Cardenas named among influential hispanics
By ALISON HEINZ
News Writer
Sociology professor Gilberto Cardenas leads a busy life. In addition to teaching and serving as the director for the Institute for Latino Studies, Cardenas was recently named one of the 100 most influential Hispanics by Hispanic Business magazine for the third time.
"It's nice to be recognized. I'm pleased to be in the company of some of the people on the list, but it's not something I go seeking," said Cardenas.
Cardenas was honored with this distinction because of his endless pursuit for scholarship money and improvement of educational opportunities for minority students.
"There's some real big gaps," said Cardenas in reference to minority representation at science, technology, and computer institutions. "A lot of students that get accepted to top institutions opt not to attend because they cannot afford it."
Cardenas was recruited by Notre Dame to head the Institute for Latino Studies in 1999, which got off the ground quickly. Cardenas was a graduate student at Notre Dame from 1969-1975 and it was this personal experience that convinced him to leave a similar position at the University of Texas at Austin where he had been for 23 years. While at Notre Dame, he noticed how few professors had significant experience with both American and Latino culture, something he describes as U.S./Latino.
"When I was here as a student there was only one U.S./Latino faculty member," said Cardenas. There has been progress, but Cardenas estimates that there are still "fewer than 10 faculty members who have had a significant U.S./Latino experience."
The Institute for Latino Studies is working to change this statistic by giving the University incentive to continue hiring people with an interest in that area. Cardenas said the Institute currently offers several classes but will eventually expand into an undergraduate concentration or second major.
Another reason the Hispanic Business magazine recognized Cardenas is his involvement with the Gates Foundation. Bill Gates and his wife Melinda have donated $1 billion for scholarships and Cardenas is a one of six members of an advisory committee that distributes $50 million of scholarships a year.
"It's a great commitment by Bill and Melinda Gates," said Cardenas. "They did a lot of research determining where their money would [be best used, and] they chose this."
A self-described troublemaker in high school, it wasn't until Cardenas became an educator himself that he focused on helping students pay for an education. Although well recognized, he is humble about his accomplishments.
"I'm just thrilled to work with these people," said Cardenas of his fellow committee members and the Institute for Latino Studies.
All News Stories for Friday, March 23, 2001
