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

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 .