V I V E N C I A S : Re p o r t s f r o m t h e Fi e l d Building community: The New England Consor tium of Latina/o Studies (NECLS) NECLS Latino Studies (2016). doi:10.1057/s41276-016-0011-5 This collaboratively written essay discusses the creation of the New England Consortium of Latina/oStudies (NECLS), which is now entering its fifth year. In the following pages we outline the history, vision, mission, leadership, activities, and future of NECLS in the hopes that our coming together provides a community-building template for other Latina/o studies scholars who seek to create a scholarly collective in regions where they are socially and academically isolated yet in relative close proximity to potentially supportive colegas. Our Consortium brings together scholars whose research, teaching and/or activism is rooted in Latina/o studies and represents a direct response to (1) the shifting Latina/o demographic in New England, as well as within the national landscape in the new millennium; (2) the rapidly growing demand for courses and services for the institutionalization of Latina/o studies programs; and (3) the absence of Latina/o studies faculty mentoring organizations in the broader Northeast region in comparison to the Southwest and the West. In short, our primary objectives are to document the critical work that is taking place in the Northeast concerning the largest demographic minority in the nation and to feature the regional intellectual resources that we have in New England. Ó 2016 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 1476-3435 www.palgrave.com/journals Latino Studies NECLS Building Community The idea for the consortium grew out of an awareness of the isolation many of us feel in our own institutions in spite of our increasing presence and the relatively short geographic distances in New England. The consortium brings together faculty doing critical interdisciplinary work that is expanding the traditional boundaries of Latina/o studies, as well as the traditional disciplines they are most often trained in. The purpose of the consortium is not only to make Latina/o studies visible in the region, but, more significantly, to showcase how this critical field of inquiry is vitally anchored both in academic institutions and in their adjacent comunidades latinas in the region. Three main faculty from Mount Holyoke College (Alberto Sandoval-Sánchez), Williams College (Mérida Rúa), and the University of Massachusetts Amherst (Mari Castañeda) developed the initial idea in 2010 based on some of the best practices and professionalization work produced by other more established academic organizations such as the Puerto Rican Studies Association and National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies. Each of the original founders of NECLS are connected to different networks of Latina/o studies scholars given each of their academic disciplines and/or interdisciplines, and they drew on these contacts to invite colegas to participate in the initial planning meeting which took place May 25, 2011, at Mount Holyoke College. Faculty responded enthusiastically to the invitation and the institutions represented in addition to the initial three were: Smith College (Ginetta E.B. Candelario), Hampshire College (Wilson Valentı́n-Escobar), Wellesley College (Irene Mata), Vassar College (Carlos Alamo), University of Massachusetts Boston (Marisol Negron), as well as another participant from Williams College (Carmen T. Whalen). Those who attended the planning meeting ranged in rank: assistant professors, associate professors, and full professors. It was essential for NECLS to not reproduce hierarchies of power that are often wielded in academia, including within Latina/o studies spaces, and therefore we collectively chose to develop a collaborative leadership structure, which will be discussed below after the vision and mission of our regional organization. Ultimately, we aimed to build community in a regional environment that has historically been hostile to communities of color as well as to key practices and concepts within Latina/o studies. By becoming well versed in broad and deep intellectual traditions, we aimed to challenge our own disciplinary and interdisciplinary foundations while also developing different kinds of solutions and creative approaches to our local campuses’ Latina/o studies communities. Envisioning Ourselves The consortium promotes an understanding of Latina/o studies as a legitimate field of study defined by its interdisciplinary constituency. Although in Ó 2016 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 1476-3435 Latino Studies NECLS conversation with Latin American studies, Latina/o studies constitutes a critical departure not only because it is positioned in US Latina/o experiences, but also because it privileges la transfrontera and transnational encounters within the multiple borders that define the North American context. It is crucial to situate the consortium within the interdisciplinarity that has defined the field in the last two decades or so. Most important, for a new generation of Latina/o scholars trained in the field while also being situated in specific disciplines/interdisciplines like communication, sociology, theater or American studies, the consortium provides a space of intervention to share teaching experiences, academic demands, and even institutional advocacy. By coming together in this way, Latina/o studies becomes a vital point of connection that spans across our various disciplinary/interdisciplinary departments as well as a resource in which we can expand our academic vocabulary and multilingual skill set. In addition to discovering each other’s scholarship, this scholarly collective works toward establishing fruitful dialogues, a network of support, and, when possible, exchanges with other scholars at the national level, particularly through conference panels or invited talks. For instance, NECLS organized a panel about the consortium for the inaugural conference of the Latina/o Studies Association in Chicago and engaged in dialogue with colleagues from across the country who were interested in developing similar groups. Ultimately, organizing and developing these local, national, and transnational connections legitimizes our broader scholarly and political work in a moment when many private and public universities are imposing neoliberal orientations to higher education, thus leaving out many in our Latina/o communities. Developing a Mission The consortium provides a unique opportunity to engage in a circuit of exchanges between pre-tenure scholars (which we came to define as postdoctoral fellows, visiting professors, lecturers, and tenure-track faculty) and senior faculty in the field. The primary areas covered in these exchanges range from scholarly support, to mentorship in academic, pedagogical, and administrative areas, to the need to share and discuss works in progress to work-life balance problem solving. The issues that inform the work of the consortium are multiple: the hiring and retention of faculty of color who do interdisciplinary work; the increasing institutional and teaching workload combined with growing student support needs; and the desire for new course development and syllabi sharing, in part to refine interdisciplinary teaching and as a method to bring Latina/o studies to bear in the curricula of service courses in given departments. The benefits of such an exchange would include the development of a forum for discussing the intersections of academic and community issues, visiting each other’s campuses as guest lecturers, creating cross-regional Ó 2016 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 1476-3435 Latino Studies NECLS research, allocating research resources, and engendering a Latina/o studies social collective in New England. Moreover, the consortium seeks to bridge local communities and academia, especially when taking into consideration that Latina/o populations, which have been historically ignored and marginalized, surround our institutions. Indeed, for many of us, our academic mission and scholarly portfolios constitute a continuum from the classroom to the barrio. As such, we are both scholars and publicly engaged activists who mediate issues of ethics and social justice as they affect communities of color at large. Thus, the consortium’s ultimate aim is to inspire and motivate faculty to foment leadership, foster a commitment to academic excellence, and engage in a dialogue with las comunidades that are situated beyond our ivory towers. Many of the faculty in NECLS are committed to working with/in Latina/o communities, and with students, faculty and staff who labor within their own institutions while also thinking collectively about how we can disrupt the increasingly exclusive nature of the academy. P ro mo ti ng Co l lab o rat ive Academic Leadership In order to function effectively and work toward this goal, the consortium depends on rotating institutional agreement and sponsorship for the symposiums, and ongoing commitment to and support for Latina/o studies. The innovative aspect of the consortium is that it is not anchored in any specific institution. The whole notion of its constituency is nomadic: it migrates from institution to institution through the format of daylong symposiums in the fall and spring semesters. By migrating, NECLS avoids the possibility of institutional co-optation while also building capacity across the faculty so that everyone has the ability to lead the organization. This leadership structure thus also allows for mentorship, the transmission of institutional memory regarding the consortium and shared fiscal responsibility for the biannual gatherings. The average cost for hosting the meetings is about $2000 per year, and faculty have received funding from various units on their campuses such as: Office of the President (Mount Holyoke College), Office of Institutional Diversity (Williams College); Leslie Center for the Humanities (Dartmouth College), Alumnae House (Vassar College), and El Instituto (UConn Storrs). In addition to expanding the leadership capacity of the group, NECLS’ migratory pattern helps attenuate faculty isolation and amplify organizational sustainability, symposium affordability, and transdisciplinary interaction. M e n t o r i n g Ac t i v i t i e s a n d I n s p i r i n g S c h o l a r l y O u t c o m e s In an effort to develop successful cross-institutional conversations, NECLS has emphasized mentoring and scholarly development through its biannual meeting Ó 2016 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 1476-3435 Latino Studies NECLS structure. Every gathering includes a session on ‘works-in-progress’ where Latina/o studies faculty present book proposals, article drafts, or essays under review. In these sessions, assigned faculty participants will often act as respondents to the featured presentations, and the group as a whole also provides comments, ideas, and questions. It is very important for these sessions to be low-stakes, highly engaging, and supportive environments so that faculty presenters can receive productive feedback and encouragement to move their scholarly production forward. While discussions are collaborative and aimed to cut across institutional and disciplinary hierarchies, there is also space for difference and disagreement. The key, however, is that the discussions occur within a safe closed space that is not a public forum. Such a space allows for honest and supportive conversations, and participants often feel secure in their ability to follow up with other participants in order to receive further feedback. Thus far, all pre-tenure faculty participants have noted that NECLS has been a safe space to present work because consortium participants engage with work and give constructive, rigorous feedback but without the drama of tearing down work. In addition, whenever possible, and if sponsored by the home institution, an invited speaker will also conduct a workshop or present on topics chosen by the group (such as writing for online venues or academic journal submissions), as well as on issues related to teaching Latina/o studies theories and methods (such as syllabi construction or teaching seminal texts). NECLS is a very nourishing group where multi-disciplinary work is appreciated, and scholarly and professional development is taken seriously. One workshop that is consistently offered is on tenure and promotion. Although each institution is different, the workshop aims to demystify the process and provide helpful suggestions for developing a pre-tenure plan. We are a small consortium, and remain small because we only have the capacity to include New England faculty who teach and conduct research in Latina/o studies, and thus cannot include all Latina/o-identified faculty who are not engaged with the field. M a k i n g Re gio n a l L a t i n a / o S t u d i e s Ac a d e m i c Co m m u n i t i e s More Visible The New England Consortium of Latina/o studies is a response to the academic and social isolation and disengagement that many colleagues report feeling in their academic units, institutions as a whole and/or residential environment. It is a small-scale proactive measure designed to address the persistent underrepresentation of ethnoracial minorities on the faculties of colleges and universities by creating support structures at the regional level that might be difficult to achieve on a more regular basis at the national level. Some of the scholarly outcomes by faculty that have emerged from the consortium include solo-authored book Ó 2016 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 1476-3435 Latino Studies NECLS publications, a co-authored peer-reviewed journal article, book proposal acceptances, several conference presentation collaborations, and most importantly, the tenure and promotion as well as promotion to full of various faculty. As we continue to deepen our development, we plan to hold sessions on grant writing and the politics of citation; to continue to encourage the building of professional relationships outside of the biannual meetings, such as formal invitations for campus talks and organizing conference panels on scholarly affinities; to invite scholars from other parts of the country to respond to NECLS participants’ work and possibly collaborate with other Latina/o studies regional consortiums; and, most important, to find ways to meaningfully engage the public in our region, especially Latina/o communities. Ultimately, NECLS has produced a sense of empowerment and collaboration by intentionally and consistently generating a connection among regional faculty colegas. By doing this, we help alleviate isolation and potentially make the pathway toward academic success more visible and achievable. Ac k n ow l e d ge m e n t We would like to thank Lourdes Torres for encouraging us to write this collaborative essay. About the Author The New England Consortium of Latina/o Studies (NECLS) is a network of Latina/o studies scholars who teach, produce scholarship, and work with/in Latina/o communities located in the New England region. Appendix List of Past and Current NECLS Collaborators Carlos Alamo-Pastrana, Sociology, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY; Leticia Alvarado, American Studies and Ethnic Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI; Eddy Francisco Alvarez Jr., Africana and Latino Studies, SUNY Oneonta, Oneonta, NY; Ginetta E.B. Candelario, Sociology and Latin American & Latin@ Studies, Smith College, Northampton, MA; Judith Carmona, formerly School of Critical Social Inquiry, Hampshire College, Amherst MA (currently at New Mexico State University); Mari Castañeda, Communication, and Center for Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA; C. Ondine Chavoya, Art History and Latina/o Studies, Ó 2016 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 1476-3435 Latino Studies NECLS Williams College, Williamstown, MA; Micaela Diaz-Sanchez, formerly Spanish, Latina/o, and Latin American Studies, Mt. Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA (currently at UC Santa Barbara); Kevin Escudero, formerly Latina/o Studies, Williams College, Williamstown, MA (currently at Brown University); Stephanie Fetta, Languages, Literatures, Linguistics, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY; Michael Garcia, Humanities and Social Sciences, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY; Alma Granado, Latina/o Studies, Williams College, Williamstown, MA; Lourdes Gutiérrez Nájera, formerly Latin American, Caribbean and Latina/o Studies, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH (Currently at Drake University); David Hernandez, Spanish, Latina/o, and Latin American Studies, Mt. Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA; Jesús J. Hernández, formerly Latina/o Studies, Williams College, Wellesley, MA (currently at Mount Holyoke College); Elias Krell, Latina/o Studies, Williams College, Wellesley, MA; Jacqueline M. Hidalgo, Latina/o Studies and Religion, Williams College, Williams College, Williamstown, MA; Joseph Krupczynski, Architecture, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA; Albert Laguna, Ethnicity, Race and Migration, and American Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT; Mark Overmeyer-Velazquez, El Instituto and History, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT; Monica Muñoz Martinez, American Studies and Ethnic Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI; Irene Mata, Women’s and Gender Studies, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA; Irma Mayorga, Theater, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH; Marisol Negron, American Studies and Latin@ Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA; Hiram Perez, English, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY; Dixa Ramı́rez, American Studies, and Ethnicity, Race and Migration, Yale University, New Haven, CT; Daisy Reyes, Sociology and El Instituto, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT; Israel Reyes, Latin American, Caribbean and Latina/o Studies, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH; Juan Pablo Rivera, formerly World Language Studies, Westfield State University, Westfield, MA (currently at Clark University); Ralph Rodriguez, American Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI; Jonathan Rosa, formerly Anthropology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA (currently at Stanford University); Mérida Rúa, Latina/o Studies and American Studies,History, Williams College, Williamstowns, MA; Alberto Sandoval-Sanchez, Spanish, Latin American and Latino Studies, Mt. Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA; Sylvia Spitta, Spanish and Comparative Literature, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH; Wilson Valentı́n-Escobar, Sociology and American Studies, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA; Carmen Whalen, Latina/o Studies and History, Williams College, Williams College, Williamstown, MA. Ó 2016 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 1476-3435 Latino Studies