(For more information, please see the PRSC 2012 Website: http://prsc2012.commons.yale.edu/)

Mission

•To establish a cohesive network of Puerto Rican students in the United States of America and abroad.

•To foster a constructive academic debate about the most efficient ways in which our island can achieve its full potential.

•To discuss social, political and economic issues of importance to Puerto Ricans as well as to formulate a comprehensive development plan for the island.

Background

Throughout the course of history, Puerto Rico has faced tremendous challenges. Increasing crime rates, economic and employment instability as well as political struggles have, at times, come to define certain aspects of our island. It is our hope that this conference will bring together students and scholars from the United States and abroad to discuss ways in which we can tackle some of the island’s social, political and economic issues.

In an effort to foster an atmosphere of constructive academic debate among scholars, we think it necessary to establish a network of Puerto Rican and Latin American student organizations across the country. A database of Latin American scholars across the United States will undoubtedly serve to bring us together in order to further a sense of responsibility with our respective countries. In addition, we hope that this network will help Puerto Rican and Latin American students to promote future events that focus on our Ibero-American cultural heritage.

It is our goal that, at the conclusion of the meeting, a report be made to bring together the students’ ideas as presented through the conference. This report shall then be forwarded to members of the academia, policy makers and experts in each field discussed. We are confident that this is the first of many fruitful Puerto Rican student conferences to come throughout the years. This particular conference is but the beginning; the first stepping stone in what we hope will come to be a regular and vital discussion.