Refugio I. Rochin papers.

This collection of news clippings and articles focuses on immigration, free trade, labor and the experiences of Chicanos and Latinos and particularly those of the undocumented immigrant. They are a small segment of the work and research areas Rochin published in over a multi-decade career. The collection consists of boxes of news clippings related to immigration, Mexican undocumented workers, agricultural labor, and Chicanos and Latinos in mainly California. Newspapers clipped include the Sacramento Bee, The Christian Science Monitor as well as other national and international titles. Folder 14 includes a small collection of miscellaneous flyers and articles. In addition materials from Rochins work at the Smithsonian Institution as Founding Director of the Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives and the Latino Initiatives Fund, in Washington DC are included. Of particular note are exhibition catalogs from key projects directed by Rochin as SCLI director.

Refugio Rochin is an Agricultural Economist who earned his BA degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, (1966); his MS degree in Agricultural Economics & Anthropology from the University of Arizona, (1967); his MA degree in Communication (1967) and his Ph.D. degree in Agricultural Economics (1971) from Michigan State University. He was Full Professor of Sociology and Agricultural Economics and director of the Julian Samora Research Institute (JSRI) at Michigan State University, (1994-1998). His list of publications includes more than 140 articles in books, magazines, and professional journals. Rochin’s publications and lectures focus on Latino contributions to U.S. history, community development, culture, arts, music, and science. Professor Rochin has held several high profile positions including his position as the Executive Director of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Latinos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS 2003-2005); a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame and the Institute's Associate Director for the Inter-University Program for Latino Research (IUPLR 2002-2003). Professor Rochin worked nationally with Latino scholars and strengthened the capacity of Latino research centers to generate policy-relevant Latino focused research. He also established the Washington D.C. office of the IUPLR; was a Senior Associate "pro-bono" of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts in Washington, D.C., developing support for Latino actors, producers, and writers in TV and Film in association with the national Hispanic Scholarship Fund. He was the Founding Director of the Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives and the Latino Initiatives Fund (1998-2002), in Washington DC. He established the Smithsonian National Board for Latino Initiatives and the Smithsonian's acclaimed "Latino VirtualGallery"