# Celebrating 30 Years of DRCLAS ## Celebrating 30 Years of DRCLAS ![DRCLAS 30th](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_28_10__1920x685/public/2025-05/2O2A4943.jpeg?itok=9bNuTyYs) ## Bridging Harvard and Latin America Since 1994 Since 1994, the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies—DRCLAS—has connected Harvard with Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded with the support of David Rockefeller and then–Harvard President Neil Rudenstine, the Center has grown into a vibrant, university-wide hub for research, learning, and exchange. Our mission was simple yet powerful: to bring Latin America to Harvard and Harvard to Latin America—fostering deeper understanding, collaboration, and impact across borders. Today, we remain committed to that mission. Our mission is to foster, expand, and leverage Harvard’s research, teaching, and convening power to deepen understanding and engagement with the region. We aim to contribute to a more informed, democratic, sustainable, prosperous, equitable, and inclusive world. To mark this milestone, we invite you to watch this short video that captures the heart of our work—and our vision for the future. [### Entrepreneurship in Latin America: Building Bold Futures from the Ground Up ](/news/2025/05/entrepreneurship-latin-america-building-bold-futures-ground) May 06, 2025 Entrepreneurship is rapidly emerging as a transformative force across Latin America, unlocking new opportunities and reshaping the region’s economic and social landscape. While Latin America has made notable progress—especially in the growth of its tech... ![DRCLAS Symposium](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-05/2O2A5491_0.jpeg?itok=vrmlHhWc) [### Latin America at a Crossroads: Climate Leadership in an Era of Crisis ](/news/2025/05/latin-america-crossroads-climate-leadership-era-crisis) May 05, 2025 As the planet faces unprecedented environmental shifts, Latin America stands at the center of both urgent vulnerability and immense opportunity. This reality was at the heart of the panel Climate Change and the Environment, part of the David Rockefeller... ![DRCLAS 30th](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-05/2O2A5285.jpeg?itok=OehSYGu3) [### Reflecting on Democracy and Solidarity: Highlights from the DRCLAS 30th Anniversary Symposium ](/news/2025/05/reflecting-democracy-and-solidarity-highlights-drclas-30th-anniversary-symposium) May 05, 2025 As part of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies’ 30th Anniversary Symposium, leading voices from across the region gathered to reflect on the urgent challenges—and enduring possibilities—facing democracy in Latin America today. The... ![DRCLAS 30th Anniversary Symposium](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-05/2O2A5045.jpeg?itok=eeXsq-nC) [### Honoring the Visionaries Behind DRCLAS ](/news/2025/05/honoring-visionaries-behind-drclas) May 05, 2025 As part of the 30th anniversary celebration of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS), we recognized four individuals whose vision, leadership, and commitment have left a lasting mark on the Center’s history and mission. We began... ![DRCLAS 30th Anniversary](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-05/2O2A4610.jpeg?itok=nMF0STqG) [### Organized Crime and Insecurity in Latin America: A Regional Crisis Demanding a New Approach ](/news/2025/05/organized-crime-and-insecurity-latin-america-regional-crisis-demanding-new-approach) May 05, 2025 At the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies’ 30th Anniversary Symposium, a high-level panel on crime and security brought together leading experts to examine one of the region’s most pressing and persistent challenges: the entrenchment of... ![DRCLAS 30th](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-05/2O2A5136.jpeg?itok=gONLZNut) [### DRCLAS Celebrates 30 Years of Impact Across Latin America ](/news/2025/05/drclas-celebrates-30-years-impact-across-latin-america) May 02, 2025 On April 26, the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) marked a significant milestone: three decades of deepening Harvard’s engagement with Latin America, the Caribbean, and their diasporas. The 30th Anniversary Symposium brought... ![DRCLAS 30th Anniversary Celebration](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-05/2O2A4927.jpeg?itok=WTWh9S6Z) arrow\_back arrow\_forward ## Event Highlights [ See More Event Photos arrow\_circle\_right ](https://www.canva.com/design/DAGmmy2cGpM/7M0A7HxnYe0pEY05fGzN5g/view?utm_content=DAGmmy2cGpM&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h53dd1605c6) ![DRCLAS Anniversary](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_3_4__480x640/public/2025-05/2O2A5050_1.jpeg?h=72d67750&itok=rn5LTKpJ) ![DRCLAS 30th Anniversary](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2025-05/2O2A5662.jpeg?itok=j6G0ieYb) ![DRCLAS 30th](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2025-05/2O2A4960.jpeg?itok=vR3IjPpa) ## DRCLAS Through the Years Discover the key moments that have defined the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies. From bold beginnings to it's regional impact, this timeline highlights the people, programs, and partnerships that have shaped our mission over the past three decades.