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Records of the University of Florida Center for Latin American Studies Office of the Director

 Series
Identifier: Series 023

Scope and Content

Series 23 contains records related to the creation and development of the Center for Latin American Studies and its predecessors, the Institute of Inter-American Affairs and the School of Inter-American Studies. The series is divided into subseries reflecting the administrations of different directors of the Center.

Subseries 1 (formerly Subseries 23a) (1928-1958) includes the records of the Institute of Inter-American Affairs' first director, Rollin S. Atwood, and his successors, John F. Martin and A. Curtis Wilgus. Subseries 2 (formerly Subseries 23b) (1950-1967) contains files of A. Curtis Wilgus and his successor, Lyle N. McAlister. Subseries 3 (formerly Subseries 23c) (1961-1977) consists of the files of William E. Carter, plus additional files of Lyle N. McAlister and a few of C. Curtis Wilgus. The majority of Subseries 4 contains records from Charles Wood, Center Director from 1996-2004, and Carmen Diana Deere, Center Director from 2004-2009. Contained in this subseries is information on the establishment of the UF-Cuba program, the development of several degree programs in conjunction with the Center, program reviews of the Center, and information on UF's potential, but ultimately unfulfilled, acquisition of the Popenoe Mansion in Antigua, Guatemala.

Dates

  • Creation: 1928 - 2011

Creator

Access

University Archives collections are available for research. Portions of the collections may be restricted due to the requirements of applicable state and federal laws, including but not limited to FERPA and HIPAA, and in accordance with best practices as defined by the Society of American Archivists.

Biographical / Historical

The Center for Latin American Studies at UF began on June 2, 1930, when UF President John J. Tigert announced the creation of the Institute for Inter-American Affairs. This Institute was the first research center created in the United States whose focus was on Latin America.

In 1951, the Institute was renamed to the School of Inter-American Studies in order to provide degree programs with a Latin American emphasis. The Master of Arts degree in Latin American Studies has been offered since 1952, but the first master’s thesis on a Latin American topic was approved in 1929. From 1952-1971, the School of Inter-American Studies also offered a Ph.D.: first in Inter-American Studies and then in Latin American Studies.

In 1961, the Latin American program was among the first in the nation to be designated as a National Resource Center by the US Department of Education, and received assistance and fellowships through the Department of Education’s Title VI program in area studies. The School of Inter-American Studies was renamed to be the Center for Latin American Studies in 1963.

Former Directors of the Center for Latin American Studies:

Rollin S. Atwood (1930-1943)

John F. Martin (1943-1951)

A. Curtis Wilgus (1951-1963)

Lyle N. McAlister (1963-1968)

William E. Carter (1968-1977)

Ivan A. Schulman (1977-1980)

Helen M. Icken Safa (1980-1985)

Terry McCoy (1985-1996)

Charles H. Wood (1996-2004)

Carmen Diana Deere (2004-2009)

Philip J. Williams (2009-2019)

Carlos de la Torre (2019-)

For more information on the Center’s history, see their History page .

Extent

24 Linear feet (58 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Records related to the creation and development of the University of Florida Center for Latin American Studies and its predecessors, the Institute of Inter-American Affairs and the School of Inter-American Studies.

Physical Location

University of Florida Smathers Library Building

Related Materials

Latin American and Caribbean Poster Collection, at Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

Title
A Guide to the Records of the University of Florida Center for Latin American Studies Office of the Director
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid created by Dept. Staff
Date
September 2010 (Updated May 2021)
Description rules
Finding Aid Prepared Using Dacs
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is written in English.

Revision Statements

  • January 2020: Revised by Sarah Coates to add subseries 4, and to remove subseries letters from subseries titles

Repository Details

Part of the Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida Repository

Contact:
George A. Smathers Libraries
PO Box 117005
Gainesville Florida 32611-7005 United States of America
352-273-2755