The director of UF’s Center of Latin American Studies, Carlos de la Torre, abruptly stepped down Jan. 13 at the request of interim Provost Joe Glover. The reasons behind Glover’s decision remain unclear.
De la Torre, who led the center since 2019, described the resignation request as unexpected and without explanation. According to de la Torre, 65, Glover summoned him to his office in November and asked him to resign.
During the meeting, Glover told de la Torre that no allegations of misconduct had been brought against him. The now-former director told The Alligator that during the conversation, Glover didn’t refer to his scholarship or focus on diversity initiatives, which have increasingly been targeted by Republican state lawmakers.
De la Torre said that he doesn’t think politics had to do with Glover’s decision.
De la Torre didn’t answer a question about whether he asked Glover why he requested his resignation. He said he plans to eventually take a sabbatical, and will return as a professor at the center teaching and researching on populism and democracy in Latin America after.
Glover, through a university spokesperson, declined to answer a list of questions about de la Torre’s resignation and his account of their conversation. The spokesperson, Steve Orlando, said the university doesn’t comment on personnel matters.
Glover previously served as UF’s provost for 15 years before resigning and returned to the position in the interim last August after a monthlong stint as provost at the University of Arizona.
The Center for Latin American Studies, established in 1930, is one of two academic units at UF that operate independently of its 16 colleges, reporting directly to the provost. Its mission is to “advance knowledge about Latin America and the Caribbean and its peoples throughout the Hemisphere,” according to its website.
De la Torre said the center is relatively small and not typically associated with controversy. But he noted its emphasis on diversity — which he described as “the forbidden word” — could be attracting political scrutiny, especially during a time of what he called “extreme censorship” in higher education.
Last year under former President Ben Sasse, UF wiped out its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which included $5 million in funding, 13 full-time employees and 15 administrative appointments. The move was made to comply with Senate Bill 266, a sweeping higher education bill passed by the Republican-majority state legislature which targets diversity initiatives and perceived left-wing ideology in curriculum.
The center, located on the northeast corner of UF’s main campus just a minute long walk from the provost’s office, employs 21 faculty and staff and offers a minor, two graduate programs and a certificate in tropical conservation and development.
De la Torre said he didn’t know what the center’s annual budget is, but university records show it hovers around $5 million.
De la Torre graduated from UF in 1983 with a certificate from the center and a bachelor’s in sociology. During his five-year tenure as the center’s director, de la Torre said he was focused on “revitalizing the humanities.”
“I wanted to strengthen the humanities in the humanistic social sciences… [and] make the center more diverse in every possible way,” he said. “I have been very successful in these five years.”
In an announcement of resignation sent to center faculty Dec. 7, de la Torre said that under his leadership the center hired six new faculty, renewed a grant from the Tinker Foundation and launched a one-semester study abroad pilot program for undergraduates from Colombia.
“We survived the COVID epidemic and continue to thrive in an environment of academic censorship,” he wrote. “We shall continue teaching and researching topics and issues that promote democratization and social justice in the Americas.”
Catherine Tucker, an anthropology professor in the Center for Latin American Studies, said de la Torre has benefited the university, the center and its students.
“I know of no reason for [him] to be removed in such a manner,” she said.
Five other center faculty members, reached by email, didn’t respond for comment. Four declined to be interviewed.
Glover has tapped Leonardo Villalón, the former director of the Center for African Studies and former dean of the UF International Center, to serve as the center’s interim director until a permanent replacement is hired.
“I was happy to accept the provost’s request,” Villalón said.
Contact Grace McClung at gmcclung@alligator.org. Follow her on X @gracenmclung
Grace McClung is a third-year journalism major and the graduate & professional school reporter for The Alligator. In her free time, Grace can be found running, going to the beach and writing poetry.
