Program

LEAD Summit XIII
Friday, September 27, 2024
Santos Manuel Student Union - South, CSUSB

“El Plan de San Bernardino: Transnationalism, Academic Mobility, and the Reframing of Education"

Tentative program schedule: times may be subject to change.  Check back for updates.

Lea la versión en español - Programa de la Cumbre

LEAD Summit XII (Last Year): Watch Via YouTube Live

Program Detail

Vendor / Exhibits Fair (lobby, all-day)

LEAD Summit VIII Official Program                                  

8:00 AM: Check-In / Live Music / Web Cast Live Interviews

• Continental Breakfast – Distribution of Packets – Optional Course Credit Registration
• Red Carpet Interviews - Jeannette Sandoval & Alejandro Ramos Barajas (* confirmed)
• Live Entertainment / Saludo Artistico

8:45 AM: Opening Ceremony

• Color Guard Presentation - Air Force Junior ROTC, West Covina HS (*confirmed)
• Pledge of Allegiance - Capt. Jesus Acuña-Perez (Ret) (*confirmed)
• U.S. National Anthem - Evan Espinosa, Sophomore, Modesto Junior College (*invited)
• Escolta - 
• Himno Nacional Mexicano - 
• Invocation - Very Rev. Msgr. Gerard M. Lopez, STL, Vicar General, Diocese of San Bernardino (*invited)

9:00 AM: Procession – “Amexica: Soy de Aquí Y de Allá - I’m from Here AND There”

Even with overlapping traditions and interconnected histories, multiple identifiers or labels is not uncommon for Latinos – like Hispanic, Latinx /Latine, Chicano, Boricua, Mexican, Hispano, Immigrant, Salvadoran, Guatemalteco, Mexican-Origin, Indigenous . . . peoples, noting that the use of these terms of which a person identifies with varies across generations, location, immigrant status, nationality, country of birth, uses of Spanish and Indigenous languages; and reflects our diverse experiences.

Contemporary groups and individuals describe themselves using terms and labels of their choice. For LEAD’s umbrella of projects, we have mostly opted for Latino/a (and when historically appropriate for cultural specificity Chicano/a and/or Mexicano/a, and/or Indigenous, and even folk terms like Brown). For our projects, Latino has provided flexibility in referring to diverse U.S. communities with Latin American and Caribbean roots. It covers a variety of ethnic and cultural identities, informed by African, Asian, European, and Indigenous ancestry. A national Latino identity also offers some possibility of greater political power.  

For this year’s Theme we build upon the United States’ and México’s celebration of 200 years of diplomatic relations, although the much broader scope of relations between the two countries extends way beyond official and diplomatic relations.  Our relations encompass extensive cultural, commercial - trade, and educational exchange, in addition to hundreds of thousands of people who cross the border daily. 

By intersecting histories, shared geography, and cultural / familial ties, the two countries are each other's closest and most valued neighbors and partners.  Whether the issue is climate change, or public health, human trafficking, entrepreneurship, trade and economic development, education exchange, citizen security, drug control, migration, technical innovation, or environmental protections. 

LEAD Summit XIII addresses Education as the principal issue by which we choose to frame our bilateral relationship; and for our purposes, we share two ways to view and consider Education; and the process and content of Education. First, Education should be viewed as a right, not a privilege; and second, Education should be viewed as an investment. 

In short, the U.S. and Mexico should collaborate, officially, to better plan its shared mutual future by undertaking far-reaching binational and transnational interventions that expand and promote academic mobility, the education marketplace, and equitable advancement and opportunity for all. 

Creating a positive future will require a reframing of Education, Citizenship and Belonging, to where post-traditional and transnational students and global citizens must be:

• equipped to compete in a global economy; 
• part of a literate and well-educated labor and consumer base; 
• a pool of linguistic and cultural talent that would serve to strengthen ties; 
• significant component of a highly productive work and business force that contributes to the tax base and therefore the economic well-being; and 
• poised to participate and shape the political landscape on both sides of the border through voting and civic engagement.

A new supermajority citizen of "Amexica" has emerged as a result of the U.S./Mexico mega-region and the interdependency across borders. One of the new supermajority citizen’s means of survivance is the transnationals’ capacity to adapt and acquire both a group repertoire and different self-identities to function effectively in different cultural environments and through different languages. Currently, no other factors have more profoundly influenced Education than the ongoing demographic change, migrations, daily cultural transfusion, economic interdependence, and transnational phenomena. Survival strategies, cultural contexts, the formation of multiple personal and ethnic identities, the power of language and culture, migrant workers, immigrant students and transnational activities abound in the new diasporic realities and communities. 

Time to flip the complicated and nuanced narrative - Ni de aqui, ni de allá (Not from here nor there), which is a phrase frequently used by bilingual and bicultural people to describe the complexity of their intersecting identities of American and Immigrant. Often, the phrase conveys and describes the often-shared experiences of not feeling like we belong anywhere, the sensation of feeling like you’re neither accepted by the country of your birth nor the country from which your family is from. 

Under the new diasporic transnational reality, the border is not the end of one country nor the beginning of another; it is the fluidity of multicultural settings in which the new supermajority citizens learn to live together and work together with policies and practices that suit the megaregion. In this reality of Latino transnationalism, the concept of the nation-state is increasingly less relevant as an organizing principle of social interaction. One's unified social world is made up of multiple attachments that can stretch and transgress across borders. The new Amexica unmasks the old stigmas and broadens our sense of belonging beyond nationhood. In its place, the new citizen of the supermajority claims “Soy de Aquí Y de Allá - I’m from Here AND There”.

• Intercessors: Makuil Ollin Ocelotl, Aztec Dance Calpulli (*confirmed)    
• Grand Marshal: Prof. Armando Vazquez-Ramos, California-Mexico Studies Center, Inc. (*confirmed)   

9:15 AM: Welcome Remarks / Bienvenida

• U.S. President Joe Biden or Vice-President Kamala Harris (welcome message  *invited)
• Mexico's President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (welcome message - *invited)
• California Governor Gavin Newsom (welcome message - *invited)
• Dr. Mildred Garcia (*invited)
  Chancellor, California State University System
• Dr. Tomás D. Morales (*invited)
  President, California State University, San Bernardino
• Dr. Jose Antonio de los Reyes Heredia, (welcome message - *invited)
  Chancellor, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM)
• Dr. Chinaka S. DomNwachukwu (*invited)
  Dean, James R. Watson and Judy Rodriguez Watson College of Education, California State University, San Bernardino

9:45 AM: Morning Featured Speakers - Padrinos de Honor - Sergio Arau and Yareli Arizmendi

Multiple-award winning director Sergio Arau and acclaimed actress and writer Yareli Arizmendi are the husband and wife duo, co-creators of the 2004 film "A Day Without A Mexican".

Yes, twenty years ago, it happened: all Mexicans disappeared from the State of California. This politically charged masterpiece of wit, irreverence and social commentary offers a satirical look at the consequences of all Mexicans – all Latinos in fact -- in the State of California suddenly disappearing. With a mysterious "pink fog" surrounding the state and cutting it off any communication or movement with the outside world, California is forced to face itself. 

Trailer: https://youtu.be/cYJcfhxMkrQ

Join our padrinos for a revisit of the stirring film that imagined life in the US and the consequences of the entire Mexican/Latino population suddenly disappearing. It is an important reminder of the critical contributions that the Mexican/Latino population, makes in the U.S.

• Introduction / Moderator: Gustavo Arellano, writer and journalist, featured contributor for the Los Angeles Times, former editor of Orange County's alternative weekly OC Weekly, and author of the column ¡Ask a Mexican! (confirmed)
• Featured Speakers: Sergio Arau and Yareli Arizmendi (*confirmed)

10:20 AM: Break / Un Cafecito & Vendor / Exhibits Fair

• Red Carpet Interviews - Jeannette Sandoval & Alejandro Ramos Barajas (* invited)
• Coffee Provided

10:35 AM: Panel - “The different dimensions of the Mexican and Latino diaspora: transnational challenges and opportunities”

Hispanics have played a major role in U.S. population growth over the past decade. The U.S. population grew by 24.5 million from 2010 to 2022, and Hispanics accounted for 53% of this increase – a greater share than any other racial or ethnic group.  

The U.S. Hispanic population in fact reached 63.6 million in 2022, up from 50.5 million in 2010. The 26% increase in the Hispanic population was faster than the nation’s 8% growth rate. In 2022, Hispanics made up nearly one-in-five people in the U.S. (19%), up from 16% in 2010 and just 5% in 1970. 

Population growth among Hispanics/Latinos has been a major source of increasing ethnic and racial diversity, not just in California but in the United States overall. However, diversity within the Hispanic population is frequently obscured by the tendency to lump all Latinos together. Mexicans by far constitute a majority or plurality of Latinos, and diversity levels and structures have remained relatively stable over time.  

Moreover, earlier this year, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published the results of its review of Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 (SPD 15) and issued updated standards for maintaining, collecting and presenting race/ethnicity data across federal agencies. Among the biggest updates are the directives to use a combined race/ethnicity question. Within this approach, respondents may report one category or multiple categories to indicate their racial/ethnic identity. In the updated standards, a single response, such as Hispanic or Latino, is considered a complete response.  

In this panel Hispanic, and especially Mexican-Origin, population growth, migrations, and trends, as well as updates to OMB's Race/Ethnicity Standards will be discussed. U.S./Mexico transnational challenges and opportunities are at the forefront as the impact  not only affect demography but also extend beyond to other aspects of the mega-region to the much broader scope of relations between the two countries’ official and diplomatic relations; being that our relations encompass extensive cultural, commercial - trade, and educational exchange, in addition to hundreds of thousands of people who cross the border daily. 

The current ongoing decline and defunding of Education is unfortunately taking place at the time that Latinos, especially Chicana/o, Mexican, Mexican-origin transnationals and post-traditional students across both sides of the border are a super-majority.  

As we continue to face the current waves of post-traditional students entering higher education, it would be a mistake to waiver from the commitment to universal access to higher education. For today’s global economy, both the U.S. and Mexico need additional college graduates and a more ambitious plan to help us meet the imperatives of the current era. To remain globally competitive and meet workforce demands, we must make certain that college preparation and opportunities are provided in a more equitable way. 

• Chair/Moderator: Pablo Gutierrez, M.B.A., Doctoral Candidate (cohort 17) International Admissions Evaluator & DSO, College of Extended and Global Education, CSUSB (*confirmed)
• Panelist: Roberto R. Ramirez, Assistant Division Chief, Special Population Statistics’ Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau (*confirmed)
• Panelist: Ana Valdez, President and CEO, Latino Donor Collaborative, Inc. (*confirmed)
• Panelist:  Silvia Flores, CEO/ Co-Founder at Manos Accelerator, and award-winning entrepreneur and engineer (invited)

11:15 AM: Panel –  Student and Alumni Panel – “Defending the DREAM: Undocumented Students and Immigrants Face Barriers in Accessing and Obtaining an Education” 

More must be done to ensure undocumented student success. Undocumented students and immigrants face significant barriers in accessing and obtaining an education, particularly a postsecondary degree. The anti-immigration and anti-Latino agenda of the former administration and its impact on education made this issue of paramount concern. We must pay special attention to the differentiated rights of different groups.  

A few years back we marked the twentieth anniversary of the first state laws that began opening up higher education to undocumented youth. In 2001, California passed legislation that would allow undocumented youth who attended high school in the state to pay in-state college tuition rates. Since then, state-level and institutional-level policies have been critical to advancing undocumented students’ educational access and promoting their inclusion. California has also established laws that provide financial aid and expanded eligibility for in-state tuition rates.  

This mission and ideals are as relevant today as at any time in our history, and we want ALL students in the U.S.-México megaregion to be fully incorporated into our systems of learning, democratic values, and the economy. This panel will illuminate and elaborate on the educational conditions of California’s undocumented student population, as these learners exemplify, respond to, expand, and disrupt the definitions and debates around the bounds of citizenship, citizenry, rights, deportation, and belonging that are based on socio-economic conditions, systemic prejudices, and other hegemonic frameworks.  

These students therefore on many fronts challenge the contradicting U.S. ideal that claims we are to be a nation of immigrants where all who work hard can succeed. On all counts, the aforementioned mission and ideals fall short when we often see our very own students, many or most high-achieving immigrant students, denied a path to citizenship, limited in how they can access and benefit from higher education, and denied rewards for their merits.  

In 2014, the California-Mexico Studies Center under the direction of Professor Armando Vázquez-Ramos created the Study Abroad Program with the objective of giving Dreamers the opportunity to travel to Mexico with a special permit (Advance Parole) to carry out academic and cultural activities and have the opportunity to reconnect. with their roots and family. Additionally, young people can legally re-enter the United States, which allows them at a certain time to regularize their immigration status. Currently, there are more than 700 participants who have benefited from this Program and as part of the objectives, seeks to establish bridges and academic and cultural exchange between the two countries, which is why it has worked with institutions of higher education to offer opportunities to the Mexican diaspora in the United States to study at Mexican universities.  

The Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM) has received the participants of the program in the Open House for Dreamers forum, during the visit the Dreamers have told their stories, they have learned about the academic offer that the UAM has for them, their history and they have exchanged ideas with teachers and students from the Azcapotzalco Unit. Currently, the University is in the process of expanding its internationalization of studies, so the collaboration with the California-Mexico Studies Center is an important step to provide attention to the Mexican diaspora in California and at the same time, UAM students can study abroad. 

• Chair/Moderator: Dra. Esther Alonso, Mexico Academic Coordinator, California-Mexico Studies Center, Inc. (*confirmed) 
• Panelist: Hon. Karina Ruiz De Diaz, Executive Director, Arizona Dream Act Coalition and First Migrant Living Abroad to Serve in México’s Senate (*confirmed) 
• Panelist: Citlalli Ortiz, California State Assembly Legislative Assistant (*confirmed) 
• Panelist: Erick Ponce, California State Assembly Legislative Assistant (*confirmed) 

12:00 PM: Buffet Lunch & Networking - Vendor / Exhibits Fair

• Red Carpet Interviews - Jeannette Sandoval & Alejandro Ramos Barajas (*confirmed) 
• Live Entertainment / Saludo Artistico
• Lunch Provided (Events Center - Rear)

12:40 PM: Panel –  “Higher Education Networks and Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Heeding the Calls for Internationalization and Bilateral Collaboration”  

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) educate a diverse and talented student population, and thus are a seedbed for Global Engagement. HSIs are defined in U.S. federal law as accredited and degree-granting public or private nonprofit institutions of higher education with 25 percent or more total undergraduate Hispanic full-time equivalent student enrollment. A focus on how U.S. institutions can develop and catalyze relationships with institutions and faculty from Mexico and how facilitating low-cost study abroad experiences for both Mexican students to the U.S. and vice versa, potentiates the opportunity for the two countries to share in the development of their respective future leaders. As institutions learn to better understand the potential of student needs and assets and how they impact academic performance and aspirations, integration of this knowledge can lead to higher graduation rates, increased social and cultural capital, and economic prosperity for students on both sides of the border. 

Higher Education networks have already allowed institutions to access a broader pool of expertise and resources, increase visibility and impact on a global scale, improve student experiences and outcomes - help them to develop the skills and experiences that are needed to succeed in a globalized world, and a platform for research and innovation - fostering collaboration among researchers and institutions. Advancing international higher education will advance the global learning of post-secondary education organizations through the exchange of information and dialogue, advocacy for international education, professional development, and discovery of new approaches to international education. 

This panel will discuss the calls for internationalization, and the unified effort to provide increased access to higher education. Bilateral collaboration will help us face – and overcome – the challenging headwinds that include declining college enrollment, budget cuts, shifting demographics, growing polarization, and deep skepticism about the value of a degree. Among the many relevant outcomes of such a binational collaboration will enhance the understanding of global issues and world cultures among students, faculty, and staff; enhance curricula by increasing the inclusion of topics and course materials related to global matters; support more faculty in globally focused research; and increase and develop study abroad opportunities. Such will encourage more students-faculty-staff to participate; create a global research learning community; and enhance student participation in globally focused research through scholarships and paid assistantships. 

• Chair/Moderator: Sean Manley-Casimir, Executive Director, Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration (CONAHEC) (*confirmed) 
• Panelist: Dra. Adela de la Torre, President - San Diego State University (*invited) 
• Panelist: Hon. Eduardo Garcia, CA Assemblymember, District 36, Chair of the Select Committee on California-Mexico Bi-National Affairs (*invited)
• Panelist: Dra. Diana Alarcón Gonzalez, Chief Advisor and International Affairs Coordinator, Dialogos por la Transformacion, consultative group to shape President-Elect Claudia Sheinbaum’s policy agenda (*confirmed) 

1:20 PM: Afternoon Featured Speaker - Dr. Miguel Cardona, U.S. Secretary of Education (*invited) 

Recently, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of English Language Acquisition rolled out the new “Being Bilingual is a Superpower,” initiative. In the letter to families, educators, and leaders from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, he doubles down on the U.S. Department of Education’s “Raise the Bar: Lead the World” call to action to transform education and unite around what works - based on decades of experience and research - to advance educational equity and excellence.  

As part of the Raise the Bar efforts to create pathways for global engagement, the Department is working to provide every student with a pathway to multilingualism while ensuring equitable access to a high-quality education for students who are English Learners (ELs), who historically have been underserved. The number of people in the U.S. who speak a language other than English at home has nearly tripled over the last three decades, and its economy is becoming ever more globally connected. We must do all we can to improve learning environments and increase access to high-quality language programs so that they, along with all students, have the opportunity to become multilingual. 

• Moderator: TBD
• Featured Speaker: Dr. Miguel Cardona, U.S. Secretary of Education

1:50 PM Featured Panel – “Latinos are a bridge to a post-Pandemic future, as well as a post-Pandemic economy” 

In the U.S., Latinos play a crucial role in the U.S. economy and currently account for a $1 trillion market, despite being challenged by lower-paying jobs, less education, and the bias they face. Overall, U.S. Latinos account for the fastest-growing portion of US GDP. If we considered Latinos as their own country, it would be third only to the GDP growth rate of China and India in the past decade.  Latinos make just 73 cents for every dollar earned by White Americans. They face discrimination when it comes to securing financing to start and scale businesses. Latinos struggle with access to food, housing, and other essentials. And their level of household wealth - which directly affects their ability to accumulate and pass on wealth from generation to generation - is just one-fifth that of White Americans. Furthermore, both COVID-19 and high inflation have had a disproportionate impact on Latino lives and livelihoods. 

This is but the latest indicator of inequity in how Latinos are disproportionately pumping more value into the U.S. economy yet are continually short-changed when it comes to adequate funding and support for education. One puzzle piece of the Latino education crisis makes it more urgent than ever to understand the barriers and role Latinos play in the U.S. and to undertake far-reaching interventions that promote equitable advancement and opportunity. That is, structural and practical economic interventions (such as better compensation and reskilling for workers, increasing access to capital, and financial inclusion) would not only support Latinos to consolidate their economic significance in the United States — closing the gaps, but hold massive gains for society as a whole. 

The pandemic laid bare many inequities, as it also showed the benefits of education. Highly educated workers were much more likely to work from home and less likely to have lost their jobs. Latinos have the lowest educational-attainment levels of any race or ethnicity in the U.S.; they were also the least likely to telecommute, and many risked their health and that of their families by continuing to work on-site. Investing early and consistently toward college degree completion improves Latino labor market prospects and social integration. If Latinos were fully and equitably included in the U.S. economy, gains for the broader society could be tremendous. If we follow through with new lines of educational exchange, a more equitable treatment for Latinos will strengthen and improve U.S. society for all. Latinos are a bridge to a post-Pandemic future, as well as a post-Pandemic economy. As the growth population, what happens to Latinos in education and in the workforce development has profound and significant implications for everyone, whether or not they are in that population. 

Leaders in education, workforce development, and economic development must also work collaboratively with leaders of education systems and employers — along with legislative partners and stakeholders representing diverse students, parents, education professionals, labor, business, and community groups — to further develop pathways in both Teacher and Career Education.  Accessing and broadening employment opportunities and economic mobility strengthen career pathways, prioritize hands-on learning and real-life skills, and advance universal access and affordability through streamlined collaboration and partnership across government and the private sector. It can benefit workers who want to get into good paying jobs and presents the opportunity for economic mobility by reimagining the way we think about how learning and education connect to jobs. As the intersecting economies of the U.S.- Mexico megaregion evolve and unmet need grows for various types of skilled labor in the trades, green energy, teaching, and healthcare sectors, a new paradigm of teacher and career education will prepare learners for the workforce of tomorrow.  

• Chair/Moderator: Ana Valdez, Executive Director, Latino Donors Collective (LDC) (*confirmed) 
• Panelist: Eloy Ortiz Oakley, CEO of the College Futures Foundation (*invited) 
• Panelist: Dr. Alfonso González Toribio, Director, Latino and Latin American Studies Research at UC-Riverside (*confirmed)

• Panelist: Dr. Abelardo Mariña Flores, Coordinador de Enlaces Estratégicos, Metropolitan Autonomous University, Mexico City (*confirmed) 

2:25 PM: Break / Un Cafecito & Vendor / Exhibits Fair

• Red Carpet Interviews - Jeannette Sandoval & Alejandro Ramos Barajas (*confirmed) 
• LEAD Cake and Coffee Provided (Lobby)

2:40 PM: Capstone Presentation – “El Plan de San Bernardino” 

Although both U.S. and Mexico have done well to focus on addressing socio-economic disparities, improving access, quality, and equity in their respective domestic education systems, the increasingly needed focus on internationalization has so far been relatively limited compared to other areas. Despite major institutional efforts carried out by higher education institutions across both countries to foster greater internationalization of their academic programs, their campuses, foster collaboration with global partners, and promote cross-cultural learning opportunities for students and faculty alike, the various governmental sectors to date have not done nearly enough to actively promote a comprehensive agenda for internationalization in its education systems across the U.S. / Mexico border.

Expanding on the concept of Megaregion, the U.S. and Mexico are an inevitability where two neighbors' proximity tend to be greatly and deeply tied, in namely economic and deep cultural links. It was 1994's North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that accelerated the commercialization of the megaregion, particularly its specialization in advanced manufacturing. The current scenario of Southern California - U.S. and Baja California Norte - Mexico is a working example of how an integrated North American economy creates opportunity on both sides of the border. Each side ensures a steady migration of labor and skills. 

However, if we have governmental agreements over Trade, why not have similar agreements over Education? To move beyond the margins, a new plan is necessary, one that moves toward a solutions-based bilateral relationship of mutual respect, collaboration, development, and research. As a placeholder, we are calling this “El Plan de San Bernardino”. What is needed is for this framework to structure ideas about and can include the goals set for community development. One that disrupts and reframes the definitions of the public good, the narratives around the definitions of citizenship that create wider distinctions than before between the "deserving" or "super-" citizen, and the undeserving or "sub-" citizen. 

1. Define educational projects of academic extension and collaboration based on the proposals and discussions held at binational higher education meetings; 
2. Promote long-term educational and cultural exchange programs through networks of higher education institutions, researchers, teachers, legislators and students on both sides of the international border; and 
3. Promote research, teaching and dissemination of factors related to the migration of Mexicans, their insertion into society, their economic and cultural contributions to both countries, the Latino education crisis, and the barriers and role transnationals play at the global level. 

• Moderator: John Binkley, M.F.A., Associate Vice Provost and Dean of the College of Extended and Global Education, CSUSB (*invited)  
• Panelist: Prof. Armando Vazquez-Ramos, California-Mexico Studies Center, Inc. (*confirmed) 
• Panelist: Vacant 
• Panelist: Dr. Gustavo Pacheco-Lopez, Coordinador General, Chancellor’s Office, Metropolitan Autonomous University, Mexico City (*invited) 

3:20 PM: Concluding Remarks & Acknowledgements / Despedida

* Sessions schedule subject to change.  Please check back to see the most up to date schedule of events.
 

Dr. Enrique G. Murillo, Jr.