About NACTS

The North American Center for Transborder Studies at Arizona State University is a university-based public policy analysis and advisory group that collaborates with key partners to improve North American cooperation and prosperity.
 

The North American Center for Transborder Studies works to promote a safer, more prosperous, more competitive, more cooperative, and more sustainable North American region.

 

Arizona State University currently enrolls approximately 70,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students on four campuses. ASU has a vision to be a New American University, promoting excellence in its research and among its students and faculty, increasing access to its educational resources and working with communities to positively impact social and economic development. The North American Center for Transborder Studies strives to embody in all of its initiatives the New American University priorities of global engagement, social embeddedness and societal transformation.
 

NACTS has a trinational Board of Advisors; an ASU University Advisory Council; partner universities and organizations throughout Canada, Mexico, and the United States; a Management Committee of high-level ASU administrators; and a small professional staff. 
 

NACTS researches and reports on key North American issues and provides specific information, analysis and recommendations to public, private and non-profit groups for better-informed decisions.  NACTS partners with a number of key stakeholders and transborder organizations to provide accessible and actionable policy recommendations for advancing best practices in the border regions and throughout North America. NACTS’ specific competencies include regional organization technical support; analysis and advising risk assessment; economic development analysis; legislative analysis; policy analysis; and informal diplomacy. 

NACTS works on a number of policy and academic projects that are developed by the NACTS staff with numerous partners at ASU and throughout North America. Some of our most recent projects include the following:

 

• “Strategic Guidelines for the Competitive and Sustainable Development of the U.S.-Mexico Transborder Region” (implementation)

• “North America Next: A Report to President Obama on Building Sustainable Security,” February 2009

• “CANAMEX Economic Profile,” 2008-2010

• “North American Opportunities and the Sun Corridor,” November 2009

• “Assessing Scrap Tire Legislation in the U.S.-Mexico Border States,” November 2009, Border Legislative Conference

 

In addition to issue-specific research, NACTS accomplishes its mission by doing the following:

• Researching and publishing reports on specific policy issues that affect the three countries.

• Managing grants and contracts awarded to ASU and partner organizations;

• Convening strategic North American- and transborder-related events;

• Representing ASU in a number of research and other consortia;

• Promoting ASU at key research- and policy-related events throughout North America; and

• Hosting and engaging visiting scholars and students from Canada, the United States and Mexico.

 

For Additional Information:

Rick Van Schoik, Director

nacts@asu.edu

(480) 965-1846

 

Erik Lee, Associate Director

erik.w.lee@asu.edu

(480) 727-8926

 

Doris Rasmussen, Business and Research Administrator

doris.rasmussen@asu.edu

(480) 727-8539