Francisco Javier Diaz de Leon, the new consul general for Mexico based in Atlanta, visited Vanderbilt on Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 12-13, to meet with representatives from Vanderbilt and Tennessee State University to explore future educational and cultural exchanges between universities in Tennessee and Mexico. Diaz spoke highly of the Mexico-related research going on around Vanderbilt, including art history, entrepreneurship projects, the work of LAPOP and the various scholars examining immigration issues.
“The future of the United States is intricately linked to that of Mexico, and vice versa,” said Ted Fischer, director of the Center for Latin American Studies. “We are bound by our close geography; Mexico is one of our principal trading partners; and we have millions of Americans of Mexican descent living here. We look forward to working with Consul General Diaz to increase academic exchanges and cultural events, to do the sort of soft diplomacy that enriches our campus and increases understanding between our two countries.”