The idea behind creating a center for Latinx students, faculty, and staff at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill began at the start of the 21st Century with the increasing number of Latinx students being admitted to the university. Over the next decade, the Latinx community’s growing presence made the idea for a center shift from a desire to a necessity.
In 2008, Ron Bilbao (UNC Class of 2010) led a student-driven effort to organize support for such a center. Bilbao worked alongside students, faculty, and administrators, and urged then-Provost Bernadette Gray-Little to convene a committee to explore the formation of a university center for the Latina/o community. This committee’s work ultimately led to the creation of the Carolina Latina/o Collaborative, which launched in 2009 on UNC’s South Campus.
Initially formed as a program under the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, the Collaborative was envisioned as a first step toward developing a full-fledged center. Offices and classroom access were provided at Craig North Residence Hall, where Latinx students and faculty could create programming and address the community’s needs on campus. Under the leadership of Josmell Perez, the Collaborative quickly became a hub of cultural and academic activity, developing programs and events that elevated the profile of Latinx students and faculty.
The Collaborative’s early achievements were significant:
- It partnered with the Carolina Hispanic Association to create the first Latina/o Alumni Reunion, celebrating the growing identity of Latinas/os on campus.
- The Collaborative organized UNC’s Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration, a month-long series of over 30 events involving more than 30 student organizations, departments, and campus units, engaging over 400 students.
- It established the Latina/o Mentoring Program, which pairs students with faculty and staff mentors, now supporting over 400 mentees with 56 mentors, including a virtual component of 27 mentors nationwide.
These successes demonstrated the need for the Collaborative to evolve into a stand-alone center. In 2014, Associate Professor Paul Cuadros from the Hussman School of Journalism and Media led a committee of students, faculty, and staff to propose the transformation of the Collaborative into a full-fledged center. The proposal gained traction, and in April 2016, the UNC Centers and Institutes Review Committee approved the creation of the UNC Carolina Latinx Center.
While initial approval was granted, final approval for the Center was delayed until January 2019. In her final days as Chancellor, Carol Folt, alongside Interim Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, secured the Board of Trustees’ endorsement to formally establish the Center.
On October 4, 2019, ten years after the founding of the Collaborative, the UNC Carolina Latinx Center officially launched with offices in Abernathy Hall. The Center now stands as a testament to the vision and perseverance of students, faculty, and administrators who recognized the importance of creating a space for the Latinx community at UNC.
Watch more about the founding of the CLC here: Video.