Dr. Havidán Rodríguez took office as the University at Albany’s 20th president in September
2017. Before coming to UAlbany, Dr. Rodríguez was the founding provost and executive vice
president for academic affairs at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). Also,
Dr. Rodríguez currently serves as the co-chair of the New York State Capital Region Council for
Economic Development (CREDC).

A respected scholar who studies the socioeconomic impacts of disasters and the economic well-
being of minority populations in the United States and Puerto Rico, he formerly directed the
University of Delaware’s acclaimed Disaster Research Center, the world’s first research center
devoted to studying the complex social problems that result from natural and technological
disasters and other community-scale crises.

Dr. Rodríguez is also a national leader in the area of diversity and inclusion in higher education
and is currently focused on accelerating the University at Albany’s success toward reaching its
vision to be the nation’s leading diverse public research university. Dr. Rodríguez is the Principal
Investigator for the NSF ADVANCE Adaptation grant: Project SAGES: Striving to Achieve
Gender Equity in STEM. Under his leadership, UAlbany has been selected for the prestigious
Seal of Excelencia (2022), a rigorous certification of the University’s data-driven approach to
ensuring Latina and Latino students are supported and thriving academically. In fall 2022, Dr.
Rodríguez was also named to President Biden’s Advisory Commission on Advancing
Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics.