Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACS) was founded in 1995 and encompasses over forty Stony Brook faculty in such diverse fields as Africana Studies, Art, History, Ecology & Evolution, Hispanic Languages & Literature, Political Science, School of Journalism, Sociology, Theater Arts,  and Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies.  In its first decade, LACS brought new global and diversity perspectives to Stony Brook's research, curriculum, and its community. For example, the center won a coveted Rockefeller Foundation Humanities award on the topic of “Durable Inequality in Latin America,” which brought top thinkers from across the Americas to work on this urgent issue and produced a path-breaking book in inequality studies. The LACS Gallery became a Long Island showcase for Latin American and Latino arts, including the prize-winning show “Unseen America,” a documentary photography made by Latino day-workers.

LACS has also developed a range or opportunities for students, such as the Tinker Foundation funded Graduate Fieldwork Fellowship. Currently, LACS offersn a Research Summer Grant for Graduate Students, and Mariposa Awards to support both Graduate and Undergraduate students in their studies. In addition to robust cultural programming, the center also sponsors an active speaker series,  and an annual student-run graduate conference drawing young scholars from across the hemisphere.  Many of these academic events involve collaboration with prominent area universities such as NYU, Columbia University, The New School, and CUNY Graduate Center, while others bring community leaders to campus on key issues facing Latinos today.