Dear students, alumni, and friends of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies,
I trust you all had a pleasant summer and a productive fall. Let me start this brief note with some personnel updates. Since the last time I wrote to you, we bid farewell to one of our colleagues, Gabriella Puscama, who accepted a position at Indiana University Bloomington; we welcomed three new Spanish faculty members (Joanne Britland, Fernán Gómez-Monedero, and Georgina Wilson); we celebrated the promotion of Antonio Sajid López to the rank of associate instructional professor; and we admitted three new teaching assistants into our graduate program (María Domínguez, Laura Domínguez Solera, and Logan Moses).
You are probably aware of the leadership changes that have taken place at UF over the past months. Our college is now led by Interim Dean Mary Watt, while Interim Provost Glover and Interim President Fuchs oversee the transition to a new administration at the university level. Amid these shifts, SPS remains steadfastly committed to teaching, researching, and celebrating the languages and cultures of the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world, as shown in the stories compiled for this newsletter.
This Fall 2024 newsletter features updates on the professional accomplishments of our faculty and alumni, profiles of our new colleagues and the officers of our graduate student association, and examples of our department’s engagement with AI, experiential learning, and community service. If you would like to support our academic mission, please consider a donation to the Spanish and Portuguese Studies Fund during the Gator Nation Giving Day, which will take place on February 20th, 2025.
I hope you enjoy a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season in the company of your loved ones, and I wish you all the best for the New Year.
Saludos cordiales / cordiais saudações,
Luis Álvarez-Castro