F. Chris Garcia

Garcia is a 13th generation native New Mexican, descended from Juan Lopez Holguin, who came from the Extremadura community of Spain with the Juan de Oñate expedition to settle in the Santa Fe, New Mexico area in 1598.

His tenth grandfather, Francisco Montez Vigil was a member of the Diego de Vargas group that re-entered Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1692.

Garcia first attended St. Francis Catholic Xavier School on south Broadway, close to his maternal grandmother's home where he spent the first seven years of his life.

F. Chris Garcia (born April 15, 1940) is an educator, scholar, researcher, author, public opinion pollster and higher education administrator.

Garcia was born April 15, 1940, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

He was the first of six children born to Flaviano Perea Garcia and Crucita A. Garcia.

His christened name was Flaviano Cresencio Garcia.

Garcia was baptized at San Ignacio Church in Martineztown, an Albuquerque neighborhood, where his father was raised.

In 1947, his family moved to the north valley of Albuquerque.

He graduated from Valley High School in 1957.

A few days after graduating from high school, Garcia joined the New Mexico Air National Guard (NMANG) and went to eleven weeks of basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

He served a six-year term in the NMANG.

After completing basic training, Garcia matriculated at the University of New Mexico.

He was a charter member of the initial General Honors Program.

As Garcia proceeded through college, his interest in human behavior channeled him toward the social sciences, and he majored in Government and Citizenship, earning a BA in 1961.

Interested in education and teaching from an early age, he hoped to become a high school teacher and continued at UNM to earn a master's degree in Government and Education with a Secondary Education certificate.

After doing student teaching at his alma mater high school, Garcia was encouraged to continue his education so that he could teach at the college level.

Garcia was accepted at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and began his studies in political science there in 1964.

On September 2, 1967, Garcia married Sandra Dorine Galloway, also an Albuquerque native and a graduate of Valley High school and the University of New Mexico.

Since Garcia had obtained a faculty position in the Political Science department at the University of New Mexicoin the fall of 1970, he and his wife moved back to Albuquerque in the summer of 1970.

Garcia began his academic career while completing his doctoral dissertation on the development of political orientations of Mexican American children in California.

He was hired as an Assistant Professor of Political Science to teach courses in American Politics, Public Opinion, Political Socialization and New Mexico Government.

Garcia also originated and taught courses in Politics and Education, The Politics of Ethnic Groups and Chicano Politics.

Garcia initially also had an appointment as an Assistant Director at the Division of Government Research in the Institute of Social Research and Development (ISRAD).

The Garcia's first child, Elaine Louise, was born on May 18, 1971, and their second daughter, Tanya Crucita arrived on November 10, 1974.

Later, he transferred to the newly instituted doctoral program in political science at the University of California at Davis (UCD) where he was awarded a Ph.D. in 1972.

In 1973, he and two colleagues formed Zia Research Associates, a public opinion polling organization.

This was the first full-service opinion survey research firm in the state of New Mexico.

Based on his research, publications and teaching, Garcia was awarded tenure and promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor in 1974.

Based on his continued scholarship he was promoted to Full Professor in 1978.

He is one of the pioneers researching and writing in the field of Hispanic/Latino politics.

His recognition as a scholar in this area as well as in campaigns, elections and New Mexico politics led to his being sought out for commentary and analysis by local, national and international media.

After many years as a productive scholar, his accomplishments as a teacher, researcher and scholar were recognized as he was awarded the title of Distinguished Professor of Political Science.

He was elected as Vice-President of the American Political Science Association (1994-1995) and President of the Western Political Science Association (1977-1978).

Garcia is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Pi Sigma Alpha and Golden Key honorary fraternities.

From 2002-2003, he served as the president of University of New Mexico.

Garcia was the first native New Mexican Hispanic to serve as a college dean, academic vice-president and president at the University of New Mexico.

He retired from full-time teaching in 2007, but continued with his scholarly writings and taught a course in US Political Cultures on a part-time basis until 2011.

While active in the political science profession he was very involved in its professional organizations.

He served on several executive councils and committees of the American Political Science Association, Western Political Science Association, Western Social Science Association, Southwestern Social Science Association and American Association for Public Opinion Research.