CSRC History

The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center (CSRC) is one of four ethnic studies centers established at UCLA in 1969. The CSRC emerged in the midst of social protest against profound disparities in educational access for the Mexican-descent population in the United States. Since its founding, the CSRC has played a pivotal role in the development of scholarly research on the Chicano-Latino population, which is now the largest minority group and the fastest growing population in the United States. Given its broad mandate, the center reports directly to the Office of the Chancellor at UCLA. The CSRC is a founding member of the national Inter-University Program for Latino Research (est. 1983), a consortium of Latino research centers that now includes twenty-three institutions in the United States.

The CSRC was designed to have a systemic impact on the campus and in the field. Its research mission is supported by five distinct components: a library and special collections archive, an academic press, research projects, community-based partnerships, and competitive grant and fellowship programs. Since the 1970s the CSRC has held six “institutional FTEs”—faculty positions that are placed on loan to departments. These positions were originally designed not only to increase the center’s research capacity but also to allow the center to serve as a vital force across campus for diversifying the curriculum and the faculty.

The CSRC was originally named the Mexican American Cultural Center (1969–71). The name was changed to the Chicano Studies Center in 1971 and then to the current Chicano Studies Research Center in 1980. In its first two years center administration consisted of an Executive Committee that reported to a “Mesa Directiva” composed of students, faculty, and administrators. In 1971 the directorship was created, and the Mesa Directiva and the Executive Committee were combined into a Steering Committee. Since 1973 the CSRC has had an annually appointed Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC) per the requirements for an Organized Research Unit (ORU). 

Directors:

Mesa Directiva, 1969–71
Professor Simón González (Education), 1971–72
Professor Rodolfo Alvarez (Sociology), 1972–74
Professor David A. Sanchez (Mathematics), 1974, Acting
Professor Juan Gómez-Quiñones (History), 1974–84
Professor Raymond Rocco (Political Science), 1984–85, Acting
Professor David Hayes-Bautista (Medicine), 1986–92
Professor David Lopez (Sociology), 1992–93, Acting
Professor Guillermo Hernández (Spanish), 1993–2002
Professor Chon A. Noriega (Film and Television), 2002–present

Current full name: UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center