Established in 1991, the Florida Consortium for Latin American Studies (FCLAS) is a partnership between the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) at the University of Florida (UF) and the Latin American and Caribbean Center (LACC) at Florida International University (FIU). The consortium's mission is to advance knowledge about Latin America and the Caribbean and to enhance the scope and quality of teaching, research, and outreach. Funded by a US Department of Education Title VI grant and designated a National Resource Consortium for Foreign Language and Area Studies, FCLAS joins two premier area studies programs located in universities with firm and longstanding commitments to the study of Latin America and the Caribbean. With an enrollment of 48,000 students, UF is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and houses the nation's oldest Latin American studies program. FIU, with 38,000 students, is a fast-growing institution strategically located in Miami, and leads the nation in granting undergraduate and master's degrees to Hispanics.

FCLAS draws on its strong institutional base to promote Latin American and Caribbean studies. The consortium's objectives include:

• strengthening core faculty and curriculum through new hires, enhanced degree options, and expanded course offerings
• promoting area studies expertise among non-Latin Americanist faculty
• innovating new ways to teach area studies and languages, and deepening outreach activities to teachers, the media, and the business community
• promoting efficiency between the two centers through cost-sharing and collaborative resource planning
• building synergies between UF and FIU through joint activities that systematically draw on the comparative strengths and advantages of each institution