SBLI Hero
Strengthening scholarly and instructional capacity

Southwest Borderlands Initiative and Scholars

Proudly launched by ASU in 2001

 

Arizona State University launched the Southwest Borderlands Initiative as a long-term faculty appointment plan with the objective of strengthening scholarly and instructional resources on the Southwest with an emphasis on the region along the United States-Mexico border, and enhancing institutional recruitment and retention that builds a diverse faculty reflective of the Southwest Borderlands and its communities.


Scholar impacts across sectors

The initiative seeks to integrate our strengths in borderlands research with bold innovations in faculty recruitment. Our full selection of faculty offer an expansive range of expertise in industries from health and law to film and politics. Meet the entire selection of faculty.

Donald fixico regents professor

Donald Fixico
Regents and Distinguished Foundation Professor of History

Fixico is a policy historian and ethnohistorian whose work focuses on American Indians, oral history and the U.S. West.  He has published a dozen books and has forthcoming textbooks on American Indian history, territories and the opening of the west.

Meet Dr. Fixico

Magda Hinojosa Dean for CLAS

Magda Hinojosa
Dean, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Hinojosa's research focuses on the political participation of women in Latin America and in particular, she examines institutional barriers for women. More recently, she assessed the impact of selection procedures on women’s ability to enter politics in Chile and Mexico.

Meet Dr. Hinojosa

Director Peter Murrieta

Peter Murrieta
Director, Sidney Poitier New American Film School

Peter is an Emmy award winner who has created shows that serve as a vehicle for Latinx actors that achieve mainstream stardom. His notable works include the acclaimed series, “Greetings from Tucson,” a groundbreaking series first to feature a biracial family set in Arizona.

Meet Dr. Murrieta

Vanessa Ruiz Deputy Vice President

Vanessa Ruiz
Deputy Vice President for Outreach

Vanessa is a three-time Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist who previously taught on-air skills to Cronkite News students. In her current role, she leads teams who nourish partnerships with K-12 schools, foundations, corporations, and other community stakeholders to advance educational attainment and economic opportunity among Arizona families.

Meet Ruiz 


"Through the Southwest Borderlands Initiative at ASU, we are committed to building upon scholarly, instructional, and related institutional assets to aid those needs, particularly in the areas of arts and culture, social and cultural policy, and health among Latinos."

– Nancy Gonzales, Executive Vice President and University Provost

 
 

Provost Nancy Gonales

Borderlands faculty in the news

 

Southwest Borderlands Hero

ASU honored for service to Hispanic students and families

“We always want to work with partners who share in our belief that supporting student success is paramount,” says Vanessa Ruiz, deputy vice president of ASU’s Educational Outreach and Student Services. “That’s why partnering with HSF makes complete sense for us.”

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ASU professor creates beneficial partnerships in favor of Latino health

Vital to the success of a long-term study of obesity among Latino youth were the organizations that exchanged resources and knowledge in order to deliver an intervention program to Valley residents. Gabriel Shaibi, an associate professor, was instrumental in nourishing those partnerships.

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ASU professor explains ethics in journalism and its evolution

Outlets and journalists have demonstrated partisan news sharing, therefore showing a conflict of interest in ethical reporting. Rick Rodriguez, focuses on Latino and borderland issues and understanding how to report on diverse backgrounds.