Mexican American Studies Institute

The Mexican American Studies Institute (MASI) was established in 2022 to honor and showcase the legacy of Mexican Americans in Coastal Bend, South Texas, and the Borderland areas. At the center of the Mexican American Studies Institute are Texas A&M University-Kingsville students, staff, and faculty who will teach, research, and analyze the experiences and histories of peoples of Mexican origin. MASI engages with students, staff, faculty, and community leaders who are catalysts of cultural practices to expand the historical and contemporary knowledge of Mexican American activism in the Texas-Mexico borderlands. MASI is part of our university’s designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution that supports our students and provides them with academic spaces for learning about their history and culture. MASI shares this with the broader community to provide an enriching environment for all. Our main areas of focus include:   

• Provide spaces for intellectual conversation about Mexican American students and faculty
• Provide at MASI Sarape Stole Ceremony for our graduates
• Provide academic lectures series for Texas A&M University-Kingsville students, staff, and faculty
• Engage Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean as partners in the progress of people of Mexican origin
• Understand and honor the legacy of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement and the Chicano Movement

 Please contact:

Alberto Rodriguez PhD 

Director of Mexican American Studies Institute 

Email: alberto.rodriguez2@tamuk.edu

Phone: 361-593-2467

Video link: https://youtu.be/2CzTW-KpG-

Why September 15?

Dating back to the early 1900’s, community leaders came together to advocate for a revolutionary campus in the heart of South Texas, now known as Texas A&M University-Kingsville. With a strong focus on education reform, there was a need for quality teachers who were also bilingual in Spanish. After a twenty-year battle and a generous land grant from King Ranch, the creation of a normal school in South Texas was on the horizon. On September 15, 1924, Robert J. Kleberg turned the first shovel of earth for the new school.  

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