Texas State dean lectures in Chile, advocates for minority students

By Lauren Lamb
University News Service
February 19, 2009

Since he became an educator over 30 years ago, Jaime Chahin, the dean of the College of Applied Arts at Texas State University-San Marcos, has been working to change the face of education.

His recent trip was no exception.

Chahin gave a lecture at the University of Chile's international seminar, held Jan. 15 in Santiago.

In his lecture, he addressed the current state and future of public universities in the U.S. He also spoke at the Catholic University of Valapariso, and took part in a roundtable discussion on innovation at Technology University of Chile.

Chahin has been an administrator in addition to a professor at Texas State for the past 21 years. During that time he has produced a PBS documentary, The Forgotten Americans, which focused on neighborhoods on the U.S. Mexico border. The documentary connected with children, enabling them to help document their social condition. It aired in 2000.

Chahin is also credited with establishing the Center for Migrant Education at Texas State and helping create the Rockefeller Brothers Fund’s (RBF) national Fellowships for Aspiring Teachers of Color program.