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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State University's Center for Latino/a Studies and Engagement has been selected to join the Inter-University Program for Latino Research, a national consortium of university-based centers dedicated to the advancement of Latino research in the United States.

OSU's center, also known as CL@SE, is the first Latino research center in the Pacific Northwest to join the prestigious network. The consortium includes 25 university research centers, among them the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at the City University of New York and the Chicano Studies Research Center at University of California, Los Angeles.

Membership in the consortium gives CL@SE the opportunity to partner with other network affiliates to apply for grants and work collaboratively on projects such as community-based research; exploration of the future of Latino/a studies at land-grant universities; and research on issues such as youth and community empowerment; health and wellness; education; socio-economic well-being; and historical and cultural awareness, said Ron Mize, director of the center.

Membership in the consortium, coupled with CL@SE's community organization partnerships in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah and Colorado, means the needs of Latinos and Latinas in the Northwest can be heard at the national level, Mize said.

Goals of the consortium include increasing the availability of policy-relevant, Latino-focused research and expanding the pool of scholars and leaders in the field. The organization is headquartered at the University of Illinois at Chicago and also has an office in Washington, D.C.