First Chicano Studies Ph.D. OK'd

By BILL SCHLOTTER

This summer the University of California approved a proposal to establish the nation's first doctoral program in Chicano studies at UCSB.

The graduate program, which will include a master of arts track, will be offered by the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies, and its first graduate students are expected to be enrolled for fall quarter 2004. Founded more than 30 years ago, the department was one of the first in the nation dedicated to Mexican-American history and culture, and is the only department of its kind in the UC system.

"The approval of our Ph.D. program reaffirms UCSB as the premiere university in the nation, and in the world, in the field of Chicana and Chicano studies," said Chancellor Henry T. Yang.

"Additionally, I wish to thank Chela Sandoval, the present chair of the department, as well as Marķa Herrera-Sobek, former chair of the department and chair of the committee that developed the proposal, along with the other members of the department for all their hard work in achieving their goal–a goal that brings added prestige to our campus," he said.

Herrera-Sobek, associate vice chancellor for diversity, equity, and academic policy and the Luis Leal professor of Chicano studies, said approval of the graduate program marks a major advance for Chicano scholarship. "This is a historic moment since it is the first program of its kind in the nation, and definitely makes UCSB a leader in the field," she said.

"My colleagues are all ecstatic about the news. We in the department worked very hard to make this dream come true."

In proposing the graduate program, the UCSB committee noted that of the 35 million Americans of Latino heritage, about 21 million identify themselves as being of Mexican descent. Such a large group certainly merits a doctoral program to study its culture and history, the committee said.

The addition of graduate classes will bolster the already strong department, which currently serves about 150 undergraduate majors and hundreds more students from other departments. The department has 12 full-time faculty members.

"I'm proud of and happy for my colleagues in Chicana and Chicano studies who have worked so hard for this special moment," said John Woolley, acting dean of social sciences in the College of Letters & Science. "This program will be a great resource for the entire University."

UCSB is planning a fall event that will bring together the campus and local communities to celebrate the approval of the new graduate program.