I happened to ask a similar question a while back (see ref below) since 'Cátedra' is used in some contexts at least to mean something quite different from the usual dictionary meaning given by Phil.
This translation, which appears in the Glosario Internacional para el Traductor (ref below) was the best result I chose at the time.
That said, it is not 100% clear from the webpage exactly what the "Cátedra Simone de Beauvoir" entails, but reading between the lines I think this is the implication, as opposed to an academic post.
E.g. where it says "...Inauguraron la cátedra sobre “Filosofía y Género: Simone de Beauvoir”, con el objetivo de analizar y dar a conocer a los estudiantes los discursos filosóficos referentes a los derechos humanos, la igualdad y la equidad de género."

"Center" if the target is American, of course.

I think this conveys the most accurate impression of what it is. A "cátedra" is Mexico is apparently an entity, within an academic institution, devoted to advanced study in a defined area. It organises lectures by visiting scholars (not just lectures, but also seminars, workshops and so on), but it is not itself a lecture series, as far as I can tell. In short, it is what is often called a research centre in the UK, and I think in the US also. In fact if this were in one of those countries it would almost certainly be called the Simone de Beauvoir Centre/Center for Gender Studies or for Women's Studies, that being the area of study in question (appropriately enough, given its name). It is under the aegis of the PIEM (Programa Interdisciplinario de Estudios de la Mujer) at the Colegio de México.
http://www.colmex.mx/info_gen/catedras/Simone/index.htm

The source David has cited gives a very good idea of what it is. It promotes dialogue between French and Mexican scholars, and publishes a series of "cuadernos". Its activities are just like those of university research centres I know in the UK.

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Note added at 2 hrs (2013-01-28 23:03:02 GMT)
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I am sorry! I've been focusing on the one in Mexico (guided by David's reference), but this is a different cátedra, in the Dominican Republic, called "Cátedra de Filosofía y Género Simone de Beauvoir".

However, I would still use the same translation, although I would now recommend The Simone de Beauvoir Centre for Philosophy and Gender Studies. Here's how the "cátedra" describes itself:

"Promueve el pensamiento Filosófico y feminista de Simone de Beauvoir así como diversas actividades de filosofía y género a través de la extensión y la investigación, conectando la reflexión epistemológica de las Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades con la perspectiva de género."
http://filosofiaygenero.wordpress.com/about/

Note "diversas actividades" and "la extensión y la investigación".

It's an entity within the Philosophy Faculty at Santo Domingo University. It holds lectures and seminars at postgrad level. Here's one:
https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/eulogio-...

A "research centre/center" is not primarily a place; in fact it often doesn't even have a separate administrative office, but just uses general faculty facilities. The term really just denotes a series of scholars with similar interests, formally constituted, with a defined set of activities. I think that's what this is.

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Note added at 2 hrs (2013-01-28 23:39:49 GMT)
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Clear information on this particular cátedra is scarce, but if we look at how the word is used in the Dominican Republic I think things become a bit clearer. Sometimes it does seem to mean something like a lecture series, but in other cases it appears to be an entity promoting various academic activities.

Consider this, for example:
"En Jordania designan cátedra de estudios en honor a Leonel
El presidente de la Universidad de Jordania (UJ), profesor Ekhlief Tarawneh, anunció la creación del Centro de Estudios Latinoamericanos en la UJ, con el nombre de Leonel Fernández."
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2012/09/12/jordania-designan-cate...

If it's not a "Chair", which was my first thought, I might use a get-out like "initiative" if the name didn't come up too often in the document. Otherwise, you could conceivably call it "Institute".
Noun: A society or organization having a particular object or common factor, esp. a scientific, educational, or social one.


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Note added at 11 hrs (2013-01-29 08:50:28 GMT)
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In Canada, the Simone de Beauvoir Institute is “a college of Concordia University dedicated to studying feminisms and questions of social justice."


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Note added at 12 hrs (2013-01-29 08:55:42 GMT)
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You might even consider "College", in its definition as "a part of a university offering a specialized group of courses"...