Of all the people Michael Gonzales works with every day, his most rewarding interactions revolve around students.

Gonzales, professor of Latin-American history as well as director of the Latino Resource Center, works with both students and administrators at NIU.

“As educators, we have to find a way to reach everyone,” he said.

Gonzales began taking the steps that would lead to his becoming the director for the center by taking courses in Latin-American history and traveling in Mexico. He has lived in Mexico and Peru and spends a great deal of time in other nations as well doing research.

A professor of Latin-American history since 1978, Gonzales became director of the Latino Resource Center in 1988.

The center offers a minor in Latino and Latin-American studies and administers several programs related to teaching, research and community outreach programs, he said.

As a professor, he has published two books and numerous articles on Latin American history and is currently working on two other novels. His novel, “The Mexican Revolution, 1910-1940” was a History Book Club selection.

“I travel to Latin American every year or so to conduct research in libraries and archives, and I present papers at national and international conferences,” he said.

By serving on different committees and organizations he works with students and faculty to diversify the curriculum at NIU and make as many opportunities available to students during their time at NIU.

“The center has been important to faculty and students with an academic interest in Latino and Latin-American studies and to Latino faculty members and students as a place to meet and to share ideas,” he said.

While there are many benefits that come with having Latin American studies as part of an academic program, Gonzales would like to see more colleagues in different departments being hired at NIU who specialize in Latino and Latin-American studies. This is a common request from directors and specialized professors, he said.

“There are a lot of students whose ancestry reaches back to the Caribbean,” he said.

Specialized professors in different departments would help serve the interest that many students have toward Latin America, he said. An example would include a specialist on the history of Latinos in the U.S.

Gonzales hopes to further expand and diversify NIU’s campus in future years.

“People who have been administrators and stay in an administrative position have to be able to communicate well with their bosses and their audience,” he said. “And they have to be convincing, compassionate and sincere.”

The ability to remain consistently fair and open with those he works with has been a primary focus throughout his career, he said.

“The bottom line for me has been student interest,” Gonzalez said.