NMSU Dean Wins Lifetime Achievement Award from STEM Organization

by Carlos Andres López

Rolando A. Flores Galarza, dean and chief administrative officer of New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, received a lifetime achievement award for education from Great Minds in STEM. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)

Rolando A. Flores Galarza, dean and chief administrative officer of New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, has received a lifetime achievement award from Great Minds in STEM, the organization announced Aug. 11.

Flores Galarza was among 22 STEM professionals selected by a peer-review committee to receive the 2021 HENAAC Awards from Great Minds in STEM, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting STEM careers, especially in underserved communities.

“Dean Flores Galarza is an outstanding educator, and we’re so fortunate to have him at our university,” NMSU Chancellor Dan Arvizu said. “He has dedicated his entire career to ensuring students are equipped not just with knowledge in the STEM disciplines, but also with important, foundational skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and creativity. I congratulate him on this well-deserved national recognition.”

The awards honor the achievements of America’s top engineers and scientists from the Hispanic community. Flores Galarza received the organization’s lifetime achievement award for education. He and the other award winners will be recognized at the 2021 Great Minds in STEM conference, set to take place virtually Oct. 11-22.

“This award humbles and fills me with gratitude for all the students, who in one way or another, I have contributed to moving them through the education process,” Flores Galarza said. “I am grateful to my beloved family for their patience, support and love, to all the colleagues and staff I have worked with, and to the ones who nominated me. Education is fundamental to the growth of an individual, and without it, our society will not move forward. I have been blessed to have the

Rolando A. Flores Galarza, dean and chief administrative officer of New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, has received a lifetime achievement award from Great Minds in STEM, the organization announced Aug. 11.

opportunity to contribute to this rich endeavor.”

Flores Galarza, a food scientist, joined NMSU in 2016 to serve as dean and chief administrative officer of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

Flores Galarza has dedicated his career to advancing food science and technology and cultivating the next generation of food scientists and engineers. He also has conducted pioneering research in waste and byproduct utilization. ▫