About Us / Acerca de Nosotros
Seton Hall University is poised to become the premier site for Latino Studies in the tri-state area through the creation of the Joseph A. Unanue Latino Institute and the new undergraduate major and minor in Latin American and Latino/Latina Studies (LALS). Building on a rich legacy of service to the Seton Hall Latino community by the Puerto Rican Institute (founded in the early 1970s) and the Dominican Republic Institute, the Joseph A. Unanue Latino Institute seeks to fulfill two intertwined missions of service and scholarship. The Institute was created through a generous gift from Joseph A. and Carmen Ana Unanue, and the initiative of Monsignor Robert Sheeran, University Trustees, and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The Institute aims to provide a space for dialogue, to encourage research and study of the Latino experience, with particular emphasis on literature and the arts, the sciences, and business and finance to further advance intercultural understanding.
The Joseph A. Unanue Latino Institute sponsors co-curricular activities, programs and events with a focus on the Latino experience. In connection with the Latin American and Latino/Latina Studies (LALS), the Latino Institute offers wide ranging cultural programming. The interdisciplinary LALS major and minor combine our assets in the areas of modern languages, sociology, anthropology, religious studies, history, and political science. The Institute provides students with mentoring and various supports, including work study, study abroad and internship opportunities as well as academic/financial scholarships.
The Joseph A. Unanue Latino Institute supports the Latino student organizations on campus by collaborating with, advising, and publicizing their programs. Latino students and others participate at all levels of institute program planning and productions.
Highlights of the Institute’s programs in 2007-2008 include: Exhibit of the Santos de Palo of Puerto Rico, wooden sculptures of saints from El Museo del Barrio’s permanent collection; Nativities from throughout Latin America and Spain, from the private collection of Carmen Ana Unanue; a lecture by renowned novelist Eduardo Lago; co-sponsorship of film screenings and discussions with the filmmakers of new documentaries such as Lejos de la Isla and Puedo Hablar/May I Speak?; the symposium, “Free Trade Agreements with Latin America, Opening New Doors for Business”; a fundraiser for Peruvian earthquake victims; guided trips to museums, performing arts centers; and student participation in cultural events such as the “Three Kings Day Parade” in New York City.
In the Fall 2008, Institute programs included: announcement of the Joseph A. Unanue Latino Institute’s new collection, with the acquisition of the documents of Puerto Rican composer and poet Trinidad Padilla de Sanz, presented at the Cervantes Institute, in New York City on October 6th, and the Institute’s Inaugural Celebration honoring our benefactors, Joseph A. Unanue and Carmen Ana de Casal Unanue and Latin Jazz Legend Paquito D’ Rivera. This memorable event took place on December 16th, at the South Orange Performing Arts Center.
