Patricia Sullivan to serve second term on interstate education commission
College of Engineering Assistant Dean Patricia Sullivan was appointed to a second term with the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education by Gov. Bill Richardson.
NMSU College of Engineering Assistant Dean Patricia Sullivan has been reappointed by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson to serve a second three-year term on the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) is a regional organization created by the Western Regional Education Compact, adopted in the 1950s by the western states. WICHE is governed by three gubernatorally-appointed Commissioners from each of 15 member states, working to improve access to higher education and ensure student success.
As Assistant Dean, Sullivan is responsible for corporate relations, development, student career services, and administration of the College of Engineering’s scholarship awards. In the four years that she has served as assistant dean, the college’s endowment has more than doubled to over $22 million, endowed chairs and professorships have grown to 14, and scholarship awards have increased from $350,000 to $798,000.
Sullivan has worked at NMSU for 25 years. Previous to her current position, she was the assistant director of WERC: A Consortium for Environmental Education and Technology Development, which is based in the College of Engineering. She also held positions at the Border Research Institute as assistant program coordinator, program coordinator, assistant director and associate director.
Sullivan received a bachelor’s degree in biology from NMSU with a minor in chemistry. She also holds a master’s degree in public utility economics from NMSU and is an industrial engineering doctoral candidate. She is a past board member of the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority and currently serves on the Authority’s Tax Allocation Committee. She also is a founding board member of the Enchantment Land Certified Development Co., an entity that enhances economic development opportunities in New Mexico by providing Small Business Administration 504 loan programs for new and expanding businesses across the state.
Linda Fresques
April 28, 2009