A long-time Denver community leader, Dr. Fernie Baca, passed away on May 17 after a recurrence of cancer. Dr. Baca was born on June 30, 1939, on a farm close to LaSalle where the family worked hoeing sugar beets and doing other farm labor. When she was five years old, the family moved to Greeley. She attended the University of Northern Colorado where she earned a B.A. in Secondary Education, and the University of Colorado in Boulder, earning an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Guidance & Counseling.
An influential educator, Dr. Baca retired with emeritus status from the University of Colorado at Denver where she was Associate Vice Chancellor for Research/Creative Activities, Executive Director of the International Training Academy, and a tenured professor in the School of Education. She also served as Dean of the UCD Graduate School where she had the distinction of being the first Hispanic Dean of a graduate school at a major university in the U.S.
In 2012, Dr. Baca was recognized as “Distinguished Alumna of the Year” by the University of Northern Colorado (UNC). Additional recognition received included the Women’s Bank Award for outstanding contribution to education and preservation of the Hispanic culture and the Woman of Distinction Award from the Girl Scouts of Colorado.
After her retirement, the Dr. Fernie Baca Scholarship Fund at UCD was established to increase educator effectiveness in supporting the academic learning of English-language learners. Dr. Baca is survived by her sisters and former State Sen. Polly Baca of Denver and Bettie Baca and her brother-in-law, Alex Rodriguez of Herndon, Virginia.
