This November, we celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Julian Samora Research Institute at Michigan State University. Named for pioneering Mexican-American sociologist Dr. Julian Samora, Ph.D., for the past three and a half decades the institute has been committed to Dr. Samora’s vision of conducting and disseminating research that betters the lives of Latinx communities. 

Establishing a research institute dedicated to the needs of midwestern Latinx communities began in 1988, when then-Provost David Scott appointed five MSU deans to the “Task Force on the Hispanic American Institute.” When, in November of 1988, the Task Force officially recommended the creation of a Hispanic research center at MSU, they also identified five focus areas: employment development, education, political empowerment, health and family welfare, and cultural awareness and enrichment. The institute was officially established on February 7, 1989, and held its inaugural event in November.

In the years since, JSRI has collaborated with community, state, and nonprofit organizations in Michigan and the Midwest and has established academic partnerships regionally and nationally. It has done so under the leadership of Richard Navarro (Founding Director, 1989-1993), the late Joseph Spielberg Benitez (1993-1995), Refugio I. Rochin (1995-1998), the late Jorge Chapa (1998-1999), René Hinojosa (1999-2002), the late Israel Cuéllar (2002-2004), Dionicio Valdes (2004-2005), Francisco Villarruel (2006-2007, 2021-2023), and Rubén O. Martinez (2007-2021).

As we enter our 35th year, we are in the process of identifying JSRI’s next leader, who will carry on our mission of generating, disseminating, and applying knowledge to serve the needs of Latinx communities in the Midwest and nationally. I cannot express how excited I am about JSRI's future.