I am pleased to accept the Report and Resolution on the Status of Hispanic and Latino Faculty and Administrators as approved by the University Senate on February 21, 2003. The administration agrees with the Senate on the critical need to increase representation of Hispanic and Latino faculty and administrators at Rutgers.

Please note that a number of steps are being taken to address this issue.

• Along with fellow administrators, I met with HILAR (the Hispanic, Iberian, Latino Alliance of Rutgers) last spring and on two occasions thus far during the current academic year.
• We have discussed with the deans and provosts the goal of adding more Latino scholars to our faculty ranks.
• We have pledged that there will be Hispanic or Latino representation on all leadership search committees. There is currently such representation on the GSE Dean search committee, the Cook Dean search committee, and the Vice President for Student Affairs search committee.
• Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Holly Smith has pledged to rebuild the Department of Puerto Rican and Hispanic Caribbean Studies. A search for a senior scholar in that area is ongoing.
• Members of my administration are in regular communication with Isabel Nazario, director of the Center for Latino Arts and Culture, who is on the Vice President for Student Affairs search committee.

Increasing the number of Hispanic and Latino faculty and administrators remains a priority for Rutgers University, and we will continue to work with HILAR and other organizations to make progress toward this goal. As I asserted in my inaugural address, the quality of a Rutgers education depends directly on the diversity of our university – not only among our students but also among our faculty and administration.

Please express to the members of the University Senate and the Equal Opportunity Committee my thanks and admiration for their efforts on this issue of profound importance for Rutgers University.

Sincerely yours,

Richard L. McCormick