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TITLE: A REVIEW OF SELECTED FLORIDA UNIVERSITIES’ CENTERS FOR CARIBBEAN AND / OR LATIN AMERICAN / LATINO STUDIES

OVERVIEW: This article provides information for those who are interested in finding a Center of Caribbean and / or Latin American (or Latino/a/x) Studies in Florida’s universities. This subject is important to many because the Latino population of Florida is growing—as it is in much of rest of the United States. Many of Florida’s colleges and universities have Latin American / Caribbean Studies programs. However, only three have specific centers. Thus, the interest in these centers (each of which will be presented later in the paper). University centers of such specialization are intended to provide useful resources to students, researchers, business, and government. Some publish journals and research, some participate in national / international symposia, some are teaching-focused.

DEFINITIONS / SCOPE: This paper deals with Latin American Studies (LAS) which is an academic and research field associated with the study of Latin America. There is also Latino Stud-ies. an academic discipline which studies the experience of people of Hispanic ancestry in the United States. And there is Caribbean Studies. These may be taught separately or together. Regardless, the entire area is composed of numerous disciplines such as economics, sociology, history, international relations, political science, geography, gender studies, and literature. Latin American Studies critically examine the history, culture, international relations, and politics of Latin America. In these past few decades, such programs have increasingly gained interest. Among others, the Latin American Studies Association (LASA)  has a useful list of centers, institutes, and study programs that focus on Caribbean, Latin American, and Latino Studies. Its website, the Program Directory lists 17 pages of programs. The following selection was extracted from the LASA website on 1 April 2021. The Latin American Studies Association (LASA) is the largest professional association in the world for individuals and institutions engaged in the study of Latin America. With over 13,000 members, over 60% of whom re-side outside the United States, LASA is the one association that brings together experts on Latin America from all disciplines and diverse occupational endeavors, across the globe. LASA's mission is to foster intellectual discussion, research, and teaching on Latin America, the Caribbean, and its people throughout the Americas, promote the interests of its diverse membership, and encourage civic engagement through network building and public debate.

FLORIDA’S GROWING LATINO POPULATION: A 10 July 2020 article by Jens Manuel Krogstad (Pew Research Center) cites Pew’s analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s analysis  of 2010-2019 data. His article is entitled: “His-panics have accounted for more than half of total U.S. population growth since 2020.” Florida was the third highest state in terms of actual growth numbers. “From 2010 to 2019, the U.S. population increased by 18.9 million, and Hispanics accounted for more than half (52%) of this growth, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of new U.S. Census Bureau population estimates, the last before 2020 census figures are released.” Meanwhile, in August 2020 Florida Trends Magazine—citing various, U.S. Census Bureau data, the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research, and the Brookings Institution—stated that the Hispanic population in Florida had reached 26% of the state total and that it is expected to each 33% by 2045. World Population Review reports the following population figures for Florida for 2021: More increases came throughout the decades, but the latest census shows that rises are slowing down. In 2000, the population of Florida was 15,982,378 and the increase to 2010 was therefore just 17.6%. •	If growth continues at roughly the same rate, by the time that the next Census is undertaken in 2020, the population will exceed 22 million. •	The population could potentially surpass 26 million in 2030, driven by immigration from both Northern US states and other countries. •	Much of the population increase is due to net migration, not only from overseas, but from within the US itself. •	Current claims suggest that around two thirds of residents were born in another state – a statistic that is the second highest in the US. Florida also has one of the highest populations of Hispanic res-idents in the United States. •	It is one of just eight states with a Hispanic population that exceeds one million. In fact, Hispanic residents in Florida, California, and Texas account for 55% of the total Hispanic population in the United States. •	Immigrants from Spain, Latin America and Cuba have immigrated to Florida in recent years. •	Because of the large influx of Hispanic immigrants, Spanish is spo-ken by 20% of Floridians. •	The population of non-Hispanic blacks has also increased in recent years, primarily because of Caribbean immigration and reverse mi-gration from the North. •	Florida also has a high proportion of illegal aliens with figures around 20% of the total state population, the fourth largest in the US. What does this growth mean for Florida’s universities and colleges? Florida is closer than any other state to the whole of the Caribbean and Latin America. That, its growing population, its traditional business, cultural, and ethnic links to the region, as well as  Miami’s links to international business, are plus factors, which along with developed programs in the universities and colleges are positive assets.

Cities in the western portion of the United States have large Hispanic populations, but mostly these people come from Mexico  and the few countries in Central America. Cities on the West Coast are more strategically placed for trade with Asia. Miami likely is more cosmopolitan than they are in terms of the potential reach to Latin America due to its particular international population and Florida’s solvency. “Potential” also means that Florida’s previous international history and location are positive factors.

Further, according to Colleges Simply, a website, the three universities that we are examining reported the following Hispanic student percentages.

•	University of Florida: 21% •	Florida International University:67% •	University of South Florida: 21%

FLORIDA’S UNIVERSITY CENTERS FOR CARIBBEAN AND / OR LATIN AMERICAN / LATINO STUDIES:

The University of Florida (UFL), Center for Latin American Studies “is one of the largest centers in the United States for the study of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies. Specialized degrees are offered in a wide range of subjects, including the anthropology, history, sociology, politics, geography, and languages of the region.”

It is located in Gainesville, FL and the web site states that it is the oldest such research center in the United States, having been founded in 1931.

The Center reports that it offers the following degrees and certificates. •	Undergraduate Programs • Major in Latin American Studies • Mi-nor in Latin American Studies • Certificate in Latin American Stud-ies. •	Graduate Programs • Masters in Latin American Studies • Masters in Sustainable Development Practice with the Center for African Studies. •	Combined Programs • Bachelor of Arts / Master of Arts • Bachelor of Science / Master of Science • Master of Arts / Juris Doctor with the UF Levin College of Law. •	Graduate Certificates • Latin American Studies • Sustainable Development Practice • Tropical Conservation and Development. The above list speaks to a diversity of courses—many of which are taught by faculty in other departments. The Center’s faculty and staff and affiliated faculty from other departments number more than 200. Services and Outreach. The Center and its members support the university in numerous ways, both internally and externally. Examples are conferences, exhibits, film festivals, lectures, plus music and dance performances. They also have a program to provide sup-port to K-12 teachers and provide Library Travel Grants to researchers from other colleges and universities. Library and Research Opportunities. The following is extracted from the Center’s web site and provides information on the library and its collections.

The UF Library’s Latin American and Caribbean Collection (LACC) is one of the leading research collections of its kind. It consists of over 500,000 volumes, and includes all disciplines, although literature, the humanities, and the social sciences are best represented. Interdisciplinary strengths include, but are not limited to, tropical conservation and development, gen-der issues, and religion in the Americas. All geographic regions are well-represented, with the Caribbean, circum-Caribbean, and Brazil having the deepest holdings of published material.

UF also holds valuable collections of primary courses on Caribbean History, including archives and manuscripts related to agriculture, labor, empire, and revolution in the region. For links to descriptions and finding aids, please see www.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/browseu_lacc.htm. A relatively small part of these materials has been included in the digital Library of the Carib-bean (www.dloc.com), which scholars may want to consult before visiting Gainesville. There are also some 50,000 reels of microfilm in the LACC (including scarce historical newspapers) and the http://guides.uflib.ufl.edu/laccmicrofilm.

Florida International University (FIU). Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center.

Florida International University has two campuses and multiple centers. The Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center (LACC) was founded in 1979 and is located  on the Modesto A. Maidique Campus (southwest of Miami International Airport) as part of the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). The Green School website reports-- The Green School is home to 16 of the university’s most prominent international centers, institutes, and programs, including the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as one of only 16 National Resource Centers on Latin American in the country, and the Cuban Research Institute, the nation’s premier center for academic research on Cuban and Cuban-American issues.

LACC has been designated by the U.S. State Department as a National Resource Center on Latin America. In what it call its Programs of Excellence, LACC specializes in Andean Studies, Brazilian Studies, Haitian Studies, Governance and Security, Health and Society, and Migration and Transient Communities.

The degrees offered by LACC undergraduate and graduate programs include Online Bachelor of Arts in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Master of Arts in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Undergraduate and Graduate Certificates, and various study abroad opportunities. In order to deliver these Degrees. LACC counts on its own and staff, and on  some 200 associates from across the university. Research.

Major LACC projects and proposals have addressed such topics as devel-opment prospects in Central America and Southern Mexico, immigration and diaspora communities, and the success of alternative development plans in drug-producing regions. LACC has received significant funding for projects designed to increase the quality of education on Latin America and the Caribbean and to introduce curriculum reform. Outreach.

LACC’s outreach program to Latin America and the Caribbean is among the largest and most active of its kind. As the cornerstone of its mission and in collaboration with its affiliates, other academic institutions, and the public and private organizations, LASS engages educators, media professionals, government officials, members of the private sector, and the general public through its outreach programming. Each year LACC hosts over 100 outreach events related to Latin America and the Caribbean, and local diaspora communities, that attract more than 10,000 participants. In addition to LACC’s robust year-round lecture series, major annual events include the Annual Journalists and Editors Workshops, a joint project with FIU’s Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy (JGI) and the US Southern Command designed to encourage dialogue between faculty experts, policy makers and hemispheric security officials.

University of South Florida (USF) Institute for the Study of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Institute “began as a faculty initiative in 1995 in order to support a USAID-funded training program for Latin American community organizers, and to coordinate and facilitate research and teaching in and about Latin America and the Caribbean. ISLAC is comprised of approximately 70 faculty members and staff whose work is focused on the region across campus. Our constituency currently includes USF students (approx. 46,000), the Greater Tampa Bay community (especially but not exclusively the large Hispanic and Caribbean-origin population), and other leaders, scholars and students—in the United States as well as in Latin America and the Carib-bean-- who are engaged in diverse activities in and about the region.”

Degrees and / or Certificates. The Institute is located within the College of College of Arts and Sciences, which offers a Certificate in Latin American and Carib-bean Studies.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Centers. University of Florida, Center for Latin American Studies. UF Center for Latin American Studies (ufl.edu) Florida International University. Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center. https://lacc.fiu.edu University of South Florida Institute for the Study of Latin America and the Carib-bean. Institute for the Study of Latin America and the Caribbean | University of South Florida (usf.edu)

Other. Latin American studies - Wikipedia

Latin American Studies Association (LASA) (lasaweb.org)

Where the U.S. Hispanic population grew most, least from 2010 to 2019 | Pew Research Center

Florida Trends Magazine. Article by Mike Vogel, August 26, 2020, entitled Florida’s His-panic Population Boom. Florida's Hispanic population boom - Florida Trend | Feature

Florida Population 2021 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs) (worldpopulationreview.com)

College Searches, Rankings, and Ratings. https://www.collegesimply.com