Timeline
The success of the UIC-based Mellon/IUPLR Dissertation Completion Grant leads the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to invite its Principal Investigator Dr. María de los Ángeles Torres, former executive director of the Inter-University Program for Latino Research (IUPLR) consortium at UIC (2013-2018) and professor of Latin American and Latino Studies, to envision and design a new initiative for US Latino doctoral students and Latino Studies.
Spring 2019
Dr. Torres, then UIC Chancellor Michael D. Amiridis, and Dr. Amalia Pallares, Associate Chancellor and Vice Provost for Diversity, jointly identify the need to create a dedicated consortium of U.S. Latino research bringing together Research 1 Hispanic Serving Institutions to address the low numbers of Latino/Hispanic PhDs and increase the dismal percentages of full-time tenured Latino faculty.
Spring 2019
Drs. Amiridis, Pallares, and Torres enter conversations with the President and Officers of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to propose the creation of a R-1 HSI consortium.
Fall 2019
Conversations extend to include national organizations such as Excelencia in Education.
Fall 2019
UIC is invited to submit a Mellon Officer’s grant proposal that will lead to the creation of a consortium of the sixteen R1 HSIs envisioned to advance a comparative Latino Studies Humanities Agenda while creating a shared communication and collaborative infrastructure.
Spring 2020
UIC is awarded a $150,000 Officer’s Grant from the Mellon Foundation to launch and lead a new consortium of 16 R-1 HSIs organizing meetings among the 16 chancellors and presidents and scholars in the 16 universities.
July 2020
Strategic consultative meetings among presidents/chancellors and stakeholders to find common strengths, to gauge levels of interest, to explore how to best serve their Hispanic/Latinx student population, and to determine how cross- regional collaborative research in these major universities could look like in the third decade of the twenty-first century.
Chancellor Amiridis, Drs. Torres and Pallares convene and host at UIC the virtual event “Crossing Latinidades: A Meeting of the R1 HSIs” to work on building a unique academic consortium to advance Latino Studies and address the diversification of faculty. Sixteen chancellors and presidents affirm their support and participation in the consortium to be chaired by Michael Amiridis (UIC); Dr. Robin L. Garell (CUNY-The Graduate Center); Dr. Mark B. Rosenberg (Florida International University); Dr. Lawrence Schovanec (Texas Tech University); Dr. Robert C. Robbins (University of Arizona, Tucson); Dr. Howard Gillman (University of California, Irvine); Dr. Kim A. Wilcox (University of California, Riverside); Dr. Henry T. Yang (University of California, Santa Barbara); Dr. Cynthia K. Larive (University of California, Santa Cruz); Dr. Alexander N. Cartwright (University of Central Florida); Dr. Renu Khator (University of Houston); Dr. Garnett S. Stokes (University of New Mexico); Dr. Keith E. Whitfield (University of Nevada, Las Vegas); Dr. Neal J. Smatresk (University of North Texas); Dr. Teik C. Lim (University of Texas, Arlington); and Dr. Heather Wilson, (University of Texas, El Paso).
Five multi-university faculty working groups are established to create an infrastructure for collaboration in the areas of Pathways, Teaching, Collaborating Research, Cultural Programming, and Archives and Collections.
[Upcoming video will be available in the Crossing Latinidades YouTube Channel]
October 2020
A survey of institutional resources, academic programs, research initiatives, libraries and archives, and publications was also conducted. Members of the five working groups meet regularly throughout the winter and spring 2021 to develop the blueprint for the humanities and humanistic social science research for the consortium.
Three pilot proposals featuring multi-institutional collaborative and comparative humanities research projects emerged from this planning grant focusing on important themes and issues: 1.) An innovative curricular and pedagogical approach for HSIs that develops models of creative writing that move beyond craft to write about race, politics, and identity and to engage with the social, the historical, the communal, and the political; 2.) Spanish as Heritage Language (SHL) curricular configurations leading to self-assessments, a best practice working paper, and an intercampus pilot coursework connecting to SHL programs; and 3.) A study of climate change and environmental justice looking at the restoration, preservation, and accessibility of water resources in Latino/a/x communities that addresses the ways in which water, infrastructure, and human communities interact as well as the modes of knowledge generated by these interactions.
Winter/ Spring 2021
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation invites UIC to submit the concept paper: “Crossing Latinidades: Developing Humanities Scholars and the Field” for a new comparative Latino Humanities Studies research and training initiatives under the Crossing Latinidades consortium. The collaborative research experience of these pilot groups serves as the basis for the conceptualization of the research working groups in this proposal.
April 2021
Principal Investigators María de los Ángeles Torres and Amalia Pallares are invited by the Mellon Foundation to submit a full proposal for the implementation of a consortium of 16 R-1 HSIs and humanities activities.
May 2021
The sixteen chancellors and presidents reaffirm their support and participation in the Crossing Latinidades consortium by issuing letters of commitment.
July 2021
The Mellon Foundation (formerly Andrew W. Mellon Foundation) awards the University of Illinois at Chicago a five-million-dollar grant for a period of three years to implement the consortium of 16 R1 HSI and three programs for second- third year doctoral students, a grant competition for ten research working groups, and the development of a web portal to connect all.
September 2021
The Crossing Latinidades Consortium initiate its activities with the Mellon Foundation humanities grant that serves as the anchor for a consortium of R1 HSIs. Dr. Olga U. Herrera, becomes Managing Director of the Crossing Latinidades Humanities Research Initiative.
October 1st, 2021
The Crossing Latinidades Humanities Research Initiative announce a Call for Applications for doctoral students for the 2022 Summer Institute in Latino Studies Methodologies and Theories to take place at UIC. It also issues a Call for Proposals for faculty for its Crossing Latinidades Research Working Groups Grant Competition
November 2021
Meeting of Chancellors and Presidents hosted by UIC to take consortium to next stage. The vision is to expand in various area of Latinos and Latino Studies such as Law Schools, Medical Schools, STEM. A new name for the consortium is proposed – Alliance for Hispanic Serving Research Universities.
December 2021
Chancellor Amiridis takes the job of President of the University of South Carolina, he resigns from UIC. In announcing his departure UIC System President Tim Killeen noted Dr. Amiridis’ achievements: “Michael has established a position of national higher education leadership for UIC. He led the creation of a new consortium of Hispanic-serving research universities that is having a major impact in improving diversity among researchers and faculty.”
January 2022
The Crossing Latinidades Initiative selects 32 doctoral students in Latino humanities/ humanistic social sciences for its 2023 Summer Institute.
February 2022
The Crossing Latinidades Humanities Research Initiative awards 30 fellowships of 30 doctoral students for the year 2022-2023.
April 2022
The Crossing Latinidades Humanities Research Initiative announces the winners of ten Latino research working group grants.
May 2022
Crossing Latinidades Consortium becomes the Alliance for Hispanic Serving Research Universities
May 2022
The 2022 Summer Institute in Latino Studies in Latino Studies Methodologies and Theories is held at UIC.
June-July 2022
The Crossing Latinidades Mentoring Program is launched with the 32 participants of the Summer Institute and 32 faculty of universities across the US.
August 2022
Crossing Latinidades Research Working Groups start their research.
August 2022
The Crossing Latinidades Humanities Research Initiative announce a Call for Applications for doctoral students for the 2023 Summer Institute in Latino Studies Methodologies and Theories to take place at UIC.
November 2022
The Initiative Launches the Crossing Latinidades Speakers Series, as an exploration of key texts. The inaugural conversation between scholars in Latino Studies feature Maria de los Angeles Torres, Renato Rosaldo and Jonathan X. Inda discussing the book Culture and Truth: The Remaking of Social Analysis (Beacon Press, 1989).
March 2023
Second Crossing Latinidades Speakers Series Conversation featuring Rina Benmayor, William V. Flores and Richard Flores discussing the book Latino Cultural Citizenship: Claiming Identity, Space, and Rights (Beacon Press, 1997).
April 2023