The College of Arts & Sciences was honored to host the Global Spanish Research Symposium in the Dome Room of the University of Virginia’s historic Rotunda, with Dean Christa Acampora offering opening remarks and welcoming Her Excellency Ángeles Moreno Bau, Ambassador of Spain to the United States. Her Excellency offered closing remarks and shared her reflections on the presentations, emphasizing the transformative role of academic exchange in strengthening cultural and intellectual ties between Spain and the global Hispanophone community.

This academic gathering brought together scholars, diplomats, and community members to spotlight the University’s growing commitment to research, creative work, and community engagement across the Spanish-speaking world. Organized as a conference-style panel and culminating in an inclusive happy hour reception, the event featured short presentations by faculty and scholars from across departments.

Presenters included:

• Sam Amago, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Spanish
• Jenn Bair, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Sociology
• Allison Bigelow, Associate Professor of Spanish
• Federico Cuatlacuatl, Associate Professor of Art, whose work addresses transborder Nahua futurity via social-art practice
• Tatiana Flores, Associate Professor of Spanish & Poetry
• Erika Hirugami, Academic Curator and Doctoral Candidate, UCLA, discussing the aesthetics of undocumentedness
• Paulina Ochoa, John L. Nau III Professor of the History and Principles of Democracy
• Ricardo Padrón Spanish Professor (Col ’89)

Their presentations highlighted groundbreaking research, creative inquiry, and community-building across the global Hispanophone. The event reflected the College’s strong investment in global scholarship—evidenced by strategic faculty recruitment, robust support for research conducted in Spanish, and a deep commitment to international collaboration.

Also in attendance was the Director of Spain’s Instituto Cervantes, with whom the College has recently secured a formal partnership. Agreements between the University, Spain’s Instituto Cervantes, and Mexico’s Fundación para las Letras Mexicanas are now in place and will soon be enhanced by new links with a growing network of international cultural and academic organizations—including Morocco’s Iberian and Ibero-American Studies Association.

Through these arrangements, the Global Spanish Initiative gains access to international networks and the visibility of historic cultural institutions. These connections open doors for engagement and teaching at UVA through creative collaborations, community engagement, and innovative pedagogical programs, enriching the academic experience for students and expanding UVA’s presence on the global stage.