Students, Faculty, & Staff

DACC’s Commitment to Equity

DACC is dedicated to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students, faculty, and staff. An Equity Statement crafted by the DACC community reflects commitment to these goals:

“Doña Ana Community College (DACC) commits to fostering a sense of belonging for all students, faculty, and staff. We pledge to create an accessible, inclusive, and welcoming environment that values diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Our shared responsibility is to treat all members of the DACC community with equity, compassion, and dignity. We work to reduce barriers to ensure that historically and socially marginalized populations have opportunities to flourish. DACC will continue to educate our community on practices that support equity, inclusion, and diversity.”

Student Demographics

DACC’s demographics generally reflect the region: a significant Hispanic, first-generation student population, many of whom are in resource-constrained circumstances.

Student Support

Student services are integral to DACC’s mission and priority of fostering student success. Guided by the Student Success Vision Statement, which emphasizes empowerment and inclusivity, DACC actively supports students in achieving their personal, academic, and professional goals. DACC provides a range of student services tailored to its diverse community of learners. Three key examples include:

• The Academic Readiness Center (ARC) offers tutoring both online and in-person at four main locations. Through workshops, in-class tutoring, and individualized support, the ARC enhances teaching and learning experiences.
• AVANZA, initially funded by a W.K. Kellogg grant, has expanded collegewide to provide “wraparound” services, connecting students to community resources for success.
• The DACC Advising Center utilizes Navigate, a platform that allows the college to proactively provide robust advising and support services to students.

Student Organizations

DACC offers students a broad range of student clubs connected to their academic programs and personal interests. The DACC Student Government Association (SGA) empowers students to participate in college governance. Acting in an advisory capacity through the Vice President for Student Services, SGA serves as a communication link between students, faculty, and administration. Its Constitution emphasizes facilitating student expression and opinion on campus. SGA also encourages student involvement in activities and clubs to expand their interests.

Faculty

Within DACC’s shared governance framework, faculty play a crucial leadership role through the Faculty Council. This council serves as a platform for faculty to discuss interests, issues, and needs, supporting both students and faculty in their academic and professional endeavors. Through elected officers, the Faculty Council collaborates with administration on faculty and academic policies, ensuring effective communication and decision making. DACC faculty and staff are trained, available, and committed to serving students from their point of entry to graduation. DACC faculty also hold positions on the NMSU Faculty Senate, the faculty governing body for the NMSU System.

Staff

As an equal opportunity employer, DACC has an affirmative action plan to recruit and hire staff in proportion to their representation in the qualified relevant labor market. In the 2022-2023 academic year, staff demographics more closely mirrored the college’s student population than faculty demographics.

The DACC staff—tutors, advisors, program coordinators, custodians, administrative support staff, business services personnel, etc.—are not just well-qualified, they are also continuously supported in their professional growth. It all starts with the hiring process, where we outline minimum and preferred qualifications in the job postings. Once onboard, new staff go through a probationary period to ensure they are a good fit. The college actively encourages employees to attend conferences and meetings relevant to their roles. Full-time staff within the NMSU System enjoy the benefit of having their tuition waived for up to 6 credits per semester at any of the NMSU System colleges, allowing them to pursue further education tuition-free. Many staff members have taken advantage of this benefit to earn degrees from NMSU.

The DACC Staff Council serves as a platform for staff involvement in college governance. Its mission is to represent staff interests, foster communication, and build partnerships within DACC, NMSU, and the community. It serves as a bridge for communication between staff and administration, fosters a sense of unity among staff members, identifies and tackles college-related issues impacting staff, explores resolutions, offers suggestions to the DACC President, and collaborates with other councils and committees.

Select Demographics

*based on DACC Factbook data and U.S. Census Bureau data

*based on IPEDS reporting

*Based on IPEDS repoting for 2022-2023