Prospective Students
Current Students & Parents
Alumni
Faculty & Staff
My UAlbany
About the University
News
Support UAlbany
Employment
 
Email Page Link Email Page Link
Printer Friendly Printer Friendly


 

Picture in Edna's OfficeProfessor Acosta- Bel�n's favorites:
Besides her research she loves to collect Latin American and Caribbean art and popular crafts. She loves antique books about Latin America and the Caribbean, especially those published right after the Spanish-Cuban-American War of 1898, when Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam became US territories. She also likes the fact that as a result of her research projects she gets to travel a lot!
Feature
 
 

A Day in the Life: Distinguished Professor Edna Acosta-Bel�n

 

Catherina Somai

Written and Photos by Catherina Somai, Freshman

Edna Acosta-BelénSpending a day with Distinguished Professor Edna Acosta-Bel�n was an amazing opportunity for me. She is the chair of her department (Latin American, Caribbean and U.S. Latino Studies), a teacher of the LCS 400/500 Interdisciplinary Research Seminar in Latin America, the Caribbean, and U.S. Latinos, the author of numerous books and is involved in many research projects. How does she manage to do all of this? I shadowed her for a day to find out.

Morning
After checking emails Professor Acosta-Bel�n met with the department's Office Administrator Ms. Librada Pimentel to discuss content and select artwork for the display that will be used at the University's undergraduate academic fair and open houses.

Edna with Carmen CaamañoShe then met with her graduate assistant and doctoral student, Ms. Carmen Caama�o, to discuss the progress of her dissertation on "Costa Rican Migrant Solidarity Networks." Carmen described some of the experiences from her interviews in Bound Brook, New Jersey where many Costa Ricans now live. During her research she also took a trip and interviewed families in the towns of Los Santos and Perez Zeledon where the migrants came from.

Edna with Jamie VarrialeShe met with graduate student Jamie Varriale to discuss her research paper on the topic of U.S. Latino musicians in rock bands and how issues of ethnicity, race, and marketing influence their participation in this particular genre. Professor Acosta-Bel�n gave Jamie advice on good sources that will help support her research.

Edna with Xenobia Barrow and David MiljonerNext a meeting with graduate students Xenobia Barrow and David Miljoner who are co-teaching the course LCS 100 Cultures of Latin America this semester. She gave them some feedback on a recent classroom visitation and they discussed strategies to get the students more engaged in discussions after PowerPoint presentations are made.
 

Afternoon
Edna with Dr. Christine BoseShe met with the LACS faculty to discuss a draft of the department's Compact Planning and then met with Karen Ferrer-Muniz to discuss her research paper on Latino Leaders. Afterwards she sat down with Dr. Christine Bose, Chair of the Women's Studies Department to discuss some joint initiatives in the area of Gender and Globalization Studies.

She met with Jessica Caicedo, and undergraduate from UAlbany's Latino student organization, Fuerza Latina. Jessica wants to organize a seminar to educate students about an assassination of a pro-independence militant which took place recently in Professor Acosta-Belen's hometown in Puerto Rico. She gave Jessica suggestions for some good guest speakers for seminar.

Edna Acosta-BelénAfter her meetings, I finally had the chance to sit and talk with Professor Acosta-Bel�n about herself. She grew up in Puerto Rico where she was an honor student at the University of Puerto Rico. She then transferred to the University at Albany where she received her B.A. degree.  She completed her doctoral degree at Columbia University and began teaching here in the early '70's. She is pleased to see the way her department has developed and feels happy that she has also helped to bring many more minority (especially Hispanic) students and faculty to the University.

Being a distinguished professor is an honor to Professor Acosta-Bel�n: "I think it is an important recognition of some of the pioneering work that I and many other people have done to document different aspects of the previously neglected history and contributions of Puerto Ricans and other Latinos and Latinas to US society."

Related Links:
Latin American, Caribbean and U.S. Latino Studies
Center for Latino, Latin American, and Caribbean Studies (CELAC)
Women's Studies Department
Fuerza Latina

 

Tell Us Your Story

 

 
 
Recent Features:
 
 
 
Music to Your Ears

A Student Chronicle of Distinguished Teaching Professor Helmut Hirsch

Chinese Contemporary Artist in Residence at UAlbany

Music to Your Ears >>

A Student Chronicle of Distinguished Teaching Professor Helmut Hirsch >>

 

Chinese Contemporary Artist in Residence at UAlbany >>

 
 
     
   

 


Please send questions or comments to: [email protected]

Top of Page