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A New Name At NMSU Las Cruces: Department Of Educational Leadership And Administration

The Department of Education Management and Development (EMD) at New Mexico State University’s College of Education will now be known as the Department of Educational Leadership and Administration (ELA), following the Board of Regents’ approval to change the name at the March 10 meeting. 

“We have been talking about a name change on and off for years,” ELA department head Mary Prentice said. “We believe that this name change will make our department more visible to potential students who are seeking a degree in educational administration or educational leadership.” 

In requesting the name change, ELA faculty members pinpointed “leadership and administration” as better descriptors of the department’s teaching, research and service efforts, as well as highlighters of the curricula offered at undergraduate and graduate levels. 

According to the cover letter accompanying the change request, the term “leadership” is important in putting NMSU on par with peer institutions, as the educational administration field rarely uses the term “management.”

In addition, the cover letter argued that ELA will appeal to students because of “an increasing interest in educational leadership and administration as a result of proliferation of media stories and content related to educational leadership, school leadership and administration issues.”

Following Monday’s meeting, faculty members were updated on the status of the change and students were made aware of the new department name. Moving forward, the next steps for ELA include contacting the Registrar’s office, website changes, and new stationery. 

“We feel the change will resonate with everyone,” Prentice said. “In fact, the only question I have been asked is ‘Why did it take you so long?’”