ANLE, whose mission is to study, develop, and implement the standard rules of Spanish in the U.S., selected Herrera-Cárdenas to join the prestigious academy based on his professional achievements, impactful leadership, and contributions to the advancement of the Spanish language in the state of Indiana and across the nation. Herrera-Cárdenas has served two terms as President of the Indiana Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP), President of the Indiana Foreign Language Teachers Association (IFLTA), Executive Board Member of the Indiana Language Roadmap, and as U.S. Representative in the Executive Board of the European Association of Spanish Teachers (AEPE).
“It is a distinct honor to be selected to join ANLE as this is one of the most important achievements and recognitions for a Spanish professor teaching in the United States,” said Herrera-Cárdenas. “What makes this even more meaningful is that it reflects how through my teaching career I’ve been able to instill among students the passion for learning Spanish at Indiana University, in Indiana, and throughout the nation.”
“The level of engagement and recognition of Prof. Herrera exemplifies the excellence of those among the College’s non-tenure track faculty who achieve the rank of teaching professor, a rank only recently created on campus,” said Rick Van Kooten, Executive Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
ANLE was established in 1973 and is a corresponding member of the Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy) created in 1713, and a member of the Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (Association of Academies of the Spanish Language), in Madrid, Spain. The academy is an institution made up of philologists of the Spanish language who live and work in the United States, including writers, poets, academics, and educators.
In addition to his teaching and research, Prof. Herrera serves as the outreach coordinator for the department and the faculty advisor for the Spanish Theater group (VIDA), the Grupo Ñ (Spanish Club), Sigma Delta Pi (National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society), the International Latin American and Spain Student Association, and the Iberoamerican Film Crew. He organizes the Spanish and Portuguese Song Festival, Film Series at the IU Cinema, and different cultural activities for the Hispanic Heritage Month on campus and in the Bloomington community.