Established in 1989, JSRI is the premier Latino research institute in the Midwest with a history of research on Latino communities, farmworkers and their families, farmers, and youth. It is highly regarded in Latino communities in Michigan and across the region and the country. Its mission is the generation, dissemination and application of knowledge to serve the needs of Latino communities in the Midwest and across the nation, with emphases on health disparities, entrepreneurship, and service delivery system gaps.

Mission Statement

JULIAN SAMORA RESEARCH INSTITUTE (JSRI) is committed to the generation, transmission, and application of knowledge to serve the needs of Latino communities in the Midwest. More specifically:

  • Generation of a program of research and evaluation to illuminate the social, economic, educational, and political condition of Latino communities;
  • Transmission of the research findings to academic institutions, government officials, community leaders, and private sector executives, through publications, public policy seminars, workshops, and private consultations;
  • Provision of technical expertise and support to Latino communities for the purpose of developing policy responses to local problems;
  • Development of Hispanic human capital, including leadership development, empowerment, and education.

RESEARCH AND OUTREACH

The Institute has current research/outreach initiatives targeting the needs of the Hispanic community in the areas of economic development, education, and families and neighborhoods. A database is also being developed to serve as a resource on and for Hispanics. JSRI has organized a number of publication initiatives to facilitate the timely dissemination of current research and information relevant to Latinos.

JULIAN SAMORA WORKING PAPERS SERIES was initiated in 1989 to provide a mechanism for the systematic dissemination of public policy-oriented research on issues affecting Latinos in both the United States as a whole and the Midwest in particular. The series publishes reports of empirical studies, theoretical analyses, and policy discussions that address the changing role of Latinos in relation to economic, political, religious, educational, and social institutions.

JULIAN SAMORA RESEARCH INSTITUTE OCCASIONAL PAPERS SERIES features policy-oriented papers presented at Michigan State University by scholars in the area of Latino issues.

The INSTITUTE RESEARCH REPORTS SERIES publishes monograph length reports of original empirical research on Latinos in the Midwest conducted by the Institute's research associates and funded by grants to the Institute.