WRITER/SOURCE: Amanda Adame-Rathbun, 575-646-2498, aadame4@nmsu.edu
After an extensive national search, the College of Health, Education and Social Transformation at New Mexico State University selected professor and associate dean Rick Marlatt as the next dean effective Friday, May 16.
Marlatt currently serves associate dean for the NMSU Graduate School and previously served as director of the NMSU School of Teacher Preparation, Administration and Leadership. He joined NMSU in 2017 and has held several key leadership roles across the institution.
Since July 2024, Marlatt has served as associate dean for the Graduate School focusing on advancing equity, access and diversity across educator pipelines in New Mexico and fostering innovation and enrollment in graduate programs.
Before serving as associate dean, Marlatt served as co-director of the school of teacher preparation, administration and leadership in 2020. He went on to serve as interim TPAL director in 2021 and as director from 2022 to 2024. He was promoted to full professor in 2023.
Marlatt has published more than 50 refereed works as sole or first author, and helped secure and manage over $20 million in externally funded projects that have supported initiatives such as teacher and principal residencies; recruitment and retention of Native American educators, social workers and school counselors; development of culturally and linguistically responsive curricula; and faculty endowments.
He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and also holds a master’s degree in fine arts from the University of California, Riverside.
Marlatt said he is honored to step into the dean role.
“HEST is a singular college which champions for New Mexico and the Borderland region a bold vision for innovative solutions in health, social sciences and education,” Marlatt said. “I am tremendously honored and privileged to have been selected to serve in this important role and am grateful to the incredible unit leads, faculty, staff and students who truly make HEST transformational. I am eager to get started and excited to help our college continue its excellence in research, teaching and community engagement. Together, we will advance the aspirations of HEST across professional settings and communities while embodying NMSU's land-grant mission.”
“Dr. Marlatt is ideally suited to lead HEST not only because of his experience with NMSU constituencies but also because of his commitment to the important role HEST should play in the state of New Mexico,” said interim NMSU Provost Lakshmi Reddi. “Please join me in welcoming and congratulating Dr. Rick Marlatt on his appointment as dean of the College of HEST. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to Dr. Phillip Post and Dr. Alexa Doig for their service as interim deans. Additionally, I am grateful to the search committee, chaired by Dr. Phame Camarena, for their thoughtful leadership and commitment throughout the search process.”
-30-
PHOTO CAPTION: Rick Marlatt, a professor and associate dean at New Mexico State University, has been named dean of NMSU’s College of Health, Education and Social Transformation effective Friday, May 16. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Head and shoulders of a man.