Article by Julie Waechter
Adams State University announces the appointment of Florencio Urias Aranda III, Ph.D., as Executive Equity Officer (EEO). He will serve as a strategic advisor to the President and member of Executive Council, with the objective of promoting university-wide inclusion, diversity, and engagement.
“Adams State University’s designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) is not just a label—it’s a commitment and a call to action,” said Adams State President David Tandberg, Ph.D. “We are dedicated to operationalizing this status by integrating culturally responsive practices across our curriculum, expanding support services tailored to our Hispanic students’ needs, and fostering an inclusive campus environment that celebrates diversity. By doing so we learn and implement practices that help first-generation, low income, other minoritized populations, and all students to not only enroll, but thrive and succeed at Adams State.”
Dr. Aranda has dedicated his life to service, leadership, advocacy, and research.
“Because of the remarkable populations that Adams State serves, the diversity work being done really spoke to me, because in college I was many of those identities: first generation, financially limited, Latino/Hispanic,” he said. His responsibilities will include facilitating development of an institutional strategic plan for equity, diversity, and inclusion. “Initially, I will meet with and listen intensely to students, faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni. I want to hear what they want out of my role and what initiatives they see themselves undertaking. I will collect this information and craft a strategic plan that mirrors the needs of our institution.”
Dr. Aranda is charged with fostering meaningful, equitable, and inclusive changes in the areas of evaluation, policy, hiring, professional development, programming, and support. His office will support the full spectrum of diversity at Adams State, including all racial, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds, national origins, disabilities, age, veteran status, religious/political beliefs, affectional and sexual orientations, gender identities and expression, and lived experiences.
“Adams State has unique diversity specific to its region, and it is uniquely positioned to create a bigger impact,” Dr Aranda said. “As a Hispanic Serving Institution with a high percent of ethnic minorities and limited income students, it is important to continue the beautiful work that Adams State has been doing for many years. Adams State’s size, location, and faculty involvement make the goal of serving each and every student very doable. Essentially, my main priority is to intentionally serve our diverse comunidades con intención, humildad, y cariño.”
Dr. Aranda will build upon the progress made by Dr. Heidi Schneider as the Inclusive Excellence Liaison. “Adams State thanks Dr. Schneider for her dedicated service in this position over the last three years. Dr. Schneider was presented with the challenge of assuming an executive role that had previously not existed in this fashion. She rolled up her sleeves and immediately began implementing programs and policies that made life better for minoritized populations at Adams State. As she transitions off of eTeam, the University is better for her efforts and well prepared to welcome Dr. Aranda,” President Tandberg said.
As the Inclusive Excellence Liaison, Dr. Schneider, associate professor and sociology department chair, oversaw initiatives related to campus safety and wellness, as well as to diversity, equity, and inclusion. She was the grant administrator for “JUNTOS: Initiative for Campus Safety and Cultural Responsiveness,” awarded by the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Violence against Women (OVW).
She also acquired a University Innovation Grant to convert space in the Student Union Building (SUB) into a Student Health and Wellness Center. A joint venture between Adams State, SLV Health, and Valley Wide Health Systems, the center assists students with accessing health care and completing medical related paperwork.
Under Dr. Schneider’s direction, the university also adopted use of the uSafeUs app, a platform designed for colleges and universities to prevent and respond to sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. The university also developed a Special Emphasis Observation Policy, which covers annual recognition and celebrations for seven history and heritage events. Dr. Schneider is particularly proud of the Black History/Heritage mural created by students and faculty on the 3rd floor of McDaniel Hall.
Since last June, Dr. Aranda has been with Tarleton State University, Stephenville, Texas, as director of the Office of Student Global and Community Connections under The Lozano-Long Division of Global, Community, and First-Gen Initiatives.
Prior to that, he served Texas Christian University in Fort Worth as assistant director of Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives. His experience also includes positions at South Dakota State University and Texas Tech University in Lubbock.
Dr. Aranda is also vice president of the board of directors for the Mexican American College Education Fund, Inc., in Fort Worth, as well as co-president of the Texas Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (TADOHE) and a chapter of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE). He was recently elected vice president of the Lambda Sigma DFW Alumni Chapter of Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc., and concluded his tenure as State President of the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education.
Dr. Aranda earned a Ph.D. in higher education research from Texas Tech University in 2015. His dissertation investigated “Higher Education Pathways of Latino Males in the United States: The Narratives of Latino U.S. Congressmen from Southwest Border States.” Now, he and a colleague are conducting a similar study of Latinas in government.
At Texas Tech, he also earned an M.S. in interdisciplinary studies; an M.A. in romance languages (Spanish); and a B.A. in Spanish. He also holds a Master of Legal Studies from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.
