NAU\u2013Yuma offers multiple undergraduate and graduate degrees, many informed by the nearby US\u2013Mexico border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can\u2019t quite see<\/em> the United States\u2013Mexico border from NAU\u2013Yuma, but you can feel its presence. Visitors walking around campus will hear as many conversations in Spanish as English. Many students have family on both sides of the border; some even commute to Yuma from Mexico for classes. Going back and forth is just an unremarkable part of everyday life. Many courses offered at NAU\u2013Yuma reflect the location\u2019s diversity, articulate its political and physical geography, and shine a light on the many issues unique to that space. \u201cThe students are dealing with border issues on a day-to-day basis. It\u2019s not an abstraction,\u201d says NAU\u2013Yuma Operations Manager Susan Lauer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With a warm autumn sun blazing above, the campus\u2019 modern metal and glass buildings sparkle as Lauer explains that NAU\u2013Yuma has been part of the Arizona Western College (AWC) campus since 1988. Located on a hill on the northern outskirts of Yuma, it\u2019s just an 18-mile drive south to the border. Lauer points out the three buildings NAU occupies on the AWC campus. In those spaces, NAU holds classes for bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s students, handles administration and enrollment, and has places dedicated to student support services, including a full computer lab, library, advising center, and veteran and military support center. For its popular nursing programs, NAU\u2013Yuma features a full nursing simulation lab and a skills lab. A psychology lab is also in development so future students can get hands-on research experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to sharing space, AWC and NAU have partnered to provide\nYuma Union High School students a seamless route to a bachelor\u2019s degree.\nThe YES<\/a> program guides students\nthrough the application process and provides support as they transition\nfrom high school to AWC to NAU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NAU\u2013Yuma offers a wide range of undergraduate majors<\/a>, several master\u2019s programs<\/a>, and several minors and certificates. Because of NAU\u2013Yuma\u2019s small size, students receive extensive personal interaction with their professors. Mentorship from his instructors helped Biological and Natural Resource Sciences<\/a> major Gerardo Noriega<\/a> transition from community college to NAU\u2013Yuma. \u201cWhen I got here, I did kind of struggle,\u201d says Noriega. \u201cBut my professors were understanding. I could just go to office hours or set up an appointment and get help. It\u2019s not like you\u2019re on your own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The students are dealing with border issues on a day-to-day basis. It\u2019s not an abstraction.<\/p>\u2013 Susan Lauer, NAU\u2013Yuma Operations Manager<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n For Sociology<\/a> major Angela Sornia<\/a>, smaller classes, being close to family, and saving money factored into her decision to transfer from NAU’s Flagstaff campus<\/a> to NAU\u2013Yuma. \u201cIt\u2019s more convenient here,\u201d she says. \u201cI get to visit home whenever I want to.\u201d Proximity to the border is also important to her; she wants to work with non-profits on border issues when she graduates. Her minor in US Mexico Border Social Work<\/a> will give her an edge in her career goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Border issues are central to many other majors at NAU\u2013Yuma, says Lauer, including Social Work, Justice Studies, Education, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, and more. Additionally, being close to the border allows nursing students to undertake internships in both countries. Students can pursue a master\u2019s degree in Bilingual\/Multicultural Education or Global Business Administration or a minor in Spanish for Business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n