About Us
The Center for Bilingual Studies (CBS) is an interdisciplinary unit under the Office for Bilingual Integration that brings together faculty from colleges across the university to collaborate on research that supports bilingual families and the communities in which they live. Directed by Dr. Alex Stehn, Professor of Philosophy, CBS undertakes research projects that further our understanding of bilingual education and expands into areas such as curriculum, politics, health care, community engagement, and other facets of the bilingual experience. CBS has been instrumental in supporting and providing research presentations to bilingual educators across Texas and the nation. Another key goal is engaging with the local community and schools in the areas of advocating for dual language programs in South Texas. CBS’ ongoing activities include partnering with other non-profit organizations to plan parent conferences, collect oral histories with influential leaders in bilingual education, support for local school districts for implementing quality bilingual education programs and provide professional development for internal and external educational entities. CBS’s focus on research and program development related to bilingualism and bilingual education regionally and across the nation adds depth to the emerging understanding of historical and current practices in schools, in the community, and at UTRGV.
History
The Center for Bilingual Studies (CBS) opened its offices during the Fall semester of 2012 under the leadership of Deans Hector Ochoa, Walter Díaz, Dahlia Guerra, Farzaneh Razzaghi, faculty members Drs. Francisco Guajardo, Amy Weimer and J. Joy Esquierdo. In Fall 2016 CBS became one of the three centers part of the organization of the B3 Institute. The other two centers include the Center for Mexican American Studies and Translation & Interpreting Office.
Goals
The Center for Bilingual Studies’ has two major goals:
1) Engage families, students, and communities on issues important to the teaching, learning, and development process for bilingualism, biliteracy, and biculturalism; and
2) Collaborate on research projects that focus on the areas of bilingualism, biliteracy, and biculturalism, especially within Latinx communities.
UTRGV Student Organizations
- Bilingual Education Student Organization (BESO)