Juan Carlos Mercado, dean of CCNY's Division of Interdisciplinary Studies, has been elected a Corresponding Member of the North American Academy of the Spanish Language.
Juan Carlos Mercado, dean of The City College of New York’s Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education (CWE), is one of five leading academics and “creators of recognized international prestige” elected Corresponding Members of the North American Academy of the Spanish Language (ANLE). The distinction recognizes outstanding academic careers dedicated to the study, teaching, and international promotion of the Spanish language and Hispanic culture.
ANLE cited Mercado as “a pioneer in expanding educational access and international cooperation.” It noted his research on Spanish Florida and Pedro Menéndez de Avilés as offering a new perspective on Spanish colonization and its cultural implications in the United States.
The academy also highlighted Mercado’s deep commitment to the guiding principles of academic excellence and to strengthening Spanish in the
U.S.
“Professor Mercado’s incorporation will significantly strengthen our mission to preserve and enrich the Spanish language in the United States,” said Nuria Morgado, Director of ANLE and a Corresponding Member of the Royal Spanish Academy. “This honor formally integrates him into a prestigious international network of scholars dedicated to research, dissemination, and defense of the Spanish language.”
About ANLE
ANLE is one of the 23 academies of the Spanish language on four continents that serve 580 million Spanish speakers worldwide, with a physical presence in America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The mission of the ANLE is the study, development, and implementation of the normative rules of Spanish in the United States. Read more.
About Dr. Juan Carlos Mercado
An Argentine-born academic and administrator, Mercado is a specialist in Spanish colonial history in North America. He has over 15 years of leadership experience as the senior dean at CCNY’s Division of Interdisciplinary Studies. Mercado is also the Dean of Study Abroad and International Programs, as well as Continuing and Professional Studies at The City College. He previously served as Professor and Chair of the Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures at CCNY (2000 – 2007), and was Acting Provost of the College in 2011. In addition, he’s part of the faculty for the PhD Program in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Literatures and Languages at the Graduate Center, CUNY. Mercado’s research includes 19th century Spanish American Literature, the History of Ideas, and the Spanish exploration of what is now the United States. He has authored numerous books, reviews, and articles. His recent publications include two annotated editions of "Menéndez de Avilés" and "Florida: Chronicles of Expeditions" (2010), "Juan María Gutiérrez’s Escritores Coloniales" (2012), "Historical Links Between Spain and North America" (2016), "España y Norteamérica en el corredor transatlántico/Spain and North America in the Transatlantic Corridor" (with Carlos Aguasaco) (2023), and a new edition of "Menéndez de Avilés" and "Florida: Chronicles of Expeditions" (2024). Mercado is currently working on an annotated edition of Ruy Díaz de Guzmán’s "La Argentina: Historia de las Provincias del Río de la Plata/La Argentina: History of the Rio de la Plata Provinces", (University of Tucuman, Argentina, 2026).
ANLE’s four new other Corresponding Members are:
- Yannelys Aparicio Molina, Cuban specialist in Latin American literature;
- Manuel Díaz-Campos, Venezuelan linguist and expert in Hispanic sociolinguistics;
- Luis Correa-Díaz, Chilean poet and academic researcher in digital humanities; and
- Ángel Esteban, Spanish professor and renowned Hispanist and scholar of Cuban literature.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Lightcast puts at $3.2 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers, and society. At City College, more than 16,500 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity, and scholarship. In 2023, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together,” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College's mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic, and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Jay Mwamba
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jmwamba@ccny.cuny.edu