ILAS to LLILAS: Celebrating 85 Years of Latin American Studies at UT Austin
The Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies (LLILAS) at The University of Texas at Austin is an interdisciplinary center for the study of Latin America that integrates more than 30 academic departments and over 160 faculty across the university, offering programs that lead to BA, MA, and PhD degrees, as well as a range of dual MA degree programs.
Founded in 1940, the Institute of Latin American Studies would become known worldwide by its acronym—ILAS. In the year 2000, ILAS became LLILAS when Joe R. Long and Dr. Teresa Lozano Long pledged an endowment of $10 million to the institute. This year’s Lozano Long Conference is one of a series of signature events that will highlight the year 2025 as an auspicious anniversary—ILAS at 85, LLILAS at 25.
In 2011, LLILAS established a partnership with the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection, one of the world’s premiere repositories of Latin American and U.S. Latina/o materials. The Benson celebrated its centennial in 2021. LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections pairs the abundant scholarly resources of the collection with the teaching and research focus of the institute. The partnership has opened exciting new opportunities in the digital humanities, as well as meaningful collaborations with partners in Latin America, and holds the promise of becoming a model for the global public university of the twenty-first century.
Teresa Lozano Long (1928–2021)
Born and raised in the South Texas town of Premont, Dr. Teresa Lozano Long was a pioneer in education and philanthropy, as well as a passionate supporter of the arts, along with her husband Joe R. Long. She was the first Hispanic woman to earn a doctorate in health and physical education at The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Long was honored at the White House in 2019 with a National Endowment for the Humanities Medal.
In 2000, the Longs pledge of a $10 million to support the Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS) would lead to the institute’s renaming in honor of Dr. Teresa Lozano Long.
Proud Texas Exes, the Longs were honored for their philanthropy in 2018 with the Santa Rita Award, the highest honor bestowed by the University of Texas Board of Regents. Read more about Dr. Long’s powerful legacy.
