SSU among 11 CSUs selected to receive ethnic studies advancement and expansion grants
Sonoma State University is one of 11 CSUs selected to receive more than $1 million in systemwide grants aimed at enhancing ethnic studies programs and increasing student participation in ethnic studies pathways.
With funding from the Mellon Foundation, CSU’s Advancing and Expanding Ethnic Studies grant awards recognize faculty efforts to deliver high-quality instruction while integrating ethnic studies with related disciplines such as gender, sexuality, and trans studies. The awards also support collaboration with community colleges to strengthen transfer pathways.
The 2024-25 awards were selected by a faculty-led committee from among 25 proposals across the CSU system.
SSU’s Natalia Villanueva-Nieves and Silvia Soto, assistant professors of Chicano and Latino Studies, were awarded a $100,000 grant for their proposal, “Reimagining Latinx Studies: A Curriculum Revision for 21st Century Skills in Gender, Indigenous, and Central American Perspectives.” Their project will undertake a year-long review of SSU’s ethnic studies curriculum, focusing on intersectional collaboration in three areas: gender and sexuality studies, Indigenous studies, and comparative ethnic studies, with a revised core curriculum developed in partnership with other SSU faculty.
“This vital support for our ethnic studies faculty means not only that they can reimagine ethnic studies instruction at SSU but also think creatively and innovatively about how these studies impact our future students,” said Laura Alamillo, Dean of the College of Education, Counseling, and Ethnic Studies. “My hope is that these efforts will underscore the value of ethnic studies research and how an ethnic studies major can lead to many rewarding career paths.”
Building on Alamillo’s vision, Villanueva-Nieves emphasized the importance of aligning SSU’s ethnic studies curriculum with the needs of the university’s student population, which is substantially Chicanx-Latinx, while ensuring the program fosters skills critical to both academic success and future career prospects.
“As a Hispanic Serving Institution where 41 percent of students identify as Chicanx-Latinx – and with this being the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population – it’s imperative that our curriculum reflects and serves these traditionally underrepresented students, preparing them for their academic and employment futures,” Villanueva-Nieves said. “We have a well-established ethnic studies foundation at SSU, but we need to build a truly interdisciplinary program that addresses the intersectional realities of our students and communities.”
With expertise in Latinx literature, culture and gender, Villanueva-Nieves emphasized the need to adapt ethnic studies to contemporary academic and societal demands while ensuring students continue to engage with issues of diversity, inclusivity, belonging, and social justice. As part of these efforts, she is developing an introductory class in Latinx gender studies.
Soto, an expert in indigenous studies, highlighted how the proposed curriculum revisions respond directly to student interests expressed in the classroom and reflect the evolving field of ethnic studies. In collaboration with faculty from the Chicano and Latino Studies, and Native American Studies departments, she is developing an introductory course that takes a hemispheric approach to the interconnected histories of the Americas.
“This approach recognizes that California houses Native American populations from across the country, as well as members of the Latin American Indigenous diaspora from Mexico and Central and South America,” she said. “Our students have multiple identities that should be explored and affirmed, helping them grow into confident individuals, graduates, and members of society.”
Villanueva-Nieves, the grant’s principal investigator, added: “At a time when some institutions are scaling back ethnic, indigeneity, and gender studies, this grant underscores CSU’s commitment to expanding these essential disciplines. It’s already fostering closer faculty, departmental, and community collaboration, with our revised curriculum courses expected to launch in fall 2027.”