The Office of Latino/Latin American Studies of the Great Plains—OLLAS (pronounced "oy-yas")—at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) was established in the summer of 2003 as the result of ongoing efforts made by the faculty, staff, and students of the UNO Chicano/Latino Studies (CLS) Program, a federal appropriation made possible by the U.S. Department of Education and the support of the Greater Omaha community.

VIEW ANNUAL REPORTS►
VIEW MISSION ►

OLLAS helps fill a void in the Nebraska and Great Plains region's academic infrastructure by being dedicated to the productive incorporation of the new and growing Latino population into the political, economic, and social life of the region. Equally important is the development of our institutional capacity in providing a platform for academic initiatives aimed at improving our collective and evolving understanding of Latino/Latin American issues important to the region.

The office and its program initiatives—academic, research, and service related—play a critical role in helping students, faculty, businesses, policymakers, and community organizations acquire and enhance the necessary skills to develop the type of collaborative capacity-building models required for success in the increasingly complex global and demographically diverse environment.

OLLAS is also the editorial home of the Journal of Latino-Latin American Studies (JOLLAS). This peer-reviewed journal was formerly known as the Latino Studies Journal and represents another mode for the dissemination of research and analysis in the evolving realm of transnational Latino and Latin American political, social, and economic issues.

The program seeks to meet the following needs:

• Enhance the academic curriculum to more effectively fulfill responsibilities associated with the positive and democratic incorporation of Latinos and Latinas into our communities.

• Increase institutional efforts aimed at training and re-training students, faculty, and practitioners so that we may all meet the challenges and embrace the opportunities posed by the rapid increase of the Latino population of the Great Plains.

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Our Mission

Our principal mission has been to open an academic space for the study, understanding, and incorporation of the nation's historically and increasingly important Latino population. The mission and purpose of OLLAS is at the core of UNO's official mission. As such, OLLAS enhances the range of academic programs that the University strives to offer; it expands the educational aspirations and quality of life of all Nebraska and Omaha citizens, including the next generation of Latinos; and it builds understanding and respect through cultural diversity.

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OLLAS Program Objectives

1. OLLAS Research Agenda - to develop and implement a series of research projects and initiatives addressing the most important aspects of the growth of the region's Latino population, along with local, regional, and transnational implications. Projects involve collaboration with community agencies, UNO programs and faculty, government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations. Project findings are disseminated through published research reports, journal articles, conferences, and public seminars. Research projects will also enhance the Latino/Latin American Studies curriculum.

2. OLLAS Internship/Fellowship Programs - to develop an internship program for students and faculty interested in participating in outside academic research and outreach activities. This is done with other UNO departments as well as academic partners in U.S. and Latin American institutions. Faculty fellows (internal and external) will increase our research capacity and enhance the intellectual capital of the office.

3. Engaging Local and Transnational Communities - to create new modes of constructive engagement with local and transnational Latino and Latin American communities aimed at using our academic expertise to address community-identified issues and concerns. Indirectly, this entails linking teaching, research, and service to these communities in the classroom, through publication of timely and policy-relevant research, and directly in the communities, through public information campaigns and collaborations with representative partners.

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OLLAS Annual Reports

OLLAS is a center of excellence that focuses on the Latino population of the Americas with particular emphasis on U.S. Latino and Latin American transnational communities. It is an interdisciplinary program that enhances our understanding of economic, political, and cultural issues relevant to these communities. In August 2003, OLLAS received a $1,000,000 award from the U.S. Department of Education (Award #P116Z030100). The Department of Education requires an annual progress report of activities.
The following are the submitted OLLAS Annual Reports to date:

VIEW 03-08 FINAL REPORT-PDF ►

VIEW 06-07 ANNUAL REPORT- PDF►

VIEW 05-06 ANNUAL REPORT- PDF►

VIEW 04-05 ANNUAL REPORT- PDF►

VIEW 03-04 ANNUAL REPORT- PDF►