TAMIU's TCBEED Director Elected Association of Borderlands Studies Secretary, Treasurer

Texas A&M International University's Texas Center for Border Economic and Enterprise Development (TAMIU TCBEED) director Dr. Daniel Covarrubias was recently elected to serve a four-year term as executive secretary and treasurer of the Association of Borderlands Studies (ABS).

Dr. Covarrubias' appointment was announced at the Association of Borderlands Studies board meeting in April, and will soon begin the transition process.

Founded in 1976 with the original impetus for studying the United States- México borderlands, the ABS membership encompasses scholars, experts, and professionals in universities, international organizations, citizen associations, and governments in 65 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Through its annual meeting and World Border Conference held every four years, the Association has positioned itself as a thought leader in current and innovative views on border matters worldwide. The ABS has established itself as a leading international scholarly association dedicated to the systematic study and exchange of ideas, information, and analysis of international borders and the processes and communities engendered by such borders.

With this growth trajectory in mind and looking to expand on the excellent and efficient work delivered by the past ABS Secretariat, Dr. Francisco Lara-Valencia of the School of Transborder Studies (STS) at Arizona State University, and Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) president Dr. Pablo Arenaz, presented Dr. Covarrubias as a candidate to serve as the ABS executive secretary and treasurer for the 2022-2026 period.

"Under our direction, the ABS Secretariat will work closely with executive officers and the board to grow the Association’s name recognition and standing as a leading interdisciplinary body of experts on borders, maintaining our strong presence in North America and Europe and increasing the international scope of the association in growing borderland scholar communities such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America," Covarrubias said, "We will use our presence and recognition as an international university on the border between the United States and México to further the association’s participation in cross-border events, academic research, and public policy proposals."

He continued, "We will also use TAMIU’S deep knowledge of the ABS’ history, having been embedded with the Association since its first beginnings, which were rooted in South Texas, and most recently, the TCBEED hosting and editing the Journal of Borderland Studies from 2001- 2007."

Covarrubias has been a member of the ABS since 2013. His research on cross-border regions has been presented and published in international journals, the Journal of Borderlands Studies among them, and at many international symposiums. 

For more information, please contact Covarrubias at 956.326.2620, email dcova@tamiu.edu or visit http://texascenter.tamiu.edu