Gloria Contreras Papers

About Gloria Contreras

Dr. Gloria Contreras, Professor Emeritus, was recruited to the University of North Texas in 1987 for her strong background in multicultural and social studies education. In 1989 she was appointed the first Director of the Office of Minority Affairs (now the Office of Multicultural Affairs) by President Alfred F. Hurley, where she was charged with creating and implementing a 5-year plan for the recruitment, retention, and graduation of minority students and faculty. As a result of her successful initiatives, over 20 student organizations are actively operating across campus today.

Dr. Contreras' defining passion has been teaching social studies through a multicultural and global perspective. Her major contributions to her field include her work co-authoring the leading K-6 social studies textbook series (published by Macmillan/McGraw-Hill) and serving as Executive Editor of The Social Science, a nationally peer-reviewed journal aimed at educators at all levels.

In 1990, as Professor of Secondary Education and Director of Minority Affairs, Dr. Contreras was awarded the International Education Committee Distinguished Service Citation at the University's Honors Day celebration.

In 2002 she was honored as a Latina Living Legend by the Hispanic 50, an organization that serves as a catalyst for increased participation of Hispanic women in employment, procurement, and social issues.

About the Physical Collection

The professional archive of Gloria Contreras spans a 40-year career in teaching, research, and administration. The earliest materials in the collection consist of documents and photographs from her days as a PhD student at the University of Georgia, 1973-74. Information in the collection includes, but it is not limited to, materials she used for teaching; research notes and the publications produced from them; awards and honors bestowed on her; photographs of trips she took to study educational systems in countries such as Vietnam, Korea, and Bolivia; conference proceedings; correspondence from colleagues and former students; brochures from campus groups she founded; copies of The Social Science (a journal she edited); and notes from studies she conducted on bilingual and immigrant education. Learn more in our finding aid.

About the Digital Collection

The digital collection contains a selection of items drawn from the larger tangible collection held by UNT Libraries' Special Collections Department.