It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Center
for Hispanic Studies (CHS) website and invite
you to peruse its contents. The CHS is dedicated
to the collection, generation, dissemination
and exchange of research, policy studies, and
resources in the area of Hispanic studies. Ultimately,
its scholarship and resources focus upon principles
and practices that enable social cohesion to
develop within democratically designated, complex,
pluralistic contexts, such as, but not limited
to, the United States.
The Center’s scholarship
is conducted within contexts of diversity, both
historical and contemporary, in national and global settings, with emphasis on
the southeastern United States, and Georgia in particular. The role of collaboration
is paramount in this complex undertaking. In its collaborative endeavors, the
CHS establishes and maintains long-term, productive relationships with institutions,
groups, and individuals from the private, public, and governmental sectors to
assist in achieving its goals. We are proud of the contributions made by scholars
from postsecondary institutions in countries such as Spain and Mexico to the
CHS and the Kennesaw State University community and its service area. The Center’s
partnership with the Fernbank
Museum of Natural History is especially promising, as demonstrated by our
recent Ministry
of Education and Science (Madrid, Spain) grant
regarding the 16th
Century Spanish Presence in Georgia and the surrounding region.
Please click on Links for
access to the many institutions and individuals with whom we collaborate.
The
areas of CHS scholarship relate to identity,
mobility and achievement, and embrace, among
others, education, public policy, and communications.
The Center’s
research and publications,
and its developing print and media
collection,
are available for your viewing and use.
A parallel focus of the CHS is leadership development
among our students through active engagement in
organizations and programs. The Center for Hispanic
Studies is proud to be the first postsecondary
insitution in Georgia to implement the Collegiate
Leadership Development Program, developed by the
US
Hispanic Leadership Institute, and of our
students who graduated from the program in spring
2006 and received certificates from the USHLI.
Attendance at key conferences such as the USHLI
Annual Conference and the Sumaq
Summit have provided invaluable opportunities
for our students to attend presentations and engage
in relevant discourse with political, business,
government and community leaders. Our students
have also competed successfully for internships
in major local organizations, where they engage
in activities that bring enhanced relevance to
their coursework and solid experience early in
their career development. In fall 2006, Leadership
Engagement in Applied Development (L.E.A.D.) was
established as a new unit within the CHS to continue
its active relationship with the Metro Atlanta
and wider community, and is also an authorized
student organization on the KSU campus. I invite
you to visit the L.E.A.D.
website. CHS Executive Fellow, Virgilio
Perez-Pascoe, mentors the L.E.A.D. students
and I serve as their student organization advisor.
We hope that the CHS website
is helpful to you, and would be delighted to
hear from you.
Best regards.
Robert A. DeVillar, PhD
Director
