Who We Are

The Center for Latin American Issues (CLAI), an organization within The George Washington University’s School of Business, is dedicated to the scholarly research and study of issues pertaining to Latin America and the Caribbean region and to the dissemination of knowledge and understanding of those issues.

The George Washington University (GW), chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1821, is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States. It is a not-for-profit, private entity with a student population of more than 20,000; it serves the higher education needs of the region, the nation, and the world from a most privileged vantage point: the nation’s capital.

The School of Business (GWSB), one of ten schools that comprise the GW system,prepares students for professional careers. The School is a recognized education leader, the result of a strategy to improve its high academic standards while providing practical experiences that leverage the unique advantages of its Washington, D.C., location.

 
Key Objectives

The Center advances its Mission through a series of programs that contribute to the achievement of four key objectives:

	To stimulate the preparation of scholarly publications and articles on Latin America in order to advance the organization and dissemination of information and knowledge;
	To serve current and future business, government and academic leaders by expanding the George Washington University’s Latin American Studies Program;
	To provide professional and management expertise to business and government managers by conducting quality academic courses and specialized training programs that utilize the resources of the University and of the national and international institutions represented in the nation’s capital; and
	To encourage discussion and debate on major political, economic, and social issues affecting Latin America and Latin American-United States relations.