Upcoming LACSI Events Mesa de Español Conference on the Americas The 27th Annual Conference on the Americas will be in the Miller Learning Center to be held on February 16-17, 2024 and hosted by the University of Georgia. About the Conference The Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute (LACSI), the University of Georgia (UGA), and the AU/UGA Medical Partnership are hosting the 27th annual Conference on the Americas in 2024 in Athens, GA. This conference provides a venue in which faculty and students from the University System of Georgia (USG) can engage and share their interest and expertise regarding the Caribbean, Latin America and Canada. Held annually for the past 26 years, we explore critical socio-cultural, political, economic, health, environmental, global, regional and national issues. While the focus of this conference is primarily for university/college faculty members, graduate and undergraduate students are encouraged to showcase their research on the Americas. 2024 Save the Date Conference.pdf CALL FOR NOMINATIONS THE GOIZUETA FOUNDATION GRADUATE SCHOLARS FUND ASSISTANTSHIP 2023-2024 The Goizueta Foundation, founded by Roberto C. Goizueta (former Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company), established The Goizueta Foundation Graduate Scholars Fund to enhance the education and skills of graduate students committed to improving Latino education. The Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education (CLASE), housed in UGA’s Mary Frances Early College of Education, administers The Goizueta Foundation Graduate Scholar program and trains and supervises the outstanding graduate students from departments across UGA who are awarded the assistantships. Scholars are expected to contribute to the educational improvement of underrepresented groups in the U.S. after graduate school. We are pleased and proud to congratulate LACSI minor, Ms. Natalie Navarette on her 2023 Rhodes Scholarship! Click here to read more about her amazing accomplishment! The Latin American and Caribbean region has had major social, cultural, political, and economic impact on the United States. This influence has increased exponentially over the last decade, especially in the state of Georgia. Establishing in-depth understandings of the region and its peoples, including those who have come to the United States from those regions and their descendants, has become crucially important in the state, and the challenge will likely grow in coming decades. LACSI’s primary mission is to address this need by promoting research, education, and service and outreach on Latin America, the Caribbean, and US Latinos. In order to achieve this goal, LACSI, 1) coordinates and administers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in support of and in collaboration with the disciplinary and multidisciplinary interests of LACSI’s faculty, 2) supports and carries out research, education, and service and outreach activities related to LACSI’s mission, and, 3) sponsors and provides, within its budgetary limitations, small grants for students and faculty. LACSI's core and affiliate faculty represent all of UGA’s colleges and professional schools, with six jointly-appointed faculty who teach the Institute's core curriculum. Through the nation's first Portuguese Flagship Program, LACSI supports thriving a thriving Portuguese language program for undergraduate students, providing them with the unique opportunity to reach advanced competency in Portuguese while also taking part in a one-of-a-kind immersion experience in Brazil. LACSI also manages one of the nations's only Quechua minor programs. As the Indigenous language with the most speakers across the Americas, with some estimates suggesting between 8 and 10 million speakers around the Andean region, this new LACSI minor continues to grow. Please explore our website, reach out to Carla York to subscribe to our LACSI listserv and newsletter (carlayork@uga.edu), and contact us to share your ideas of how we might work together. We look forward to hearing from you! Our Mission StatementLatin American and Caribbean Studies (LACS) is an interdisciplinary program within the College of Franklin Arts and Sciences. The LACS academic programs are all broad-based and multidisciplinary, offering students a comprehensive perspective on the region and opportunities to explore targeted areas of interest. The Latin American and Caribbean region has had major social, cultural, political, and economic impact on the United States. This influence has increased exponentially over the last decade, especially in the state of Georgia. Establishing in-depth understandings of the region and its peoples, including those who have come to the United States from those regions and their descendants, has become crucially important in the state, and the challenge will likely grow in coming decades. LACSI’s primary mission is to address this need by promoting research, education, and service and outreach on Latin America, the Caribbean, and US Latinos. In order to achieve this goal, LACSI shall: Coordinate and administer undergraduate and graduate degree programs in support of and in collaboration with the disciplinary and multidisciplinary interests of LACSI’s faculty; Support and carry out research, education, and service and outreach activities related to LACSI’s mission; Sponsor and provide, within its budgetary limitations, small grants for students and faculty.