UIC’s Crossing Latinidades earns national recognition for excellence
The Crossing Latinidades Humanities Research Initiative at the University of Illinois Chicago has been named a 2025 Example of Excelencia (Graduate Level) by Excelencia in Education, the nation’s leading authority on advancing Latino and other student success in higher education.
Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Crossing Latinidades collaborates closely with members of the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities, a first-of-its-kind consortium of R1 Hispanic-Serving Institutions. The initiative brings together faculty and doctoral students across the country to spark cross-institutional and cross-regional comparative research, generating new scholarship in Latino humanities. María de los Angeles Torres, UIC Distinguished Professor of Latin American and Latino Studies, is the principal investigator, along with Daniel Borzutzky, Liberal Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of English and Latin American and Latino Studies, as co-principal investigator.
A central part of the research program is the Summer Institute in Latino Studies Methodologies and Theories, held at UIC. Each year, pre-doctoral fellows from partner universities spend 10 days in intensive seminars, deepening their theoretical and methodological training while advancing their dissertation writing projects. The institute is followed by a nine-month fellowship and professionalization program that includes faculty research mentorship, writing labs and workshops on publishing and the academic job market. Additionally, it offers academic writing support and facilitates nationwide conversations with faculty in Latino humanities.
“Crossing Latinidades is a powerful example of UIC’s leadership in the humanities and at the doctoral training stage,” said Managing Director Olga U. Herrera.
The results have been significant. In recent cohorts, nearly all fellows have advanced to doctoral candidacy, building a stronger national pipeline of scholars in the humanities and advancing the field of Latino humanities studies.
“By supporting doctoral students and fostering collaborative research across campuses, the initiative is transforming what graduate education can look like for the next generation of scholars,” said Herrera, who is also a visiting scholar in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Through its recognition as an Example of Excelencia, Crossing Latinidades joins a select group of programs nationwide recognized for their evidence-based, culturally responsive practices, advancing Latino and other student success at the graduate level. The honor also underscores UIC’s role as Chicago’s only public R1 Hispanic-Serving Institution, a university committed to access, excellence and creating pathways for the success of Latino and other students from undergraduate study through the professoriate.
