October 2, 2007

Purdue to bring Latino leaders to meet in West Lafayette in 2008

Maricela Alvarado
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The Latino Leadership Conference, a joint effort between Purdue University and Indiana University, has been held in Bloomington since 1999. The 2008 conference, called "Lideres sin Fronteras (Leaders Without Borders), will be March 1 on Purdue's West Lafayette campus.

"We are excited to be the first university to start the rotation of the conference to different locations throughout Indiana," said LCC director Maricela Alvarado. "Our mentor program includes both Purdue and local high school students, and this type of gathering is a logical extension of what we do year round. This is a way we can continue to give back to the community and to show our support to Indiana University for doing such an amazing job in presenting the conference for the last eight years."

The conference will feature workshops and panel discussions with representatives from several colleges and universities.

"Throughout the years, we have recognized a high need for mentoring relationships among Latino students," Alvarado said. "This conference will help us make those connections among the students as well as help prepare them to become leaders in their schools and communities."

The move to the West Lafayette campus doesn't mean IU's Latino cultural center, called LaCasa, is going to be less involved, said LaCasa director Lillian Casillas.

"I see the move to the Purdue campus as a sign of how the conference has grown and the strength in partnership and commitment that both IU and Purdue share in developing leadership opportunities for students," Casillas said. "While the location has changed, IU and Purdue still share equal leadership in the planning and being hosts of the event. In coming years, we hope to further develop collaborations with other institutions of higher education and continue to rotate the conference to other university or college campuses." To register, go to https://www.conf.purdue.edu/ILLC08

The Latino Cultural Center is Purdue's center for Latin culture. The center's goal is to provide a venue where people of similar cultures, values, customs and language can unite to share ideas and events with the university and the community. For information, call (765) 494-2530.

Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, maggiemorris@purdue.edu

Sources: Maricela Alvarado, (765) 494-2530, alvaradm@purdue.edu

Lillian Casillas, (812) 855-0174, mlcasill@indiana.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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