David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies Harvard
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David Rockefeller Center Harvard University for Latin American Studies Annual Report 2014–15 drclas.harvard.edu 1 OBJECTIVES Expand research and teaching on Latin America at Harvard From the Director Strengthen ties between Harvard University and institutions throughout Latin America Enhance public understanding of Latin THIS FIRST YEAR OF OUR THIRD DECADE has been transforming for DRCLAS. Staff in Cambridge, and in the overseas offices, America in the United States and abroad have been busy implementing our many programs and engaging individuals across regions, constituencies and disciplines. In 2014–15, over 200 grants and fellowships were awarded to MISSION students, including 12 grants to Harvard student organizations for events and conferences, 28 term-time grants to facilitate the completion of individual dissertations or thesis research The David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard during the winter break, 27 summer research grants and four independent internship grants for summer travel to Latin University works to increase the knowledge of the cultures, economies, America, among others. The Center also sponsored more than 200 students traveling to Latin America to participate in 10 measure our impact and progress over time, while our DRCLAS histories, environment and contemporary affairs of Latin America; foster internship programs and eleven January courses. For the first staff focused on the efficiency of the offices to support these time in Harvard history, this upcoming fall semester the most goals. We identified three pillars: undergraduate and graduate cooperation and understanding among the peoples of the Americas; and popular destination for study abroad, overshadowing even student engagement; faculty research and teaching; and Paris and Beijing, is in Latin America—at the Universidad de la bringing Latin America to Harvard. contribute to democracy, social progress and sustainable development Habana in Cuba! We have growth in our student engagement We presented these pillars at the Executive Session during that is unparalleled at Harvard. the annual Advisory Committee in May, where our AC members throughout the hemisphere. This year, the Center also funded a wide range of faculty engaged in a lively discussion, calling for implementation of the projects through the Faculty Grants program. Awards included pillars across broader themes such as energy, the environment, nine research grants, one research conference grant, two public health, inequality and childhood education, which would workshop grants, two course-based field trip grants, one bridge our offices and engage collaborators in Latin America. curriculum development grant, two language study and Our work ahead will be to finalize this plan as the Executive translation grants, and two grants for ongoing programs. Grant Committee reconvenes in the fall. recipients included faculty from FAS, SEAS, HKS, GSD, HMS, and For their support and participation, we are deeply grateful HSPH, and their topics ranged across the humanities, sciences to our Advisory Committee members and friends, with whom and social disciplines. In this last year, DRCLAS also hosted we share a vision for Latin America at Harvard and for Harvard 14 visiting scholars who brought insights and excellence from in Latin America. Our success in implementing this vision Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Peru and depends, of course, on a remarkably adept and dedicated staff beyond. at DRCLAS. We are a model for international centers because The Center was very busy with travel to visit our colleagues, Table of Contents of your support and their hard work, our esprit de corps fueled alumni and friends in the region. In October, Ned Strong and I by enthusiasm for our mission and the vibrant, intellectual and were in Mexico City for the visit of President Drew Faust and Vice passionate drive of the Harvard students and faculty so fully 01 11 21 Provost Jorge I. Domínguez to celebrate the 25th anniversary of engaged with the land we love. FROM THE DIRECTOR FACULTY RESEARCH & ADVISORS & SPONSORS the Fundación Mexico en Harvard and the Your Harvard alumni TEACHING Faculty Governance event. We later traveled to Brazil, where we visited our Office in São Paulo and colleagues at Universidade de São Paulo, and to 02 Faculty Grants DRCLAS IN LATIN AMERICA Advisory Committee Peru, for the inauguration of the new agreement between that country’s Universidad de Tecnología e Ingeniería and Harvard's Brazil Office Advisory Group Brazil Office 12 John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. As BRIAN D. FARRELL ABBREVIATION KEY EVENTS AND CONFERENCES Cuban Studies Program I write, I am again in the Dominican Republic with a group of 10 Mexico, Central America and Professor of Biology DRCLAS: David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies Harvard undergraduate students for my Harvard Summer School the Caribbean Office Advisory Group Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology FAS: Faculty of Arts and Sciences 14 Course, Biodiversity of Hispaniola, and I am also pleased to say Regional Office Advisory Curator in Entomology, Museum of Comparative Zoology GSAS: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Regional Office VISITING PROFESSORS & that we have expanded the DRCLAS Mexico and Central America Group Director, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies GSD: Harvard Graduate School of Design SCHOLARS Program into the Caribbean (MCCP) and are establishing a HBS: Harvard Business School 06 corresponding Faculty Committee to advise us. HDS: Harvard Divinity School Visiting Scholars and Fellows The DRCLAS Faculty Executive Committee and staff have PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES 24 HGSE: Harvard Graduate School of Education Program been working on a strategic plan for the coming years that will Andes and Southern Cone FINANCIAL STATEMENT HKS: Harvard Kennedy School Cuban Visiting Scholars and coalesce the programs and emphases we have established over HLS: Harvard Law School Program the past 20 years. Last fall we began the multi-step process. A Scientists HMS: Harvard Medical School 25 meeting of the Executive Committee was convened to review Brazil Studies Program HSPH: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health DRCLAS STAFF AND our mission and identify the key pillars of DRCLAS by which to 15 SEAS: Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Cuban Studies Program INTERNS Applied Sciences PUBLICATIONS Mexico, Central America, Front Cover: Capitol building in Havana, Cuba. Photo and the Caribbean Program 16 courtesy of Director Brian D. Farrell. STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES Back Cover: Prize-winning sculpture by Cuban architects Program for Latin American Mario Coyula, Emilio Escobar and José Villa at the Libraries and Archives Necrópolis de Colón in Havana, Cuba. Photo courtesy of Director Brian D. Farrell. ARTS@DRCLAS 2 DAVID ROCKEFELLER CENTER FOR LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES Harvard College students take a cultural visit to Harvard College MLAB Estancia Santa Susana participants and Brazilian during the Summer High School students at Internship Program in Pedra Grande Park in São Argentina. Paulo, Brazil. DRCLAS in Latin America Brazil Office During the 2014–15 academic year, the Brazil Office Program and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. OUR THANKS focused on four goals: strengthen the pipeline To engage and serve more Harvard faculty and Core funding from the Lemann of Harvard students engaging with Brazil and of students, we intend to build on our ECD work in Family and Lemann Foundation has Brazilian students enrolling at Harvard; help improve other aspects of human development, well-being and been vital to all that we do. We the well-being and life outcomes for vulnerable productivity throughout the lifespan. deeply appreciate the generosity and partnership of the Fundação children in Brazil; advance the establishment of a In the area of cities, we organized and co-hosted Maria Cecília Souto Vidigal and multi-year cities collaboration; and better use existing the International Symposium on Ecological Urbanism the individual supporters who Visiting Scholar opportunities at Harvard. and the book launch and exhibition of Urbanismo make our work possible. Harvard’s Record numbers of students traveled to Brazil in Ecológico. Mohsen Mostafavi, Dean of the Harvard Center for Public Interest Careers, 2014–15. Collaborative field courses in public health Graduate School of Design (GSD), and GSD Professors Government Department, Global and engineering, mentorship, summer internships, Charles Waldheim, Diane Davis and Gareth Doherty Health Institute, John A. Paulson and other academic and professional opportunities welcomed an audience of over 250 people for the School of Engineering and Applied attracted over 240 Harvard students to Brazil. event. We organized and staffed a four-day visit of Sciences and T.H. Chan School of Meanwhile, stronger outreach efforts have increased Ali Malkawi, Founding Director of Harvard's Center Public Health are among our valued internal partners. We would like to the number of Brazilians in degree programs at for Green Buildings and Cities. We also spearheaded acknowledge the members of our Harvard to 104, up from the low 60s in 2006. the sixth edition of an environmental engineering Brazil Office Advisory Group for their We are focused on building the stream of Brazilian collaborative field course focused onSustainable uncommon contribution of time, PhD candidates at Harvard, which is critical to Cities. knowledge, and guidance: