The Georgetown Latin America Initiative
The Georgetown Latin America Initiative, active from 2016 to 2017, was a university-wide effort to strengthen engagement with the region through research, teaching, and dialogue with leaders from the public sector, business, civil society, and the academy. It built on Georgetown’s deep historic ties with Latin America, Washington, D.C. location, and Jesuit commitment to academic excellence and service to the global common good.
Georgetown is already a leading U.S. institution for the study of Latin America. The Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) in the Walsh School of Foreign Service dates to 1959. In more recent decades, research and teaching related to Latin America have grown across Georgetown’s nine schools, which are now home to more than 100 faculty with regional expertise. The Latin American Board, established in 2006, provides valuable counsel and support to the university leadership.
By connecting and augmenting these institutional strengths, the initiative sought to establish Georgetown as the university of reference for Latin America at a critical juncture in hemispheric relations. Its research, teaching, and outreach activities were organized around three interrelated themes of vital importance to the region: governance and the rule of law, economic growth and innovation, and social and cultural inclusion.
The vice president for global engagement coordinated the initiative in collaboration with SFS/CLAS, a campus-wide faculty committee, and the Latin America Leadership Program.