Exhibition explores the ways Latinos and Latinas use artistic expression to create their sense of identity and belonging By Talya Myers • UCSB In the silkscreen print “Rio Por No Llorar” (“I Laugh to Keep from Crying”), Carmen Miranda’s famous fruit-laden headdress…
Tag: UCSB
U.S. News & World Report ranks UC Santa Barbara No. 5 among the country’s top public universities
By Andrea Estrada • UCSB SANTA BARBARA — In its 2019 listing of the “Top 30 Public National Universities,” U.S. News & World Report has ranked UC Santa Barbara No. 5. Among “Best National Universities,” which includes both public and private institutions, UC Santa…
UCSB scholar’s book delves into the messy history of immigration and the law in the United States
By Jim Logan • UCSB For the United States, the demographic terminator — the line that separates night from day — is the Immigration Act of 1965. Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on Oct. 3 of that year, it eliminated…
A Populist President — UCSB scholars consider Mexico President-Elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his ambitious agenda
By Talya Meyers • UCSB The third time’s the charm for populist candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador. After unsuccessful campaigns in 1994 and 2006, he has now become Mexico’s newest president, winning 53 percent of the vote. Considered an unconventional…
A photo exhibit in the UCSB library examines illegal gold mining in the Amazon — and the people and economic forces behind it
By Jim Logan • UCSB The photos are chilling: Giant swathes of devastation in the Brazilian Amazon. Men hip-deep in the brown muck of the gouged and flooded earth. They are the scenes of illegal gold mining in “Garimpeiros: The Wildcat…
Professor Francisco Lomelí, retiring after 40 years at UCSB, honored ‘for his contribution to Hispanic culture in the U.S.’
By Jim Logan • UCSB Over the course of his distinguished career at UC Santa Barbara, Francisco Lomelí has been the focus of innumerable accolades. Now, as he wraps up 40 years on campus, he has been honored once again. HispaUSA, an…
Graduating senior Noe Galvan proves that hard work, compassion and genuine ambition are the keys to success
By Suzanna Ackroyd • UCSB Noe Galvan knows what it means to forge his own path. Born in the United States, the UC Santa Barbara senior moved to Mexico with his parents when he was only three months old. Now…
Dean’s award and other prizes recognize scholastic achievement in the sciences, social sciences, humanities and fine arts
Ana Guerrero Gallegos, who is graduating with bachelor of art degrees in Chicana/o studies and in sociology, will receive the Luis Leal Social Sciences Undergraduate Award for outstanding interdisciplinary achievement in the social sciences. By Suzanna Ackroyd • UCSB Four…
UCSB announces winners of Thomas More Storke Award and other top university prizes — Christian Ortiz Gonzalez, Cynthia Marin and Yucheng (Stephen) Chih
By Jim Logan • UCSB SANTA BARBARA — For their scholastic achievement, their extraordinary service to the university and the community, and their personal courage and persistence, three graduating seniors at UC Santa Barbara have been named winners of the university’s…
Rio School District Funds Summer Writing Program for 75 Students in Partnership with South Coast Writing Project of UCSB
OXNARD — Rio School District (RSD) is partnering with the South Coast Writing Project (SCWriP) at UCSB to fund a summer writing program for up to 75 students entering grades 3-9 in the district in September 2018. When: June 18-June 29, Monday…
First-ever indigenous languages and literature conference at UCSB featured poets, writers and scholars
By Karen Lindell • UCSB “For my people the word is truth, feeling, memory, symbol of struggle, of resistance, of identity. To possess it and to re-create it is a way of knowledge, a form of communion with the sacred,…
May 3 — ‘Crossings + Boundaries Talk: Borderwall as Architecture’
SANTA BARBARA — UCSB will present “Crossings + Boundaries Talk: Borderwall as Architecture” from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, May 3 at the McCune Conference Room, 6020 HSSB. Ronald Rael’s talk will reexamine what the 650 miles of physical barrier dividing…
Beyond the Call: The dedication and compassion of UCSB staff members was on full display during the Thomas Fire and subsequent mudslides
By Andrea Estrada • UCSB The Thomas Fire and subsequent mudslides wrought havoc on the entire Santa Barbara and Goleta community. Between the flames and ash and the mud and debris — not to mention the closure of Highway 101…
Early Academic Outreach hosts its annual Education, Leadership, and Careers Conference for high school juniors
By Andrea Estrada • UCSB UC Santa Barbara’s Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) will host 400 high school juniors Saturday, Jan. 27, for the sixth annual Education, Leadership, and Careers Conference. In addition to hearing keynote speakers U.S. Rep. Tony…
Feb. 16 — New UCSB series, “Changing Faces of U.S. Citizenship,” debuts with talk followed by panel discussion
By Jim Logan • UCSB Few issues in the current U.S. political climate sparks more fervent debate than the role and fate of undocumented immigrants. A new series at UC Santa Barbara, “Changing Faces of U.S. Citizenship,” will explore immigration…
Jan. 17 — Dr. Gina A. Garcia gives the talk ‘Decolonizing (Hispanic Serving Institutions: Moving From Theory to Practice’
SANTA BARBARA — The UC Santa Barbara Multicultural Center—along with Academic Initiatives, Chican@ Studies, and the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education—will host Dr. Gina A. Garcia on Thursday, January 17th at 6 pm in the MCC Theater giving the talk “Decolonizing…
A UCSB scholar translates the latest novel from acclaimed Puerto Rican writer Eduardo Lalo
By Jim Logan • UCSB For Suzanne Jill Levine, a professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at UC Santa Barbara, translating a book into English is more than swapping words from Spanish. It’s an art, a bit of mind reading and…
New faculty in UCSB’s English department bring vibrancy to Chicana/Chicano literature studies
By Jim Logan / UCSB UC Santa Barbara, as an official Hispanic-Serving Institution, has long been committed to the needs of its Latino students. Now, three new faculty members in the campus’s English department are taking that support to even higher levels.…
From La Frontera to La Universidad — Latina scholar and author Norma E. Cantu, to receive UCSB’s annual Luis Leal Literature Award
By Andrea Estrada • UCSB Norma Elia Cantú has worn many hats over the course of her career. She is adding another next month when she comes to UC Santa Barbara to receive the campus’s 14th annual Luis Leal Award for…
Dec. 5 — Overcoming biases that affect the evaluation of women and minorities
SANTA BARBARA — Dr. Stefanie K. Johnson will speak on “Overcoming biases that affect the evaluation of women and minorities” at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5 at UCSB, Broida 1640. It is difficult not to make immediate, unconscious, inferences about people…
UCSB student success center fulfills its promise to serve and support underrepresented undergraduates
By Nora Drake • UCSB For students who are the first in their families to pursue higher education, the unfamiliar rituals and routines of daily college life can seem downright foreign. Research shows that dropout rates are higher among these first-generation students,…
Graduate Division series beginning Oct. 10 aims to promote campus conversations around diversity
By Andrea Estrada • UCSB Diversity matters. It plays a key role in all university endeavors, and a series of multilevel programming organized by the Graduate Division is designed to emphasize just that. “The goal of the Diversity Matters programming is to…
Nov. 3 — La Santa Cecilia’s Día de los Muertos Tour arrives at UCSB
SANTA BARBARA — La Santa Cecilia to perform from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3 at UCSB’s Campbell Hall. Click here for tickets and more information. “La Santa Cecilia spreads joy every time its members plug in to do a…
UCSB scholars awarded grants for studies on Mexico’s black population and immigrants’ mental health
By Jim Medina • UCSB Asking the right question is key to producing an accurate survey. Not only must the question be right — it must be asked in the right way. Consider the first-ever tally of Mexico’s black population. To…
A father of five makes the transition from wide-eyed community college transfer to a ‘model student/scholar’ at UCSB
By Jim Logan • UCSB Luck is often more than random good fortune; it’s the product of vision and planning. Just ask Ruben Maldonado. A few years ago he worked for General Motors as a manager, putting in nearly 20…
‘The At-Promise Population’ at UCSB — Victor Rios’s own turbulent childhood inspires a uniquely personal enrichment program for underserved students in Oxnard
By Nora Drake • UCSB When UC Santa Barbara professor of sociology Victor Rios was in the eighth grade, he temporarily abandoned his education. Each morning, he would sling his backpack over his shoulders, wave goodbye to his mother and…
UCSB announces winners of Thomas More Storke Award and other top university prizes
Winners include Paola Dela Cruz-Perez, Kelli L. Forman, Felipe O. Infante, Alejandra Martinez-Ramos By Shelly Leachman • UCSB For their scholastic achievement, their extraordinary service to the university and the community, and their personal courage and persistence, three graduating seniors at UC Santa…
UCSB ranks among the top five colleges and universities in the country based on economic diversity, affordability and financial assistance
By Andrea Estrada • UCSB In the third annual College Access Index published by The New York Times, UC Santa Barbara has ranked No. 2 for its commitment to economic diversity. The ranking is based on a combination of the number of…
UCSB Chancellor Yang Speaks out on fossil fuel divestment, endorses campaign
SANTA BARBARA — On May 11 at noon in Cheadle Hall, the UCSB campus administration building, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Margaret Klawunn issued a statement on behalf of Chancellor Henry T. Yang both endorsing the fossil fuel divestment campaign, Fossil…
Through June 30 — ‘Recuerdos de Rosario (Memories of Rosario)’ at UCSB Library
SANTA BARBARA — The exhibit “Recuerdos de Rosario (Memories of Rosario)” will be presented through 5 p.m. Friday, June 30 at UCSB Library. Stop by the UCSB Library’s Ocean Gallery to see our exhibition of Christopher Cardinale’s illustrations of Rosario, Mexico, the…
A Chicana Warrior: Alicia Escalante, who led the fight for justice and dignity in the turbulent 1960s, has donated her papers to UCSB
By Jim Logan • UCSB Alicia Escalante was an unlikely hero. A poor single mother of five, she became one of the leading activists of the Chicano Movement in the 1960s. She founded the East Los Angeles Welfare Rights Organization…
UCSB’s Early Academic Outreach Program to host annual UC Success Night events honoring regional high school seniors
By Andrea Estrada • UCSB The Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) at UC Santa Barbara will hold a series of UC Success Night events April 19-28 to celebrate the academic success of seniors from UCSB’s EAOP partnership schools who have been admitted to the…
UCSB: ‘Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English: Promising Futures’
By the Gevirtz School — Graduate School of Education at UCSB Richard Durán of UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School was a member of the committee that conducted the study and wrote the report titled Promoting the Educational Success of Children…
April 23 – Che Malambo to perform at UCSB
SANTA BARBARA — Che Malambo will perform at 7 a.m. Sunday, April 23 at Campbell Hall, UCSB. “A thrilling display… 14 stomping, drumming, roaring men pounded rapid-fire rhythms into the ground with many surfaces of their feet – heels, toes, inside…
UCSB Scholar Jorge Luis Castillo receives PEN Club award for volume of short stories
By Jim Logan / UCSB For his latest book, “La Virgen de los Boleros” (Isla Negra), Jorge Luis Castillo decided to step outside his literary comfort zone. In the collection of eight short stories, the professor of Spanish and Portuguese at UC Santa Barbara…
UCSB Chicana/o Studies scholar Aída Hurtado gives remarks at historic Women’s March on Washington
By Shelly Leachman • UCSB As a scholar, Aída Hurtado has marked multiple firsts in her study and teaching of Chicana/o studies and feminist theory. And now she’s made history of another kind, as a featured speaker at the recent…
Jan. 26 — Spoken Word Performances by Undocumented and UndocuQueer Poets at UCSB
SANTA BARBARA — A UCSB Reads & Immigration Awareness Week event, 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26 at the UCSB Multicultural Center Lounge. Part of the UCSB READS 2017 program. Co-sponsored with Undocumented Student Services, Resource Center for Gender &…
NSF-funded program gives academically strong, low-income engineering undergraduates get the boost they need to complete their degrees
By Sonia Fernandez / UCSB If you’re a college undergrad, you know full well your third year is your moment of truth. Gone are the days of tentatively exploring your major; gone is much of the flexibility you had to…
New book by UCSB scholar examines the impact of globalization on an indigenous group in Mexico
By Amy Bentley / UCSB Many miles away from the popular Mexican seaside resort towns of Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas lie the poor, rural villages of Mexico’s Mixtec people, also known as “the People of the Land of…
UC Santa Barbara undergraduate one of only 10 college students nationwide selected as a Frederick Douglass Global Fellow
By Shelly Leachman / UCSB It’s a long way from Wilmington to London. But Georgina Aguilar will soon make the trek from her home city of nine square miles and 57,000 people to 600-square-mile London, nine million people strong. And…
UCSB’s Mario Garcia being honored in separate events for distinguished contributions to the history of Latino activists
By Jim Logan / UCSB Few scholars have done more to document the lives and activism of Mexican-Americans than Mario García. For more than four decades the professor of Chicano and Chicana studies and of history at UC Santa Barbara has given voice to the…
20th Mexican Literary Colloquium, Nov. 11 through 13 at UCSB, takes its metaphorical cue from a missing 19th-century cannon
By Jim Logan / UCSB You might say there was something lost in translation when Santa Barbara named a street Canon Perdido. It should have been Cañon Perdido, after a cannon that disappeared on the beach in 1848. Without that…
UCSB history professor Sarah Cline’s LASA-award-winning essay deconstructs an iconic colonial Mexican casta painting of racial hierarchy
By Sonia Fernandez / UCSB In 18th-century Mexico, casta paintings were all the rage, as the bloodlines of Spanish colonizers and of the colonized indigenous, black and mixed-race populations mingled and American-born Spaniards sought to define themselves apart amid increasingly blurry racial…
UCSB to present ‘READINGS: Tides by Pedro Xavier Solís’ on May 31
SANTA BARBARA — Professors Suzanne Jill Levine and Jorge Luis Castillo will present a bilingual reading of Tides, at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 31 at the McCune Conference Room. The reading is a translation of a chapbook of poetry by Pedro…
UCSB’s Miroslava Chávez-García receives summer residency at University of Tübingen in Germany
By Jim Logan / UCSB Miroslava Chávez-García, who has done groundbreaking studies on race, gender and power in California, is taking her scholarship in a new direction: Germany. A professor in the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies at UC Santa Barbara,…
UCSB to present ‘Juan Felipe Herrera — An Evening with the 2015-16 United States Poet Laureate’ on Feb. 1
SANTA BARBARA — UCSB Arts & Lectures will present ‘Juan Felipe Herrera An Evening with the 2015-16 United States Poet Laureate’ at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1 at UCSB’s Campbell Hall. U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera is the first Latino…
A new book co-authored by a UCSB researcher details how the Maya have farmed sustainably and survived for millennia
By Jim Logan / UCSB History has not been kind to the Maya, an indigenous people of Mesoamerica. They’re usually portrayed as the hapless victims of European colonialism who collapsed and disappeared as a result of overpopulation and environmental degradation. A…
Local news briefs
SANTA BARBARA — Award-winning author Reyna Grande will be presented with UCSB’s 12th annual Luis Leal Literature Award during a ceremony at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, in the McCune Conference Room, 6020 Humanities and Social Sciences Building at UCSB.…
Standout Santa Maria High School students earn scholarships to prestigious Research Mentorship Program at UCSB
By Shelly Leachman / UCSB Determined to position herself for a successful future, Esmeralda Cruz is about as dedicated as teenagers come. Working hard and studying harder, she’s laser-focused on getting into college and, ultimately, forging a solid career. Asked…
New book by UCSB’s Mario T. García explores the Chicano civil rights struggle in Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s
By Andrea Estrada / UCSB The Chicano movement of the late 1960s and 1970s was the largest and most widespread civil rights and empowerment movement by Mexican-Americans in U.S. history. But without strong and dedicated leadership, it might not have…