IUPLR - FEBRUARY Faculty E-mail Update


INSIDE the February 2000 Noticiero de IUPLR:

* The Center for Puerto Rican Studies, at Hunter College, has appointed Dr. Felix V. Matos Rodriguez as Center Director
* The Gates Millenium Scholars program is seeking nominees
* NALEO, NAHJ, and RAND announce student opportunities
* The Latino Studies Program at Notre Dame is seeking a joint candidate in American Politics
* Center for Biocultural Diversity Studies is now accepting papers and posters to be given at its 1st Annual Conference
* Many new faculty and student opportunities inside


IUPLR HEADQUARTER NEWS


CENTER NEWS

Center for Puerto Rican Studies, Hunter College

After an extensive national search, Dr. Felix V. Matos Rodriguez has been selected to become the next Centro Director, effective February 1, 2000. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the History Department of Northeastern University where he also served as the Interim Director of the Latino Cultural Center. At Hunter College Dr. Matos Rodriguez will be appointed to the Department of Black and Puerto Rican Studies as a tenured Associate Professor. The appointment of Dr. Matos Rodriguez as Centro Director was preceded by the tenures of Acting Director Dr. Gabriel Haslip-Viera and former directors, Dr. Juan Flores and Dr. Frank Bonilla.

Lehman College departments continue to benefit from the CUNY-UPR Academic Exchange Program by hosting University of Puerto Rico (UPR) visiting professors and sending members of their own faculty to Puerto Rico. During the present academic year the Department of Latin American & Puerto Rican Studies is hosting Dr. Aaron Gamaliel Ramos, a distinguished scholar and former Director of the Institute of Caribbean Studies at the UPR. Dr. Ramos has done research and published books and articles on issues related to annexationist and pro-independence movements in Puerto Rico, colonial societies in the modern Caribbean, regional cooperation, and the trajectory of Caribbean Studies in Puerto Rico, among others. More recently he has been doing research on higher education in Haiti. At Lehman, he will be teaching two courses as well as advancing several research and writing projects, including a study of identity and politics among Caribbean.

The Centro Library and Archives is pleased to announce the acquisition of the papers of Clemente Soto-Velez and Amanda Velez. Clemente Soto-Velez was a poet, journalist and patriot who is widely recognized as mentor to more than one generation of artists. He was a co-founder of the Puerto Rican avant-garde poetry movement Atalaya de los Dioses and of various civic and cultural organizations in New York. Amanda Velez, his wife and partner, was also active in political causes and a guiding force in several cultural organizations in New York, such as the Circulo de Escritores y Poetas Iberoamericanos (CEPI.) She was tireless in the promotion of Soto-Velez's work and diligent in preserving his papers and legacy.

Center for Mexican American Studies, UT-Austin
Event in March

March 2nd Esteva Lecture. Gustavo Esteva, activist and intellectual from Oaxaca, Mexico, will present a lecture entitled "Autonomy, the Zapatistas, and Grassroots Struggles." The event will take place in the Bass Lecture Hall of the LBJ School of Public Affairs at 7:00 p.m. This is the fourth lecture of the Race, Class, and Gender Formation in the Borderlands annual lecture series, which is co-sponsored by the Chicana/o Latina/o Graduate Student Association (CLGSA) and CMAS.

March 4th
Longhorn Leaders Day. The Kappa Delta Chi Sorority will host the first Annual Longhorn Leaders Day. The purpose of the project is to encourage Austin area Hispanic female high-school students to attend the University of Texas. The topics to be covered include financial aid, SAT prep classes, college admissions, and academic and social issues of college life. For information, contact Zoraima Diaz at zoraima@mail.utexas.edu, or 919-8007, or Gloria Luna at 731-8532.

For more information at events sponsored by the Center, contact Jordana Barton at: (512) 471-2136.


FACULTY NEWS

Angela Valenzuela, associate professor in Mexican American studies and education at the University of Texas at Austin, recently discussed her book, "Subtractive Schooling: U.S.-Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring." Valenzuela joined the UT faculty last semester. Her book, which was published by State University of New York Press, is part of the SUNY series The Social Context of Education, edited by Christine E. Sleeter.

The Centro for Puerto Rican Studies, Hunter College, is pleased to announce its sponsorship of Yolanda Martinez-San Miguel, recipient of a Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, as she conducts research here and at the Dominican Studies Institute at City College during this academic year. Currently an Assistant Professor of Spanish at Princeton University, Martinez-San Miguel has also taught at the University of Puerto Rico, and the University of California-Berkeley. She has published various articles on cultural representations of Latin American women in national formation discourses and the representation of contemporary Puerto Rican identities in the Island and in the United States.


OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUR STUDENTS

The Gates Millenium Scholars is aimed at increasing the number of low-income African American, Asian Pacific Americans, American Indian/Alaska Natives, and Hispanic Americans enrolling in and completing undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this award program promotes academic excellence and enhances access to higher education for thousands of outstanding low-income students. The program is currently inviting college faculty, high schools teachers, and high school counselors throughout the country to nominate students who have high academic achievement, severe financial need, and leadership abilities. In this, its inaugural year, the Gates Millenium Scholars is open to all eligible high school seniors applying to college, as well as currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students. Nomination materials must be postmarked by March 15, 2000. For more information, contact the Gates Millenium Scholars at: P.O. Box 10500, Fairfax, Virginia 22031, or call toll-free at: 877-690-GMSP (4677).

The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) is currently accepting applications for the 2000 Shell Legislative Internship Program and the Ford Motor Company Fellows Program.
--Participation in the Shell Legislative Internship Program includes (SLIP) includes: attendance at NALEO's Annual Conference in Denver, CO (all expenses paid); one week experience in Washington DC meeting Department heads, White House officials, and Members of US Congress (paid housing at George Washington University); four week Internship with a Latino elected official from your home state; Paid transportation to Denver, CO, Washington DC, and back home; and a $1,500 stipend. The deadline to apply for SLIP is March 3, 2000.
--Participation in the Ford Motor Company Fellows Program includes: attendance at NALEO's Annual Conference in Denver, CO (all expenses paid); Washington DC - meeting White House officials and Department Heads; a four week Internship with Members of Congress; paid housing at George Washington University; conducting a policy research project; and a $1,200 stipend. The deadline to apply for this Fellows Program is March 24, 2000.
--For an application, please e-mail Marina Martinez at: mmartinez@naleo.org. For more information on either one of these opportunities, visit NALEO's website at: www.naleo.org.

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is currently accepting applications for its 2000 Student Projects and Student Campus to be conducted at the 18th Annual Convention in Houston, on June 21-24. The NAHJ invites students to apply for an intensive three-day journalism campus project prior to the association's convention in Houston. Students will take part in a journalism education seminar at the University of Houston that will be conducted by journalism educators and professionals. Students will attend the convention following the three-day seminar. NAHJ will cover registration and accommodations of students selected for the project. To request an application, please call (202) 662-7145.

The Population and Research Center at the University of Texas-Austin will be hosting its annual Research Experience for Undergraduates program in Minority Group Demography in the Summer of 2000. This ten-week program offers undergraduates with junior or senior standing the opportunity to study demography through course work on demographic methods and a research apprenticeship with a PRC faculty affiliate. The program provides travel funds, tuition and books, room and board, and a $2000 stipend. Students will register for a 3-hour summer course in Analytical Demography during the first half of the summer, then dedicate the second half of the summer to their own projects in collaboration with a faculty mentor. The deadline for the application is March 6, 2000. Application materials can be downloaded from the PRC's web site at: http://www.prc.utexas.edu/. For more information, contact the student coordinator, Elizabeth Durden, at (512) 232-1712, or by e-mail at: tedurden@prc.utexas.edu.

The Migrant Farmworkers Project, in Kansas City, Missouri, is seeking a volunteer for a full-time social servant in the Fall of 2000. The project volunteer will have duties such as: outreach to farmworkers, providing transportation to medical and other appointments, assisting with case management for farmworkers with health care and social service needs, and other varied duties. This is a stipendiary volunteer position. For more information, contact Clare Murphy, project director, at (816) 474-9868. Deadline for application is May 10, 2000. RAND, the original think-tank, located in Santa Monica, CA and Washington, DC, is a non-profit institution that helps improve policy and decision making through research and analysis. They are interested in meeting students working on or completing doctoral degrees in Economics, Statistics, and Behavioral Sciences who may be interested in either career or summer internship opportunities. RAND is offering exciting career opportunities. For additional information check their website at http://www.rand.org.

The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan is offering a summer program in policy skills for students interested in pursuing professional careers in public policy. The Summer Program emphasizes the improvement of analytical and quantitative skills vital to success in public policy and international affairs. The Summer Program is an intensive six-week program designed to improve the student's communicative and quantitative skills, which are vital to success in graduate programs in public policy and international affairs. Eligible students must have completed the junior year of college and have at least one full semester of coursework left before graduation. Applications and supporting documents must be submitted to: Summer Program in Public Policy and International Affairs (SPPIA), Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan, 611 Tappan Street, 440 Lorch Hall, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1220. Applications, including official transcripts and letters of recommendation, must be received by March 24. For further information or questions, please contact the Summer Program in Public Policy and International Affairs (SPPIA) office at: (734) 764-0453, or by e-mail at: ppia2000@umich.edu. You may also check their website at: http://www.spp.umich.edu.

Amnesty International USA announces the Patrick Stewart Human Rights Scholarships for Summer 2000. Founded in 1996 and fully funded by actor and activist Patrick Stewart and the Joseph Drown Foundation, the Patrick Stewart Human Rights scholarship provides a unique opportunity for student activists to do applied human rights fieldwork. Recipients plan their own summer internship with a local or global human rights organization or develop a summer project lasting six weeks to four months to promote human rights awareness. Most projects combine development of activist skills with training and research. Scholarships are open to high school, college or graduate students. Scholarship stipends range from $300 to $1800 to be used for travel, expenses, materials, etc. The application deadline is March 15, 2000. For more information, visit their web site at: www.amnestyusa.org.


FACULTY OPPORTUNITIES

The Department of Government and International Studies invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor with research and teaching interests in American politics. Successful candidates will contribute to Notre Dame's Latino Studies program. Starting date is August 2000. Applications will be considered until the position is filled. Candidates should send an application letter, a vita, a transcript of graduate work, three letters of recommendation, evidence of teaching performance, and one writing sample to: Chair, American Politics/Latino Studies search, Department of Government, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556.

Indiana University invites applications for a position in the Department of Communication and Culture and the Latino Studies Program. They are seeking a specialist in media in relation to Latino populations in the US. Applications should arrive by March 15, 2000. Letters of application should be accompanied by a vita, samples of scholarship, evidence of effective teaching experience, and a list of three or more references. Applications should be mailed to: Search Committee Chair, Department of Communication and Culture, 809 E. 7th St., Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405. Additional information is available at: http://www.indiana.edu/~latino.

The Chicana/Chicano Studies Program at University of California-Davis seeks a full-time, tenure-track assistant professor. They are seeking a social science generalist in Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies with a specialization in any of the following areas: economic and urban restructuring, transnational migrations, social movements, border/studies, and/or community studies. The position starts in Fall Quarter of 2000. Teaching responsibilities begin 9/18/00. Applicants should submit a cover letter of interest including a statement of research and teaching interests, a curriculum vitae, copies of published books, articles or other examples of scholarly writing; and the names and addresses of references to: Professor Kevin Johnson, Search Committee Chair, Chicana/o Studies Program One Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616. For inquiries about the position, call (530) 752-2421, or e-mail at: krjohnson@ucdavis.edu. Application deadline is March 17, 2000.

The Department of Chicano Studies in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities invites applications for a full-time, nine-month, tenure-track appointment at the Assistant Professor level effective August 2000. Areas of specialization are sought in Political Science or Sociology. Preference will be given to candidates with a broad interest and experience in Chicano Studies scholarship. Applicants should submit a letter of application, curriculum vitae, and three letters of evaluation to: Chair of the Chicano Studies Search Committee, Department of Chicano Studies, 2 Scott Hall, 72 Pleasant Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. The search will remain open until the position is filled. For more information contact: Helen Rieger, Executive Secretary, Chicano Studies Department, (612) 624-6309, or e-mail at: riege002@tc.umn.edu.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison, College of Letters and Science, seeks to fill four positions in Ethnic Studies at the rank of assistant, associate, or full professor, to begin August 2000. This recruitment effort is part of a campus initiative to broaden the scope of ethnic studies and enhance interdisciplinary scholarship in this area. Applications are invited from qualified persons with expertise or strong interest in ethnic studies and a specialization in humanities, behavioral and social sciences, creative arts, creative writing, business, communication, law, or medicine. Preference will be given to individuals interested in inter-group relations, human rights, immigration, Chicano history, Asian American history, any area of American Indian studies, or any area of Afro American studies. These positions would be half time in one or more of four Ethnic Studies units (Afro-American Studies, American Indian Studies, Asian American Studies, or Chicano Studies) and half time in a tenure-home department. Qualified persons should submit TWO COPIES of a letter of application referencing, a current vita, and three letters of reference to: .Ethnic Studies Recruitment Committee, Professor Gary Sandefur, Chair, C/O Janet Donlin, Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1180 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706. To ensure full consideration, send all materials by March 31, 2000.

The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, at the National Institutes of Health, is launching a web-based project to increase the number of minority scientists in the behavioral and social sciences. They are working through the Institutes in using an established NIH mechanism - the Research Supplements for Underrepresented Minorities program. This is how the project works: NIH grantees who are interested in mentoring minority students are encouraged to visit the web site, and add their name and information on their research program to a database. Once there are an adequate number of PI's in the database, they will invite minority students to search the site for potential mentors. Minority applicants will then have an opportunity to submit an application directly to a mentor via the site. PI's will then contact the Institutes awarding their grant to see if an administrative supplement is possible. For more information, please visit the site at: http://www4.od.nih.gov/research.

The U.S. Department of States invites applicants to apply for the position of Personnel Staffing Specialist. This position is located in the Bureau of Personnel, Office of Recruitment, Examination and Employment, Recruitment Division. The incumbent serves as a trainee responsible for 1) developing and executing a recruitment plan to meet the Department's staffing needs for professional, scientific, technical, administrative, and clerical personnel; 2) developing and maintaining a cooperative relationship with various institutions, groups, etc. from which the Department can recruit highly qualified applicants to fill future vacancies in the Department; 3) providing recruitment and examination literature to individuals and organizations seeking information on career opportunities in the Department; 4) maintaining a public affairs and marketing program; 5) developing a comprehensive correspondence program for tracking applicants for Foreign Service and Student appointments; and 6) recommending changes in division procedures to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Mail applications to: U.S. Department of State, Office of Civil Service Personnel Management, P.O. Box 58040, Washington, DC 20037-8040. For additional information and copies of forms, call (202) 647-7284.


EVENTS, CONFERENCES, and ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Latino Coalition for a Healthy California (LCHC) is pleased to announce their upcoming conference entitled, "2,000 for 2000: Advancing Latino Health", to be held in Sacramento, California, February 23-25, 2000. This year's conference will be a major rallying point for legislators, policymakers, community advocates, and community-based organizations and promises to be especially important and well attended as it opens on the eve of the California presidential primaries and U.S. Census. The conference will feature prominent community leaders such as Edward James Olmos, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, Antonia Hernandez, Dr. David Hayes-Bautista, California State Assemblyman, California State Assemblyman Gilbert Cedillo, California State Assemblyman Martin Gallegos, and California State Senator Richard Polanco, Dolores Huerta of the UFW. Join them in making this conference a success. To learn more about becoming a conference participant, sponsor, exhibitor or advertiser or presenter, click on their web site at: http://www.lchc.org.

The Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives, The Mexico-North Research Network, the Latin American Research Program of the Smithsonian's Department of Anthropology, and IUPLR, in conjunction with the Latina-Latino Heritage and Environments Program and the Center for Biocultural Diversity Studies, present the 1st Annual Conference entitled, "Exploring Biocultural and Heritage Diversity Through Innovative Research and Education in Borderland Environments." The conference will be held on June 14-17, 2000, in Chihuahua City, Mexico. Interactive workshops will bring together U.S. and Mexican scholars to discuss international environmental and heritage issues. The regional focus of the conference is northern Mexico and the Southwest of the United States, although borderland environmental issues in other Latino settings will be explored. Stipends are available to assist U.S. Latino/Latina graduate students to attend the conference and/or participate as panelists and presenters. To request a stipend application form, please contact: J. Andrew Darling, Mexico-North Research Network, 1650 Sioux Dr. CH44-790, El Paso, TX 79925. You may also reach him by e-mail at:darling@online.com.mx. Applications are also available at: www.mexnor.org. Applications must be postmarked by April 15, 2000. Awards will be announced by May 15, 2000.

Also, the Center for Biocultural Diversity Studies is now accepting papers and posters to be given at it's 1st Annual Conference: "Exploring Diversity Through Innovative Research and Education in Borderland Environments." Please register and submit your abstract of 200 words or less by March 30, 2000

The 27th Annual NACCS (National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies) Conference, "Sabiduria, Lucha y Liberacion," will take place March 22-25 in Portland, Oregon. For information, contact Carlos Maldonado, Conference Coordinator, at (509) 359-6146 or cmaldonado@ewu.edu, or Carmen Rubio, Conference Liaison in Portland, at (503) 248-5239 or e-mail at: carmen.c.rubio@multnomah.or.us.

The Director and Staff of the Smithsonian Institution's Monitoring and Assessment of Biodiversity Program (SI/MAB) are pleased to announce the international biodiversity conservation curriculum for 2000. The two complementary courses that form this year's curriculum offer a complete and essential program for conservation biologists, ecologists, resource managers and environmental leaders. The Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring for Adaptive Management course guides you through the process of designing, implementing and monitoring local and regional biodiversity programs. The Environmental Leadership course emphasizes communication skills to facilitate your interaction with managers, decision-makers and resource personnel. Course 1: Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring for Adaptive Management, May 14 - June 16, 2000. Course 2: The Smithsonian Environmental Leadership Course, September 10-22, 2000. For More Information, contact: Christopher Ros, SI/MAB Program, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, 10th and Constitution Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20560-0180. You may also contact them be e-mail at: cjr@ic.si.edu, or visit their web site at: www.si.edu/simab.

The III Encuentro Regional de Literatura Fronteriza will take place May 5-7 in Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. Those interested in submitting a paper should send an abstract to Norma E. Cantu, Texas A&M International University, 5201 University Boulevard, Laredo, Texas 78041. The deadline for submissions is April 15. For more information, please contact Norma Cantu at necantu@tamiu.edu, or Jose Luis Velarde at joseluisvelarde@hotmail.com.


IUPLR E-mail Update compiled by:
Victor Saenz 4203 Afton Lane
Austin, TX 78744
vsaenz@prodigy.net