A day before New Mexico State University welcomed students back to campus, staff and faculty came together for NMSU’s spring 2026 convocation.
Nearly 200 Aggies gathered in Atkinson Recital Hall to kick off the new semester and celebrate a group of staff and faculty who received some of the university’s highest awards. Before the awards presentation, President Valerio Ferme greeted all those watching the ceremony, either in person or remotely, via a video message.
“I want to apologize for not being in person at convocation today, but I am in Santa Fe because the legislative session begins today,” said Ferme, who was participating in Higher Education Day at the state Capitol. “I do, however, at this time want to acknowledge the great work that we’re doing, and convocation is a great time to do it. As we restart a semester, we refocus on some of the things that we want to do to succeed, and we continue to achieve on behalf of NMSU.”
Ferme touted NMSU’s recent ranking in U.S. News & World Report as the top national university in the region,as well as its overall affordability. He also commended the 50 faculty members named among the top 2% of scientist in the worldlast year.
“That’s something that we should take pride in,” he said, adding, “Overall, I think the work that we’ve been doing in the last year, and I’ve been stressing retention and student success, is also starting to produce results.”
In a separate address, interim Provost Lakshmi Reddi congratulated NMSU on its latest achievement – earning the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. The honor, bestowed by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, recognizes an institution’s commitment to community engagement. NMSU first recieved the distinction in 2015.
“This is a classification that’s very important for us,” Reddi said, “and it fits well within our land-grant mission. This recognition is for community engagement. It is a stamp of approval that our mission, goals and objectives are aligned with what our community needs.”
After his remarks, Reddi and others recognized the following award recipients:
Muhammad Ayoub of the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering received the Research Recognition Award.
Ayoub, a professor of practice, is an accomplished researcher of chemical and environmental engineering, catalysis, advanced materials and sustainable energy systems. Ayoub’s work focuses on developing clean energy, environmental remediation and green technologies for next-generation communication and energy devices. Much of his research centers on converting waste into valuable materials. He has published more than 200 research papers and earned 5,800 citations.
A group led by NMSU research scientist Njoki Kahiu, of the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, received the Team Research Award.
The group designed and delivered a project for the Foreign Agricultural Service Science Exchange Program, leveraging NMSU’s multidisciplinary expertise in drylands, agriculture, food science and technology. The project provided a summer-long program for fellows from Africa, who were taught skills in integrated forage production and conservation, animal nutrition and feed processing, rangeland ecology and earth observation of rangeland resources, leadership, science communication and grant writing.
In addition to Kahiu, the team included Julius Anchang, research scientist in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences; Vanetta Busch, director of NMSU’s Hazing Prevention and Organizational Development; Efren Delgado, head of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences; Niall Hanan, professor of plant and environmental sciences; Leonard Lauriault, director emeritus of the Rex E. Kirksey Agricultural Science Center; Mark Marsalis, Extension forage specialist; and Eric Scholljegerdes, professor of animal and range sciences.
Jacob Dalager of NMSU’s Department of Music and Bethuel Khamala of Doña Ana Community College’s Science Department received the Early Career Awards.
Dalager, an assistant professor of trumpet and director of jazz, is a versatile performer, soloist and composer who has earned three international awards. Dalager is also a member of the Las Cruces and El Paso symphony orchestras and has performed with orchestras and at music festivals across the world, including in Singapore, Brazil and Austria.
Khamala, an assistant professor of physics, is known for combining computational materials and condensed matter research with innovative undergraduate education. His students have published, showcased and shared their research at NMSU and at regional and national conferences.
Alina Corcoran of the Department of Biology received the Mid-Career Award for STEM.
Corcoran, an assistant professor of biology, is an oceanographer and currently conducts algal research. Over her career, Corcoran has addressed questions related to ecosystem management and sustainability. Corcoran has secured more than $8 million to support her research and published more than 50 manuscripts.
Megan Finno-Velasquez from the School of Social Work received the Mid-Career Award for social sciences, humanities and the arts.
Finno-Velasquez, an associate professor of social work, has almost 20 years of experience in the fields of child welfare and immigration. Finno-Velasquez serves as the director of NMSU’s Center on Immigration and Child Welfare. Her research focuses on improving service access and outcomes for immigrant families involved with child welfare systems, using community-based participatory approaches.
Alexander (Sam) Fernald received the Distinguished Career Award for STEM.
Fernald, a professor of watershed management and director of the Water Resources Research Institute, conducts water research to guide management that provides sufficient water for healthy communities, economies and ecosystems. Fernald works with communities throughout New Mexico and studies historic ditch irrigation systems known as acequias. Recently, Fernald has led multidisciplinary teams using systems science to identify farmer and rancher-guided, science-based solutions for healthy and water-secure human and natural systems.
Michael Kalkbrenner from the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology received the Distinguished Career Award for social sciences and humanities.
Like many faculty at NMSU, Kalkbrenner, a professor of counseling and educational psychology, has a deep passion for teaching and conducting research. Since 2016, Kalkbrenner has co-authored a book and published more than 70 articles in prestigious peer-reviewed journals. He is an expert in multivariate statistics with an emphasis on psychometrics and has developed and validated scores on more than a dozen psychological screening tools since 2017.
Michael Patrick received the Community Engagement, Extension and Outreach Award.
Patrick is a community resource and economic development specialist in the Department of Extension Economics. He has 58 years of combined experience in extension, outreach and community engagement activities. His work began in 1967 as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural northeast Brazil, and his areas of expertise include economic development planning, rural development and entrepreneurship.
Dan Dugas received the Westhafer Award for Excellence in Teaching, the highest teaching award bestowed by the provost.
Since joining NMSU in 1996, Dugas, a tenured assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, has taught 167 classes across 75 semesters. His teaching has earned praise from the many students who have taken his classes, particularly an introductory physical geography course he has taught 72 times.
“Dr. Dugas was an incredible professor with vast knowledge and a rare degree of skill for communicating and sharing his expertise,” one student wrote.
Another student shared, “I loved, loved, loved the lectures. I listened to them in the evening with my family.”
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Cutline: Recipients of awards presented during New Mexico State University’s spring 2026 convocation. From left: Michael Patrick of the Department of Extension Economics; Bethuel Khamala of Doña Ana Community College’s Science Department; Dan Dugas of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies; Megan Finno-Velasquez of the School of Social Work; Michael Kalkbrenner of the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology; and Muhammad Ayoub of the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)
Cutline: Recipients of the Team Research Award, presented during New Mexico State University’s spring 2026 convocation, stand with Lakshmi Reddi, far left, interim provost. Team members from left: Njoki Kahiu of the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences; Julius Anchang of the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences; Vanetta Busch of NMSU’s Hazing Prevention and Organizational Development; Efren Delgado of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences; Niall Hanan of the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences; Leonard Lauriault; Mark Marsalis, Extension forage specialist; and Eric Scholljegerdes of the Department of Animal and Range Sciences. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)
Cutline: Dan Dugas, a tenured assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at New Mexico State University, received the Westhafer Award for Excellence in Teaching during NMSU’s spring 2026 convocation. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)
Cutline: Alexander (Sam) Fernald, a professor of watershed management and director of the Water Resources Research Institute at New Mexico State University, received the Distinguished Career Award for STEM at NMSU’s spring 2026 convocation. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)