Restrepo Elected President of Association of Programs in Comparative Literature

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Dr. Luis Fernando Restrepo

Luis Fernando Restrepo, University Professor and director of the U of A Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies Program, has been elected president of the Association of Departments and Programs in Comparative Literature for the 2023-2025 term.

Founded in 1992, the association is affiliated with the American Comparative Literature Association and the Modern Language Association. According to its constitution, "The purpose of the ADPCL, as an organization of administrators, is to promote the interests of departments, programs and other academic units of comparative literature in colleges and universities located anywhere in the world, in cooperation with the American Comparative Literature Association and the Modern Language Association; to facilitate communication among such departments and programs or their representatives; to provide a forum for discussing issues of the discipline in the context of higher education; and to encourage the development and continued growth of the discipline."

Restrepo has been involved in the Association of Departments and Programs in Comparative Literature since 2017, when he was elected as member of the executive committee. He served for two terms, and last year he became the interim president of the organization.

In his involvement in the organization, Restrepo has organized professional development panels at the MLA and ACLA conferences, including a sessions on Scholars at Risk, World Language programs K-16 articulation (Kindergarten to college) and Medical Humanities. This summer, in partnership with ACLA and the MLA's Summer Seminars, Restrepo and ADPCL members Thomas Beebee (Penn State), Adelaide Russo (LSU) and Carey Eckhart (Penn State) will offer two workshops for new comparative literature and interdisciplinary programs chairs and directors; one seminar will be offered in person at Georgetown University in D.C., and another will be offered online. In addition, Restrepo established an ad hoc committee led by Yopie Prins (U Michigan) to conduct a national survey of doctoral programs in comparative literature for ACLA's 2024 State of the Discipline Report.

Established in 1958, the U of A Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies Program is "an innovative interdisciplinary graduate program devoted to the study of literature and culture from a global perspective and across languages, genres, disciplines, nations and cultures. The program offers advanced academic training in comparative literature, cultural studies, Hispanic studies, literary translation and world language acquisition. CLCS attracts students from across the U.S. and several countries, including India, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Colombia, Vietnam, Pakistan, China, Algeria and Iran," according to the program's page.

Restrepo has directed the Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies program for 11 years. It is part of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, and it is supported by the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures, as well as the English Department, Communication Department and nearly 50 affiliated faculty members from departments and programs across campus.   

Regarding his starting three-year term at the helm of the ADPCL, Restrepo said that "serving in a leadership position at the national level brings visibility to our program and university, which I hope will open opportunities to our graduates and faculty."