State University-Imperial Valley.
Guillermina Gina Núñez-Mchiri’s hiring was announced Wednesday.
For Núñez-Mchiri, who currently serves as an associate professor of anthropology and director at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), the position marks a return to both SDSU and the Imperial Valley community.
A Calexico High School graduate, Núñez-Mchiri received her undergraduate degree in international business and her master’s in Latin American studies from San Diego State University. She later earned her doctorate in cultural anthropology from the University of California, Riverside.
“I began my career in higher education as a student leader at SDSU, and now look forward to engaging students, staff, faculty, and community in the Imperial Valley,” said Núñez-Mchiri. “My goal is to serve as a bridge between the Imperial Valley campus and the Mesa campus, as well as a collaborator with community and industry leaders on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.”
She began as a visiting assistant professor at UTEP, where Núñez-Mchiri eventually gained tenure and became director of women’s and gender studies. In 2012, she received the University of Texas Regents
Outstanding Teaching Award for her efforts to incorporate community engagement and research experiences to promote student success in higher education.
“With this announcement, it is also important to thank SDSU Imperial Valley interim Dean Mark Wheeler for his substantial leadership and continued commitment to our faculty, staff, and students in the Valley over the last year,” said Salvador Hector
Ochoa, SDSU Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. “So much of the groundwork for this major expansion in Imperial Valley was laid through his hard work this past year.”
Wheeler will return to the faculty at the SDSU College of Arts and Letters. He will pursue research in philosophy, teach in the department of philosophy, continue as the graduate advisor for, and teach within, the SDSU-Imperial Valley graduate program in homeland security, and serve as interim director of the international business program.
As announced earlier this year, SDSU-Imperial Valley will be expanding its Brawley campus, building a new STEM facility that will house labs for STEM programs, such as the new public health program coming to SDSU Imperial Valley. A first-of-its-kind student housing project in Calexico, and in collaboration with the Imperial Valley Community College, is also number one on the California department of finance’s list for funding.
“The promise of the Imperial Valley campus was one of the key reasons I was attracted to San Diego State University four years ago, and I am confident that all the pieces are now in place to turn that promise into an opportunity for thousands of students all across the Valley. I am thrilled to be able to work with Dr. Núñez-Mchiri on this vision going forward,” said SDSU President Adela de la Torre.
Núñez-Mchiri has more than 20 years of applied research and community engagement experiences on the US-Mexico border. Her most recent
publications focus on LEAD: a Latina leadership model based on the U.S.-Mexico Border and on Leadership in Times of Conflict.
“SDSU is a great place to grow as a leader, scholar, and as an advocate with strong commitments to students and the community. I look forward to serving our border region by providing students with opportunities to pursue careers in nursing, education, the Liberal Arts, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. There is a sea of opportunity in the Imperial Valley and the time to explore new avenues for growth and transformation is now,” said Núñez-Mchiri.
Her appointment will officially begin on Aug. 4.