Origins and Founding Moments (Late 1980s-2010s)
Since its inception in the late 1980s, the Gender and Sexuality Studies (G&SS) academic program, originally Women’s Studies, at New Mexico State University, has integrated women's, gender, sexuality, intersectional, LGBTQ+, and feminist studies into the core of a twenty-first-century education. Echoing the challenges faced by predecessors, our contemporary efforts continue to advocate for the centrality of the discipline, underscoring its indispensability to students and faculty, the growth of the university as a center of learning and innovation, and interdisciplinary research and creative activity.
The program, originally led by Dr. Joan Jensen, with support from then Dean Thomas Gale, was formally established in 1989. It began as a minor before expanding into a supplementary major and eventually, in 2005, into a full Bachelor’s Degree program and graduate minor. The early 2000s witnessed significant expansion under the guidance of leaders like Dr. Lisa Bond-Maupin and the Women’s Studies Steering Committee. The last part of this period was characterized by the hiring G&SS core faculty such as Mary Benanti, Dr. M. Catherine Jonet, and Dr. L. Anh Williams, then an adjunct instructor, whose diverse expertise facilitated the program's growth and interdisciplinary scope.
Institutionalization and Key Faculty (Late 2010s–early 2020s)
The transition into the 2010s saw G&SS play a foundational role in establishing the Interdisciplinary Studies Department (IDS), with the support of then Dean Christa Slaton, further cementing its commitment to interdisciplinary academic inquiry. Dr. Jim Maupin's tenure as the inaugural department head of IDS marked a commitment to fostering interdisciplinary academic environments for G&SS and the Individualized Studies major to coexist in one department.
Dr. Patricia "Patti" Wojahn's role as department head of IDS from 2015 to 2021 was marked by her strong advocacy for the G&SS program and its scholars. Dr. Wojahn's tenure was distinguished by her efforts to stabilize and expand the program's reach, ensuring its scholars received the support necessary to pursue innovative research and impactful community outreach. Her commitment to public humanities was evident in her supervision of initiatives like the Girls Tech Camp and the Borderlands Writing Project, projects that enrich curriculums and connect the university with broader community interests through education.
The Feminist Border Arts initiative, co-founded and led by Drs. Jonet and Williams and supported by Dr. Wojahn, underscores the program's commitment to integrating public scholarship and creative outreach. This initiative, which includes the Feminist Border Arts Film Festival and SJZ: Social Justice Zine, reflects the program's dedication to innovative research and scholarly creativity, as well as transformative education, particularly through the Media Arts and Cultural Studies (MACS) course concentration they developed. Under their leadership, G&SS expanded its curriculum to include online courses and degrees, with an emphasis on gender, gender identity, and LGBTQ+ studies, culminating in the program's renaming to Gender & Sexuality Studies in 2017.
Due to faculty efforts and the support of Wojahn, numerous G&SS students have received honors from the College of Arts and Sciences, including the Dean's Undergraduate Award for Excellence, which G&SS triple major Diana López received in Spring 2018. Another G&SS triple major, Alejandra Lerma was named Outstanding Senior by the College of Arts and Sciences in 2017.
Professor Mary Benanti, a steadfast supporter and teaching powerhouse, retired in 2017 as an Associate College-Track Professor.
Dr. Cynthia Bejarano, who joined the program in the Fall of 2014, played a pivotal role in introducing a transnational and transborder focus. She and her students founded Transnational Solidarity Day, reinforcing the program's commitment to the Borderlands region and global social justice. Dr. Bejarano's collaboration with students laid the foundation for Gender & Sexuality Studies to become a learning space where students and faculty could engage in collaborative knowledge production and creaative activity. This has become a cornerstone of the program's academic offerings.
She was honored as the Justice Studies Outstanding Alumni PhD at Arizona State University’s School of Social Transformation’s Awards Ceremony in September 2018. The School of Social Transformation inspires students to generate creative approaches to persistent social challenges through teaching, research, and community collaboration--a goal G&SS at NMSU aspires to continue.
During Fall 2020, Drs. Jonet and Williams were awarded the first-ever team award for exceptional achievement in research and creativity by the NMSU University Research Council for their work with the Feminist Border Arts Film Festival. They were given this award at the Spring convocation on January 19, 2021.
Dr. Wojahn and Dr. Maupin retired in Spring 2021.
Navigating Crisis and Administrative Challenges (2021-)
Although instrumental in establishing the Interdisciplinary Studies Department, G&SS faced significant hurdles during and since the 2021 pandemic-induced budget cuts. Despite these challenges, the program remains steadfast in its academic mission and impact.
Dr. Williams and Dr. Jonet, bolstered by committed students and their longtime successes in G&SS, found administrative homes in two different departments within the College to keep the program intact. G&SS makes its administrative home in the Department of English.
In Fall 2022, Dr. Bejarano and Dr. Williams, with the support of Dr. Jonet, successfully campaigned for the reinstatement of a faculty line for G&SS that was reallocated during the reorganization of their former department into a different academic unit. This advocacy culminated in the hiring of Dr. Dylan McCarthy Blackston, an emerging scholar in trans studies, trans ecologies, and visual culture studies. His hire marks the first-ever tenure-track search and hire by NMSU Gender & Sexuality Studies, a significant milestone in the program's history and its quest to become its own center of learning, research, and creative activity.
Dr. Williams's tenure as the longest-serving director of Gender & Sexuality Studies at NMSU is important to the survival of the program. Her leadership has not only contributed to but has been essential in sustaining G&SS through unprecedented challenges.
Gender and Sexuality Studies Major, Alex Fonnest, was awarded Outstanding Senior of 2024 in the Department of English, the current organizational home of G&SS in the College of Arts and Sciences.
As G&SS celebrates over three decades of contributions to NMSU and beyond, we remain committed to the promise of what lies ahead. We work toward a future where Gender & Sexuality Studies is widely supported, institutionally sustained, and recognized for its contributions to the university, community, and beyond.
*Parts of this history are based on the paper, “Gaining a Voice: The Formation of the Women’s Studies Program at New Mexico State University” by Maria Woodard (2008).
2008 and beyond: Dr. M. C. Jonet.*
