Maria Aguiar Torres Dean of Stud

Maria Aguiar Torres
Dean of Students

I grew up in the Coachella valley, and graduated
from Coachella Valley High School. I come from
a large Mexican family that made a living as farm
workers. I am a first-generation college student,
and I received my undergraduate degree in
Spanish Literature from UC Riverside. My M.A.
degree is in Spanish from New Mexico State
University in Las Cruces, and my areas of
specialization included Chicano Literature, Bilingualism and Sociolinguistics.
My doctoral work is from Claremont Graduate University in Higher Education Administration, specializing in college retention.

I have worked with the United Farm Workers Union (UFW) since I was an undergraduate, and helped organize in the Coachella Valley and San Diego County. I was a student delegate to the planning committee that developed the Plan de Santa Barbara, which served as the blueprint for the development of Chicano Studies Programs and MEChA. I also participated in the LA Chicano Moratorium. I have been a strong supporter and member of social justice groups such as the East Valleys Organization, UNO and the Industrial Areas Foundation.

I have taught at San Diego State, NMSU in Las Cruces, and Pitzer College. I have presented lectures, academic papers and workshops at national conferences and professional organizations. Through my affiliation with the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI), I served as one of the primary researchers on the high school and college retention project and co-authored a chapter in the anthology, The Broken Web: The Educational Experience of Hispanic American Women, published by Floricanto Press.

Contact Information:
maria_torres@cuc.claremont.edu
(909) 607-3277
(909) 621-8981 fax
757 College Way
Claremont, CA 91711