Armando Arias

For over 30 years Armando has been an administrator and professor. He holds a Ph.D. in sociology (social psychology) from the University of California, San Diego. Dr. A received the esteemed “Faculty of the Year” award at San Diego State University. He moved to Texas to take the position of the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Texas AA&M University and help build several brand new campuses for the system.

He was called to serve as a key strategist and member of the transformation and start-up team that created California State University, Monterey Bay campus on the site of the former Fort Ord military installation. He served as the Founding Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Founding Dean of the Social & Behavioral Sciences and Founding Dean of Arts Humanities & Creative Technologies.

Dr. Armando Arias has broad experience working with public/private institutions, non-profits, and foundations to renew and enhance their missions and organizational structure. In his capacity as a “social ecological psychologist” he helps stake-holders and project participants identify goals, common visions, and outcome-based initiatives for both small- and large-scale projects focused on improving the environment and human condition.

In recent years, Dr. Arias provided project leadership for the creation of the Big Sur Environment Institute in Big Sur, California. The Institute brings together world-class thinkers and scientists to develop global environmental solutions.

Dr. Arias was a key strategist behind the formation of BESTNET, an international consortium of 20 corporations and institutions of higher education established at the Western Behavioral Sciences Institute in La Jolla, California. BESTNET was one of the first business–education technology initiatives to provide access to education opportunities via the Internet. In support of BESTNET, Dr. Arias received several million dollars of support from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education and the Digital Equipment Corporation. BESTNET received honorable mention from The 20 Year Report by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education and the California Postsecondary Education Commission. He was also presented with a Proclamation for this work by the California State Assembly.

Dr. Arias has served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Education, the National Telecommunication Information Administration and the Bureau of Land Management to name just a few.

Dr. Arias was a fellow for the California State University System, the Ford Foundation, and the San Diego Foundation. He attended Harvard University’s Institute for Education Management and the Service Learning Institute at Stanford University, and in his capacity as the founder of the Chancellor’s Fellowship Program for the Texas A & M University Systems Office, became its first fellow.

Publications

Dr. Arias is nearing completion of the second edition of his book called "Theorizing Cesar Chavez: A New Way of Knowing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics)" Arts & Sciences World Press.

Social Interactions & Animalistic Sensibilities: Towards New Application of the Theory of Symbolic Interactionism, forthcoming, 2018.

“China’s South-South Cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean,” along with Richard L. Harris, Ph.D. published in the Journal of Developing Societies, winter, 2017.

For a number of Dr. Arias’ publications, google “Binational English & Spanish Telecommunications Network”; as well as these books: Global Networks, Electronic Classrooms, Cultural Diversity in the Classroom, Computers in the Schools. And for journal articles, google the “Julian Samora Research Institute”, “The Journal of Grants & Contracts” and www.naturalborders.com. For a sample of his conference coordination work go to: csumb.edu/climate.

Dr. Arias is a regular keynote speaker: Stanford University, San Diego State University, Statewide Mini Corps and the University of California, Berkeley Faculty Club.