The Center's By-Laws establish the principles that guide its governance. The faculty of the Center consist of UF faculty in tenure-accruing and non-tenure accruing positions (appointed in any campus unit) who devote at least 25% of their research, teaching and/or service to the study of Latin America, the Caribbean and/or Latinos in the United States, and who hold affiliate status or academic appointments in the Center.
LAS faculty members are distinguished as being members of the Affiliate faculty or the Center-based faculty. Affiliate faculty members are those whose academic appointments reside entirely in other campus units. Center-based faculty members are those whose academic appointments are either fully (100%) or partially in the Center, referred to as joint appointments.
The Center-based faculty advises the Center Director with respect to the Center’s activities and administration, with primary responsibility for the Center’s Research and Graduate Training programs. They also have responsibility for staffing the core courses associated with the Center’s academic programs and serving as advisors and specialization coordinators for the MALAS Program.
The Faculty Advisory Council (FAC) is the elected, representative body for the Center for Latin American Studies. The FAC serves as a forum for the mutual exchange of ideas between Center administrators and the faculty, and develops and makes policy recommendations on matters regarding: a) the educational, research and service mission of the Center, b) the Center’s Strategic Plan and c) shared governance.