College, Community, Mourn Palier

Friday, October 6, 2017 at 12:00 AM

A celebratory memorial will be held at 4pm on Tuesday, October17, 2017 in the Performance Hall of the Henderson Fine Arts Center at San Juan College. 4601 College Blvd. Farmington, NM 87402.

San Juan College announced the death of retired political science professor Dr. Judy Palier, 63, on Wednesday. Palier had recently retired from San Juan College in the Spring of 2016, but was still active at the college and in the community. She was a founding board member of Identity, Inc., Farmington's first LGBTQ community center and worked with the local chapter of the NAACP. She provided leadership for many important projects for San Juan College such as San Juan College Safe Zone/Ally, SJC Out and the college's work with La Universidad Autonoma Del Carmen in Mexico.

A celebratory memorial will be held at 4pm on Tuesday, October17, 2017 in the Performance Hall of the Henderson Fine Arts Center at San Juan College. 4601 College Blvd. Farmington, NM 87402.

Palier grew up in Chicago, and when she was eleven, her family moved to the St. Louis area. She spent 15 years in the Denver area before moving south to Albuquerque to attend graduate school.

1992 B.A., Political Science, University of Colorado - Denver
1995 M.A., Political Science, University of New Mexico
2000 Ph.D., Political Science, University of New Mexico
Specializations: Political Theory, Comparative Politics (Latin America)

She joined San Juan College in 1999 and had recently retired in 2016.

Palier enjoyed traveling, visiting Mexico many times and other countries in Latin America including Guatemala and Nicaragua. She also travelled to England, Spain, Morocco and Cuba.

Listen to some programs from the KSJE archives featuring Dr. Palier by clicking the link below.

More from Local News

Lauren Laws Named Interim Superintendent for Aztec Schools

For 15 years, Lauren Laws has dedicated her career to Aztec Schools, beginning as a Special Education teacher in 2008. In 2010 she transitioned to General Education, where she spent six years in the classroom working with 4th and 5th graders at Park Avenue Elementary while completing work on her Master's Degree. During her tenure at Park Avenue Elementary, she also served a Lead Teacher, Assistant Principal, and Principal. Lauren has spent the past three years serving as the Associate Superintendent of Teaching and Learning for the district.
Durango Picks Brice Current to be New Police Chief

Brice Current was a former narcotics agent with the San Juan County Sheriff's Office in Aztec, NM. He was hired as Durango's Deputy Police Chief in 2019.
Waterflow Fire Kills 1

Crews arrived to find a camp trailer on fire and one occupant still inside. Another occupant was transported to the hospital with minor injuries and has since been released. Despite a quick response from fire crews, one occupant was found dead in the trailer after the fire was extinguished. The name of the deceased is not yet released.
Farmington Schools Hires first Armed Campus Safety Monitor

The FMS Board of Education authorized school security personnel to carry firearms on school premises during their January 9, 2024, meeting. The move paved the way for the hiring of Armed Campus Safety Monitors (ACSMs), former certified law enforcement officers tasked with providing an additional layer of protection for students and staff during emergencies.
City Breaks Ground on Pinon Hills Extension

Farmington Officials gathered with representatives from the NM Department of Transportation and San Juan County to break ground on the long-anticipated Pinon Hills Boulevard Extension Project. San Juan County announced that design work on their section of the project is 90% completed.
Back to Bloomfield: Summers Selected as New Superintendent

Kevin Summers will be returning to the Bloomfield School District as Superintendent, after the retirement of Dr. Kim Mizell at the end of the current school year. Summers' hire makes an opening in the Superintendent's Office in Aztec where he has served for the past three years.