David Cruz De Jesus

David Cruz De Jesus is an Associate Professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature at the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, City University of New York (Baruch College). He teaches undergraduate courses in Spanish linguistics, Portuguese language, and heritage speaker education across multiple semesters through Spring 2025.

Education:

• Ph.D., Spanish (Hispanic Linguistics), The University at Albany, SUNY
• M.A., Spanish, The University at Albany, SUNY
• B.A., Spanish and Portuguese, The University at Albany, SUNY

Dr. Cruz De Jesus specializes in structural analysis of Spanish and Portuguese languages with research concentrated on phonetics, bilingualism, and heritage language acquisition. His teaching portfolio demonstrates deep engagement with heritage speaker pedagogy through courses like Spanish Heritage Speakers I/II and Contemporary Spanish for Non-Heritages, while his linguistics courses (Structures of Modern Spanish, Phonetics, Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics) reflect theoretical expertise in Hispanic Linguistics. He has consistently taught elementary through advanced Portuguese since 2004, indicating sustained commitment to Lusophone language education.

Honors and Awards:

• Invited to People to People Ambassador Program in South Africa (2000)
• Finalist, Pan-Hellenic Council Excellence in Teaching Award (1995)
• Honorable Mention, Ford Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (1988)
• Multiple Minority Graduate Assistantships/Fellowships from University at Albany (1983-1988)
• Fellowships for research in Spain (OFINES Program, 1986) and Portugal (Coimbra University, 1984)
• Sigma Delta Pi National Spanish Honor Society (1982)

Dr. Cruz De Jesus maintains extensive institutional service including Director of Spanish Language Instruction, Faculty Advisor for the BA Program in Spanish, and Chair of the Spanish Curriculum Committee. He serves on over 10 college committees including Department Executive Committee, Library Committee, and WSAS Curriculum Committee, while representing Baruch on the CUNY Council on World Language Study since 2000. His professional affiliations span Modern Language Association (1998-present), American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (1997-present), and American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (1993-present), where he previously directed communications for the SNS SIG.