Dr. Steve Fraze assumed the duties of Department Head of Agricultural and Extension Education in the College of Agricultural in January 2020.

A native of Dora, New Mexico, Fraze earned his bachelor's degree in agriculture from Lubbock Christian University and his master's degree, along with a teaching certificate, from Texas Tech. He received his doctorate from Texas A&M University. He previously worked as a visiting instructor in Texas A&M University's Department of Agricultural Education, and was a vocational agriculture teacher in New Home, Texas and Olton, Texas. He also served as a district engineer in the Dowell Division of Dow Chemical in Monahans, Texas.

Fraze started at Texas Tech in 1988 as an assistant professor. He was promoted to full professor in 2004, and became chairman of the Department of Agricultural Education and Communications in 2008. Separately, he coordinated the department's student teaching block from 1989 to 2008. Fraze served as the Shirley L. and Lucille Garrison Endowed Chair in Rural Youth Development and chair of the Department of Agricultural Education and Communications from 2008 to 2020. He also served as the college's interim dean from 2016 to 2018.

Fraze was honored with the Western Region American Association for Agricultural Education's Outstanding Agricultural Educator Award (2015). Separately, he served as associate superintendent of the Livestock Career Development Event for the National FFA Organization. Other honors include National FFA 'VIP Citation' (2015); American Association for Agricultural Education Senior Fellow (2014); and service as president of the American Association for Agricultural Education (2015-2016). In addition, he received the Gamma Sigma Delta Service to Agriculture Award (2005); election to the Texas Tech Teaching Academy (2003); Texas FFA Association Distinguished Service Award (2002); and the Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas' Distinguished Service Award (2000).

View full Fraze CV (PDF)

Steven Fraze
Department Head
Office Location: GTH 111
Phone: 575-646-4511
Email: sfraze@nmsu.edu