NMSU regents professor receives state landscape architect award

New Mexico State University Regents Professor Rolston St. Hilaire received the Distinguished Leadership Award from the New Mexico chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects in November.

 St. Hilaire, head of NMSU’s Plant and Environmental Sciences (PES) and Extension Plant Sciences (EPS) departments in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, accepted the award Nov. 12 during the chapter’s gala in Albuquerque.

 The award recognizes St. Hilaire for his service on the New Mexico Board of Landscape Architects (NMBLA) and honors his work in advancing the principles of landscape architecture and for what the chapter described as his “careful stewardship, wise planning and artful design of built and natural environments.”

 “This recognition is meaningful to me because my tenure on the board provided me with an opportunity to serve the citizens of New Mexico in a new way,” St. Hilaire said. “The mission of NMBLA is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public. So, I was delighted to be part of this admirable mission for almost two decades.”

St. Hilaire served on the board, which regulates landscape architects, March 2003-October 2021.

St. Hilaire served in various roles throughout his NMBLA tenure, including as chair, vice-chair and secretary/treasurer.

St. Hilaire joined NMSU in 1998 as an assistant professor of horticulture in the PES Department. He became a full professor in 2008 and department head in 2016. He became EPS Department head this year. St. Hilaire’s research interests include landscape and ornamental horticulture, environmental stress physiology and molecular ecophysiology.

In 2020, St. Hilaire was named as a regents professor, NMSU’s highest faculty award. The recognition honors faculty who have made outstanding contributions to NMSU’s mission as a land-grant, Hispanic- and minority-serving, and Carnegie Foundation Doctoral/Research university.