“It is said that good things come to those who wait. For 70 years, the Latino community in New York has waited to see representation of its growing numbers in executive level positions at the State University of New York’s 64 campuses.

Today, Dr. Havidán Rodríguez will become the first Latino President of a four-year college. His selection to head the University at Albany and its 17,000 students and 1,200 faculty marks a historic event for both SUNY and the Latino community in our state.

The exceptional credentials and career of Dr. Rodríguez are undeniable qualifications that have led to his selection. Over the past many decades, other such talented Latino faculty and higher education executives have not found a welcoming environment at SUNY’s 64 campuses. Their talents were recognized in other states where they now lead major colleges, academic departments and entire systems of higher education.

Thanks to the ongoing work of the Assembly Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force to improve access, affordability and college success rates for Latino and low income students some major accomplishments have been achieved over the past nine months alone.

Working with Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, SUNY Board of Trustees’ Chairman H. Carl McCall and the SUNY Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion, the Task Force has had input in the shaping of SUNY’s new nation-leading diversity action plan. Last September, we jointly held a Latino Leadership Institute with top academics, campus executives, and faculty from across the nation to discuss the vacuum of Latino executives in higher education. In late March, Governor Cuomo announced the creation of the Hispanic Leadership Institute within SUNY to train and facilitate leadership opportunities for outstanding Latino talent in our state’s public higher education system.

On behalf of the members of the Assembly Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, I welcome Dr. Rodríguez and wish him continued success in all his endeavors. I also ask him to examine past work and promises to improve diversity and inclusion on this flagship campus of our State to determine if enough effort and achievement in these areas mirror the dynamic growth of Latino and minority communities in the Capital Region of our state and beyond."