Felix Matos Rodríguez, a native of Puerto Rico, is making history as the City University of New York's first minority chancellor for the first time in their 172-year history.
“This is a very meaningful appointment, I can’t think of any other Hispanic education leader in charge of such a large system,” Antonio R. Flores, CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, said. “His naming has national implications — for students, faculty, staff and the community at large."
CUNY provides an educational gateway to the middle class for students who don't come from privilege; it's been called the poor man's Harvard.
“I challenge anyone to beat the high quality college education with the affordability that CUNY provides,” Matos Rodríguez urged, also noting the roadblocks that college enrollees face.
“If we don’t retain students, they don’t graduate," he said. “We have seen the difference having support makes.”
One of Matos Rodriguez's goals is to ensure students who enroll stay in school especially those of color. Only 20% percent of Latinos in the labor force have bachelor’s degrees compared to 40% of non-Latino whites.
“What most folks don’t think about is that I have worked in three of the five (New York City) boroughs and our campuses play an important role as anchor institutions in the communities where they are located,” he explained. “I have that added perspective to the role that CUNY has in the city."
“Dr. Matos Rodríguez is an innovator who has served in key positions as a professor and president of both a community and senior college and has relationships in the political, philanthropic and corporate arena, which are essential as public universities rely more and more on public and private partnerships,” " said Lorraine Cortez-Vazquez, CUNY Board of Trustees member and a senior adviser to New York City Mayor Bill DiBlasio.
Nine of CUNY’s colleges are Hispanic-serving institutions as a quarter or more of the students are Latino.
Hispanic Outlook on Education ranked five of CUNY’s schools: Borough of Manhattan, Bronx, Hostos, La Guardia and Queensborough among the top community colleges for Hispanics.
“I am aware that this is not an individual achievement,” Matos Rodriguez said of his appointment as chancellor. “There is a motif of spaces that Puerto Ricans and other communities of color have fought to create and that CUNY has embraced and nourished," he said.
Currently, only 4 percent of college presidents and chancellors are Latino.
"We hope that other boards of trustees in universities across the nation take note of the historic act by the CUNY board," Flores said.
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