Ph.D. in Kinesiology - New Mexico Tech

Perhaps most telling is the University and statewide support for advancing a public health
agenda vis-à-vis the NMSU Southwest Institute for Health Disparities Research. The
mission of the Southwest Institute is,
“to address the substantial health disparities that exist in Southern New Mexico and
the U.S./Mexican Border Region.” The institute identifies several priority areas that
include “the cultural and socio-economic factors affecting health including studies
related to addiction, obesity, diabetes prevention, chronic disease management,
behavioral health, sexuality, and the long term impact of health lifestyles upon
longevity.”
The Southwest Institute also supports the proposed PhD in Kinesiology insofar as the
implementation of the PhD program will assist the institute in fulfilling its mission (See
Appendix A).
In addition, the following are provided as specific evidence of the institutional commitment
to the advancement of Kinesiology (and the department of HPDR) as a discipline and the
development of the PhD graduate program.
• Over the past few years the interest in the department has grown significantly. As a
result, the University and College of Education have recently approved five faculty
lines; four tenure track lines and one college faculty line. Three of the four are
completely new lines, and the other two lines were previously established by the
department and recently identified as priority areas for the institution, thus allowing
the department to hire two tenure track faculty in the last two years. Overall, the
department of HPDR has benefitted from a 30% increase in the funding for faculty
lines since 2008.
• In addition, during fiscal years 2011 and 2012 (FY11), the university awarded the
department of HPDR approximately $132,000 in Equipment Replacement and
Renovation funds, and in so doing identified the expenditures as consistent with
priorities of the university.
• The State of New Mexico and the University have also invested considerable
resources in the Southwest Institute for Health Disparities Research. The PhD in
Kinesiology will contribute significantly to the pursuit of the larger public health
agenda.
• In support of the research agenda of the department, during FY11 and FY12, the
College has awarded 2.5 and 3.0 graduate assistantships, respectively to assist the
HPDR faculty with their research and undergraduate instruction.
• Finally, the University has established the Healthy People/Healthy Campus Health
and Wellness initiative. This document outlines the universities commitment to
health promotion and the prominence that evidence-based health and wellness
programs should have in our community.
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