President Rodríguez Named to White House Commission on Educational Equity, Excellence and Opportunity for Hispanics

Oct. 4, 2022 — On Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, the White House announced President Biden's intent to name University at Albany President Havidán Rodríguez to the President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics. The announcement followed just hours after UAlbany was awarded the prestigious Seal of Excelencia for its work to further the success of Latina and Latina students.

The Commission is charged with advising the Biden Administration "on matters pertaining to educational equity and economic opportunity for the Hispanic and Latino community."

“I am truly honored to be considered for appointment to the President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics," Rodríguez said. "For so many families, higher education is a gateway to life-changing opportunities that would otherwise have remained out of reach. Not only was that my experience, but we see it every day in the classrooms and laboratories at the University at Albany. We are enormously proud of the work we’ve done at UAlbany to support the success of underrepresented students on our campus, and I look forward to bringing those best practices and experiences to the Commission’s work for the benefit of students across the country.”

President Rodríguez was in Washington, D.C., Friday to attend the Seal announcement and later attended a reception at the White House.

UAlbany's freshman class this fall is 21.4 percent Latina and Latino, a record high for the University, and one of the reasons UAlbany has become one of the most diverse public research institutions in the nation. About 45 percent of UAlbany's Class of 2026 identifies as either Black or Latino, also a record.