OLLAS Names New Interim Director
- contact: Sam Petto - University Communications
- phone: 402.554.2704
- email: unonews@unomaha.edu
OMAHA – The University of Nebraska at Omaha’s (UNO) Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) has named a new interim director for the 2016-2017 academic year.
Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, assistant vice chancellor for Student Affairs and professor of Political Science, will take over as interim director on Monday, Aug. 15. Benjamin-Alvarado has been an OLLAS faculty member since the inception of the program.
“It will be an honor and a privilege for me to serve OLLAS in this capacity,” he said. “This will be a pivotal year in the life of the office. We will be seeking a new director, and will be leading a campus wide effort to build a Latino learning community, as well as, furthering active research and analysis of Nebraska’s growing and maturing Latino population.”
Benjamin-Alvarado will be replacing Juan Casas, who will continue to serve as the associate director of OLLAS.
“I am proud of the work OLLAS, its faculty, staff, and students have accomplished over the last 12 years,” Casas said. “It was a privilege to serve as interim director this past year. This is a very exciting time for OLLAS and I am very pleased that the office will now be under the leadership of Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, we couldn’t be in better hands.”
Benjamin-Alvarado will lead the search for a new, permanent director for OLLAS with the goal of having the new hire in place for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Established in 2003 with the support of UNO faculty, staff, and students as well as the metropolitan community, OLLAS has helped fill a void in the Nebraska and Great Plains region's infrastructure dedicated to the productive incorporation of the new and growing Latino population into the political, economic, and social life of the region. The office is dedicated to developing our institutional capacities and academic initiatives aimed at improving our understanding of Latino/Latin American issues and populations within and across borders.
For media requests, please contact:
Sam Petto, UNO Media Relations Coordinator
unonews@unomaha.edu
402.554.2704
or
Charley Reed, UNO Associate Director of Media Relations
unonews@unomaha.edu
402.554.2129
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