José Rodriguez joined the Cabrini University community in September 2017 as Director of Student Diversity Initiatives. In his role, Rodriguez develops, implements, and assesses campus inclusivity initiatives by promoting trainings, education, and a positive environment in order to advance student and faculty success.
“My role focuses on three main areas: working with first-generation students and students who identify as AHLANA students (African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Native American), working on retention services, and working on programming with faculty, staff, and students on a wide range of things starting from bias intervention all the way through to more complex and interpersonal programs,” Rodriguez said.
His main goal at Cabrini is to ensure that it is a welcoming and accepting place, and that Cabrini provides services so that all students have the opportunity to excel.
Diversity advocacy has always been the driving force behind Rodriguez’s success. For two decades before coming to Cabrini, Rodriguez was the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Penn State Abington.
In this role, he administered counseling and advising to students through academic and co-curricular initiatives; developed training for faculty, staff, and students; initiated campus-wide programming; and coordinated community outreach programs, retention services, academic enrichment programs, and international student services.
Rodriguez received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Allegheny College and a Master of Education from the University of Pennsylvania.
A Certified Diversity Trainer through The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and The National Multicultural Institute (NMCI), Rodriguez was the recipient of the Fulbright Award in 2007. In 2018, he was elected to the board of the NCAA.