• Thailand: Year 2006

• Year 2005-2006
• Year 2004-2005

A group of seven faculty and seven students from Cal State, San Bernardino attended a two-week academic conference from June 24-July 8, 2000 at the University of Havana's prestigious Center for the Study of the United States. During their stay, the students conducted individual research projects which will be published and presented during the coming academic year. Participants toured Cuba and exchanged ideas with their Cuban counterparts.

This study tour was planned by Cal State, San Bernardino's International Institute and Office of International Students; Cal Poly Pomona; and Cal State Los Angeles, in collaboration with the Cuban Ministry of Culture, the Advanced Institute of Art, and the University of Havana's Center for the Study of the United States.

CSUSB students (Grace Batie, Stephanie Bernal, Neida Maldonado, Justin Romero, Fermin Ramirez-Martinez, Paul Sweeney, and Julie Reinman) and faculty (Maria Balderrama, Rosalind Bresnahan, Rafael Correa, Rosalie Giacchino-Baker, Elsa Ochoa-Fernandez, Dwight Sweeney, and Mayo Toruno) contributed to a website deigned by Stephanie Bernal and Bonnie Butterfield.

The International Institute at CSUSB coordinated an exciting campus-wide collaboration that included courses and activities focusing on Cuba and the Caribbean. Activities included a Cuban Roundtable in the fall, and a Cuban/Caribbean film festival. A Cuban art exhibit and concerts featuring Cuban music.

Six professors from Cuba (Soraya Castro, Lazaro Gonzalez,Ricardo Nunez, Julio Carranza, Pablo Armando and Rogelio Fure) taught courses with CSUSB professors. Students who took certain classes (detailed in the last year's class schedule) were invited to participate in a field trip to Cuba to conduct research during the summer of 2000. Participants in the Cuban program were invited to make presentations at workshops sponsored by the Teaching Resource Center during the spring quarter of 2000.

• Get to know U.S. teachers and students in either elementary or secondary schools.
• Help people learn about your country.
• Contact Dr. Rosalie Giacchino-Baker if interested.

Dr. M. Antonieta Gallegos-Ruiz, Professor of Spanish, was recently appointed the new Coordinator for the Latin American Studies Program. She has been a faculty member of the World Languages and Literatures Department (formerly Foreign Languages and Literatuures) since 1991. Dr. Gallegos-Ruiz was the founder of CSUSB’s Mexico Language Program in Toluca, Mexico. This program in Toluca had a run of a very successful eleven years. The Mexico Language Program is now housed in Guanajuato, Mexico. Recently, Dr. Gallegos-Ruiz was invited to Universidad Arturo Prat in Santiago, Chile to look into initiating another exchange program. Prof. Gallegos-Ruiz specilaizes in Latin American Literature and Culture and teaches diverse topics and issues relating to Latin America. Most recently, she traveled to the State of Mexico to interview leaders from the Matlazinca, Otomi, Nahuatl and Mazahua communities.

Currently, Dr. Gallegos-Ruiz is busy planning for the upcoming Latin American Conference on the Study of the Americas. Another project that has kept her busy is the revision of the Latin American Studies Minor Program curriculum requirements. Professor Gallegos-Ruiz knows that there is much work to be done in order to provide interested students with a minor program that can best be applied to any major or certificate program.

Dr. Gallegos- Ruiz is available on campus at University Hall 201.44 and you can contact her at (909) 537-5858 and at agallrui@csusb.edu or visit Latin American Studies web site for more information.