El Centro at VCU
El Centro at VCU aims to develop and support scholarly, community and cultural activities that center and nourish VCU students, faculty and staff and the greater Richmond Latino/e communities.
About
El Centro will be more than a resource center for our VCU Latino/e community; it will be a home away from home. El Centro seeks to empower the VCU community in an increasingly global environment through Latino/e scholarship, as well as Latino/e personal and professional development. El Centro aims to promote interactions between VCU-affiliated individuals who identify as Latino/e (i.e., students, faculty, alumni, Latino/e organizations, and community partnerships) or conduct research in this community through enhancing scholarship, cultural and social experience on campus.
El Centro strategic plan
All academic events, advocacy, scholarship and community engagement will cover these critical domains. The key domains are as follows:
- To create and sustain a welcoming, inclusive and supportive Latino/e campus culture where diverse learners have the opportunity to interact with each other and to share ideas and experiences, both similar and different from their own.
- El Centro will serve as a hub for intentional and reciprocal relationships with overlapping constituencies (faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members). This will be achieved by having a universal urban transformation and commitment and a “site of possibilities” (Fine and Jaffe-Walter, 2007; Suarez-Orozco & Suarez-Orozco, 2018).
- El Centro will also provide communities (in- and outside of VCU) with resources (via events, spaces and key lecturers) around Latino/e experiences and innovative scientific advances in Latino/e studies.
- El Centro will promote creative works highlighting Latino/e visibility and representation, which is critical to academic and professional success.
- To generate scholarship, creative works and structured processes for transformative change benefiting the Latino/e communities and Latino/e scholarship.
- El Centro will utilize trans-interdisciplinary intersectional approaches to develop and promote Latino/e-affirming curriculum, scholarship and policies in and out of the classroom.
- El Centro will use trans-interdisciplinary approaches that center overlapping constituencies for community needs, scholarship opportunities and student research training/mentorship.
- El Centro will promote Latino/e advocacy that includes overlapping constituencies for Latino/e community needs.
What are we doing in the 2024-2025 academic year?
El Centro at VCU will launch in the fall of 2024 during Hispanic Heritage Month. In its seminal founding year, El Centro will conduct the following activities:
El Centro Series of Workshops
The El Centro Series of Workshops is a biannual initiative designed to spotlight and amplify Latino/e scholarship and advocacy. Held once per semester, these workshops bring together leading scholars, activists and community leaders to engage in dynamic discussions and hands-on sessions. Each workshop aims to explore critical issues affecting the Latino/e community, offering valuable insights and fostering collaborative solutions. Through these events, participants gain deeper understanding and develop strategies to advance equity and social justice within the Latino/e population.
El Centro Advisory Board
The El Centro Advisory Board (ECAB) is a key body designed to support and guide the initiatives of El Centro. Meeting once per semester, ECAB comprises seven members: the Director, El Centro Assistant, one tenure/tenure track faculty, one termed faculty, one graduate student, one undergraduate student and one staff member. This diverse group collaborates to provide strategic insights, oversee program development and ensure that El Centro’s activities effectively address the needs and aspirations of the community it serves.
El Centro Working Group
The Writing Group is a monthly gathering designed to create a physical space where faculty, staff, and students can come together to collaborate on their scholarships, milestones and professional networks. This initiative provides a dedicated environment for individuals to work collectively, share resources, and support one another's academic and professional growth. By fostering a collaborative atmosphere, the Writing Group aims to strengthen the Latino/e community on campus and enhance its collective impact and presence.
Competitive Funding Opportunities
These grants are designed to support students and faculty engaged in Latino/e scholarship and pedagogy. Priority will be given to students collaborating with senior principal investigators (PIs) to foster meaningful partnerships between students and faculty in advancing Latino/e-focused research and teaching. By funding these collaborations, the grants aim to enhance scholarly contributions and pedagogical practices related to Latino/e studies while promoting productive mentorship and academic growth.
Scholarly Community Creation Database
El Centro will facilitate transdisciplinary research initiatives by providing support for research recruitment, data analysis and management. This effort will involve data collection focused on Latino/e students at VCU, with a call for participation inviting the VCU community to contribute to and engage in various stages of the research process. The collected dataset will be accessible to all VCU community members, fostering collaboration and aiding in the development of manuscripts, theses and dissertations, thereby promoting comprehensive and inclusive research on Latino/e experiences.
El Centro Mentorship Program
El Centro is establishing an academic mentorship program dedicated to advancing Latino/e pedagogy and scholarship. This initiative aims to expand mentorship opportunities for individuals interested in these fields, and recognize those who contribute significant effort in mentoring our Latino/e student body. By fostering supportive mentor-mentee relationships, the program seeks to enhance academic growth and ensure that mentors are acknowledged and rewarded for their valuable contributions to Latino/e education and research.
Meet the Team
Oswaldo Moreno, Ph.D.
Dr. Oswaldo Moreno is the founding director of El Centro at VCU. He is also an Associate Professor of Psychology and the Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. His research program includes both applied and basic research that lies at the intersection of Latino/e psychology, immigrant health, health/care disparities and multicultural therapies/culturally sensitive interventions.
Anita Nadal
Anita Nadal is the assistant director of El Centro at VCU. She is also a Teaching Assistant Professor in the School of World Studies. Her interests include research in transculturation, cultural awareness and immigration. Anita is deeply committed as a community engaged faculty member with an enthusiasm for engaging students and other faculty members in community initiatives. An example is A Welcoming Richmond grant that helped provide civics and language classes for 200 immigrants and refugees. Some became United States citizens with support from this program. Her most recent community work has focused on supporting a refugee center in Tucson, Arizona and a student of color empowerment program at a local high school in Richmond. Nadal is the 2018 recipient of the VCU Presidential Award for Community Multicultural Enrichment and the Riese-Melton Award.
Contact us
For general questions, email elcentro@vcu.edu or call (804) 828-0352.