UNM Art Museum Director Arif Khan presented at the Southwest Regional Community Engagement Consortium (SWCEC), a convening held January 12-13, 2026 in El Paso, Texas. The gathering brought together faculty, staff, students and community partners from New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Colorado and Utah to explore new ways universities and cultural organizations can collaborate for greater regional impact.  

Khan took part on a panel, University Museums as Drivers of Institutional Mission, speaking about UNMAM’s role as a teaching museum deeply connected to the life of the university. He highlighted how UNMAM supports UNM’s curriculum across disciplines by providing meaningful learning opportunities, from access to the Beaumont Newhall Study Room, to student involvement in exhibitions, to paid positions that bridge academic study and professional museum practice.

University museums are uniquely positioned to link campuses and communities and to create opportunities for engagement. At UNMAM, we’re proud to put students at the heart of our mission, supporting curriculum, equity and shared knowledge. –UNMAM Director Arif Khan

Mary Statzer, UNMAM Curator of Prints and Photographs, and Christina Cook, Graduate Assistant to Khan, also attended the gathering.

The gathering focused on innovative, sustainable strategies for regional collaboration and community impact, including community-engaged scholarship, inter-institutional partnerships, collaborations with university presses and museums, workforce initiatives and shared approaches to governance and funding.

“Community engagement is essential to UNM’s mission and to our commitment to advancing the state of New Mexico. Having UNM represented at SWCEC, particularly with Arif Khan serving as a panelist, was critical to broadening the conversation about what community engagement looks like in practice,” said Tim Castillo, Director for UNM Community Engagement Initiatives.

The gathering was hosted by The University of Texas at El Paso,Texas Tech University,Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso andUNM. As leading public research universities in the Southwest, each institution brings a strong record of community engagement and a shared belief in the power of collaboration. Together, they designed a convening dedicated to equity, cultural engagement and knowledge exchange.

Museums play a significant role in this work by connecting scholarship, culture and public dialogue, and by serving as trusted spaces for meaningful engagement with communities in our region. –Tim Castillo, Director for UNM Community Engagement Initiatives

The partnership evolved out of a 2024 regional gathering hosted by UNM focused on community engagement and institutional strategies related to the institution’s Carnegie Classification. It has since expanded to create an ongoing space where institutions can learn from one another and strengthen cross-institutional collaboration.