May 11, 2005

Center For U.S.-Mexican Studies Celebrates 25 Years
Of Research On Mexico And The Binational Relationship

By Erik Lee

In celebration of its 25th Anniversary, the UCSD Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies will host a round-table discussion on political change in Mexico followed by a celebration dinner honoring the Center’s Founding Director, both on May 25.

The dinner, to be held at the Hyatt Regency in La Jolla from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., will honor Professor Wayne A. Cornelius for his accomplishments as founder of the Center and will have as special guest speaker Dr. Luis Carlos Ugalde, president of Mexico's Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) and a graduate of the Center’s Summer Seminar in U.S. Studies, who will speak on the Center’s accomplishments in studying Mexico’s democratic transition over the past 25 years. Dr. Ugalde will hold a press conference on May 25 at 5:00 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency.

This same theme will be the focus of a roundtable discussion to be held from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Center, which is located in the Institute of the Americas complex on the UCSD campus. The discussion will be moderated by the Center’s Director, Professor Christopher Woodruff, and will feature a distinguished panel of experts, including Professor Cornelius, National Action Party congressional deputy Juan Molinar Horcasitas (a former Visiting Fellow at the Center); former Mexican presidential candidate and Ambassador to the United Nations Porfirio Muñoz Ledo; and political science professor Federico Estévez from the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM).

Commenting on the anniversary events, Professor Woodruff said, “The focus on democratic transition in Mexico is appropriate because this is where the Center's contribution has been greatest during its first 25 years. Thanks to the vision of the Center's founding director, Professor Wayne Cornelius, more than a thousand scholars and young professionals have spent time at the Center, conducting research and participating in programs. Through these programs, the Center has contributed to bettering US-Mexican relations and played a role in supporting the development of political and economic institutions in Mexico.”

Numerous important research initiatives on democratic transition and consolidation, migration, environment, and economic development have been carried out at the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies since its founding in 1979. Over 150 volumes on Mexico and U.S.-Mexico relations have been published under the auspices of the Center, which has also created an alumni network of over 1000 former Visiting Scholars and participants in the Summer Seminar in U.S. Studies. Graduates of these programs hold important academic and public sector positions in Mexico, the United States, and elsewhere.

Contact Erik Lee at the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies at (858) 822-0056 for information on both the roundtable discussion and the celebration dinner, or visit the Center’s website at http://usmex.ucsd.edu.

Media Contacts: Erik Lee, (858) 822 0056 or Barry Jagoda (858) 534 8567