David López-Carr is a Professor in the UCSB Department of Geography, and, until recently, the Director of the Latin American & Iberian Studies Program. After 3 years of service to the latter, he has turned over the reins to a new director. Lopez-Carr prepared these words in his last official role as LAIS director at the awards ceremony (see the full text here):
As I leave the Directorship of Latin American and Iberian Studies (LAIS), I am grateful for the support of staff, undergraduate majors, graduate students, and the 70 faculty affiliates across campus. Every institution experiences stresses that test its mettle. We have suffered our share of these over the past three years. Yet, with our collective resolve, we have sustained and grown the vitality of this program. Together, we accomplished much: Over two dozen co-sponsored talks and events with departments and research groups spanning Humanities, Social Sciences, and Math and Life Sciences, as well as the continuation of our annual Holiday and End of the Year Awards celebrations and of our weekly e-Noticias showcasing the richness of LAIS-related campus and community events.
When I became director in the summer of 2012, I pledged a three-fold vision: 1. to add more faculty affiliates, particularly in the social and physical sciences, 2. to revamp our graduate curriculum to better prepare our graduates for successful completion of an MA thesis and for non-academic jobs or PhD programs, and
Transparency, inclusion, and participation are the lifeblood of a successful program. At the beginning of my tenure as Director, we created a shared governance system to involve LAIS faculty more regularly in our decision-making process. In our faculty meeting of spring 2012 we voted to establish an executive committee comprised of the immediate past Director, an undergraduate advisor, and a graduate advisor. Professor Casillas and I met regularly to discuss graduate program issues. All executive committee members were invited to opine on program matters such as student applications, curriculum, and awards. In response to traditionally low faculty meeting turnout, we decided on several occasions, and with some success, to hold our biannual faculty meetings immediately before our social events. I appreciate the input and guidance from our executive committee members, our former Directors, and other LAIS faculty.
We have done much and we have the potential to do much more. LAIS is the cemento at UCSB that joins scholars from diverse disciplines who share a love for Latin America and Iberia. We thrive only with the support and dedication of students, staff, and affiliated faculty.
I welcome our incoming leadership group – Silvia Bermudez, undergraduate advisor, Emiko Saldivar, graduate advisor, and Casey Walsh, Director. With them, LAIS remains in muy buenas manos. Under their stewardship and with continued dedication of students, staff, and affiliated faculty, I have no doubt LAIS can become stronger. I am confident they will sustain our good work and, buoyed by your positive, energetic involvement, make our program thrive and grow in exciting new directions. Thank you all for your support of our program.
Editor’s note: at the ceremony, Lopez-Carr and honorary geographer, Teresa Figueroa (Jose Saleta’s wife), were both recognized with the Outstanding Faculty Graduate Mentor Award.
