CUNY DOMINICAN STUDIES INSTITUTE
(CUNY DSI)

at The City College of New York

Founded in 1992 and housed at The City College of New York, the Dominican Studies Institute of the City University of New York (CUNY DSI) is the nation's first university-based research institute devoted to the study of people of Dominican descent in the United States and other parts of the world. CUNY DSI's mission is to produce and disseminate research and scholarship about Dominicans, and about the Dominican Republic. CUNY DSI is the locus for a community of scholars, including doctoral fellows, in the field of Dominican Studies and sponsors multidisciplinary research projects.

The Institute houses the Dominican Archives and the Dominican Library, the first and only institutions in the United States collecting primary and secondary source material about people of Dominican descent. In 2010, the Institute opened its Archives and Library facility to art exhibitions, thus becoming the first exhibit space in New York City devoted exclusively to work by and about people of Dominican descent.  The Institute organizes lectures, conferences, and exhibitions that are open to the public.

The Institute is headed by renowned sociologist and public intellectual Ramona Hernández, author of pioneering texts in the areas of migration, labor, and Dominican studies. She is a trustee of the Sociological Initiatives Foundation.

Dr. Hernandez's work is celebrated also in the Dominican Republic, where she has received the country's highest civilian honor, the Meritorious Order of Duarte, Sanchez y Mella, and serves as trustee of the Instituto Global de Altos Estudios en Ciencias Sociales.

THE DOMINICAN ARCHIVES

The Dominican Archives was established in 2002 as a repository of archival materials that document the experience and contributions of the Dominican population in the United States. The Dominican Archives is headed by Chief Archivist Idilio Gracia-Peña.

THE DOMINICAN LIBRARY

The Library of the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute officially opened in 1994. It is a unique reference collection whose mission is to identify, acquire, organize, preserve, and make available bibliographical sources documenting the Dominican experience in the United States. The Library also houses an important collection of source material from the Dominican Republic and about Dominicans in other parts of the world. The Dominican Library is directed by Head Librarian and Professor Sarah Aponte.

CUNY DSI GALLERY

The CUNY Dominican Studies Institute Gallery (CUNY DSI Gallery), housed in the multipurpose room of the Institute's Archives and Library facility at The City College of New York, is the only exhibit space in New York City devoted to works of art by and about people of Dominican descent. The Gallery celebrates and showcases artists who have a unique perspective on the Dominican experience, one that transcends the self-imposed boundaries of academic research.