UNM-Gallup hosts statewide diversity summit, draws 170 attendees

UNM-Gallup turned its Gallup campus into a statewide meeting place for 170 attendees and presenters, bringing higher education partners from across New Mexico to McKinley County for two days of discussion on issues now shaping campus life far beyond one branch campus.

The 2026 Statewide Diversity Summit, held April 17-18, featured four keynote speakers and 24 breakout sessions on academic freedom, immigration, LGBTQ+ issues, library censorship and other topics that have become central in higher education and public schools. For students in Gallup and the surrounding region, the gathering put those debates within driving distance instead of miles away in Albuquerque or Santa Fe.

L.D. Lovett, director of UNM-Gallup Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, led the summit with Dr. Aretha Matt, an associate professor of English. Lovett said he wanted attendees to leave with a basic understanding of diversity as a mixture of similarities and differences built on understanding and respect. Matt said the event worked because people across the campus contributed to it.

That collaboration stretched across campus departments and offices, including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Native American Student Success Center, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Facilities Management, Information Technology, Public Relations and Zollinger Library. Chancellor Dr. Sabrina Ezzell also backed the effort, helping make the Gallup campus a regional host for a conversation that drew educators and presenters from across the state.

The summit mattered for McKinley County because it showed UNM-Gallup functioning as more than a classroom site. In a county where many students are Native, rural or the first in their families to attend college, a campus that can bring statewide conversations home can help make higher education feel more connected to daily life. It also reinforced the branch campus as a civic meeting point for families, advocates and educators who want local access to discussions that shape student support, curriculum and campus climate.

By drawing a large crowd to Gallup and centering issues that affect retention, belonging and academic freedom, the summit signaled that UNM-Gallup is positioning itself as a place where statewide education questions can be debated locally, with McKinley County students and families in the room.