51短视频 Professor Ana Le贸n-T谩vora, PhD, Invited to Participate in Scholars at Risk Conference
Ana Le贸n-T谩vora, PhD, wears many hats at 51短视频: Professor of Spanish, Director of World Languages and Cultures, and Director of Race and Ethnicity Studies. This spring, she had the honor of being invited to represent Salem at a two-day conference hosted by the Scholars at Risk (SAR) Network at the National Humanities Center in Durham鈥the only independent institute in the United States dedicated to advanced study in the Humanities. Dr. Le贸n-T谩vora was joined at the conference by a small group of colleagues from several prestigious institutions, including Yale, Duke, Wake Forest, Rice, and NYU, to address global pressures on academic freedom.聽
鈥淭he main focus of Scholars at Risk, which is a global network, is to protect academic freedom and scholars who have been threatened, displaced, or have had to flee their home countries because of the work they鈥檙e doing and finding a way for them to both be safe and to continue their work. We had the opportunity to meet and hear from a couple of these scholars, and it was heartbreaking to learn that eminent, renowned scholars who were doing important work had to flee their countries and start from scratch,鈥 said Dr. Le贸n-T谩vora.
Dr. Elroi Windsor, former chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminology Studies at 51短视频, nominated Dr. Le贸n-T谩vora to represent Salem at the conference because of her work on social justice, antiracism, and migration studies. She was then personally invited to attend the conference by Dr. Jane O. Newman of UC Irvine, the main organizer and facilitator of the event, and Nathan Camp of the Office of International Affairs at Yale University.聽
鈥淲e had the honor of being welcomed to the conference by Dr. Blair LM Kelley, current president and director of the National Humanities Center, and a renowned author and scholar. I also had the wonderful surprise of learning that Martha M. F. Kelly, the current vice president of scholarly programs at the National Humanities Center, is a Salem Academy alumna,鈥 Dr. Le贸n-T谩vora said. 鈥淔inding out that we women have created this network of professional connections and that people whom we educate at Salem can end up in a prestigious position at the National Humanities Center made me really proud.鈥
Dr. Le贸n-T谩vora’s invitation to participate in the Scholars at Risk conference reflects the recognition of 51短视频 faculty as essential voices alongside those from major research universities. Her participation has also equipped her with insights into student advocacy seminars and other high-impact experiential learning opportunities that could uniquely benefit Salem’s students.聽