Man of the Year 

President Havidán Rodríguez was honored by the New York League of Puerto Rican Women at its 10th anniversary gala dinner.

ALBANY, N.Y. (Aug. 30, 2018) – University at Albany President Havidán Rodríguez has been named Man of the Year by the New York League of Puerto Rican Women.

Rodríguez was among 10 community leaders honored by the league at its 10th anniversary gala dinner at the Marina del Rey in the Bronx on Aug. 23.

The president was recognized as a distinguished leader, role model and trailblazer who has inspired numerous women and men through his own achievements and actions.

Rodríguez, a native of Arecibo, is not only the first Puerto Rican but the first Latino president at any of the four-year State University of New York campuses.

Nominating papers note his career-long commitment has led to increased access, equity and inclusion for Puerto Ricans, as well as other Latinos and Latinas, women and other underrepresented groups in academia.

Prior to joining UAlbany in September 2017, Rodríguez was provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). There, he was principal investigator on an ADVANCE grant from the National Science Foundation — which places an emphasis on Latinas in STEM — and he established the ADVANCE Leadership Institute, Administrative Fellows Program, Associate to Full Professor Program, and the Women’s Faculty Network.

“His actions and internationally recognized scholarship have resulted in improving human rights and social justice,” wrote Marie T. Mora, associate vice provost for faculty diversity and professor of economics at UTRGV in her nominating letter. “For example, he is currently co-chairing the SUNY Puerto Rico task force in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. He is also one of my co-authors of a book on La Crisis Boricua and its effects on island and mainland Puerto Ricans.”

The book is Population, Migration, and Socioeconomic Outcomes Among Island and Mainland Puerto Ricans: La Crisis Boricua (2018).

Rodríguez has also received:

• A Top Latino Leader Award from the Council for Latino Workplace Equity;
• A 2017 Inspiring Leaders in STEM Award from INSIGHT into Diversity Magazine;
• The 2016 Cesar Estrada Chavez Award from the American Association for Access, Equity, and Diversity; and,
• The 2015 Alfredo G. de los Santos, Jr. Distinguished Leadership Award (American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education).

The NYLPRW is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization whose mission is the advancement of Puerto Rican and Hispanic women through higher education. The League assists Puerto Rican and Hispanic women by providing them with the financial support necessary to obtain their college degree. 

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