KU News Release

Longtime KU leader to take reins of Multicultural Scholars Program

Fred Rodriguez

LAWRENCE — Fred Rodriguez, an associate professor of curriculum and teaching with a long history of leadership at the University of Kansas, has been named executive director of KU’s Multicultural Scholars Program. He succeeds Renate Mai-Dalton and will assume the role July 1.

Rodriguez has been co-director of the program since 2003. The Multicultural Scholars Program helps first-generation college students from numerous ethnic backgrounds make a successful transition from high school to college. All students in the program are United States citizens. The program helps students address academic, social and personal aspects of the college experience.

A longtime educator, Rodriguez has been at KU for 30 years. He joined the faculty in 1978 as an assistant professor in the School of Education. He also has a record of leadership at KU. He was named the inaugural director of the Center for Teaching Excellence in 1997 and kept the role until 2001. Rodriguez was associate dean of the School of Education from 2001 to 2004 and was interim dean of the school for the 2004-05 academic year. In the 2005-06 academic year, he was the associate dean for teacher education, undergraduate programs and partnerships.

Rodriguez said he is eagerly anticipating the new challenge.

“I look forward to the opportunity to continue to enhance and strengthen the Multicultural Scholars Program for KU and truly understand the wonderful foundation that professor Renate Mai-Dalton has established, which is a high standard of excellence and of high quality,” Rodriguez said.

As a member of the faculty in the School of Business, Mai-Dalton started the Multicultural Business Scholars Program in 1992. After achieving an 85 percent retention rate, Chancellor Robert Hemenway expanded the program in 2001 to the entire university and it became the Multicultural Scholars Program. Mai-Dalton will continue to have an advisory role with the Multicultural Scholars Program.

A noted expert in the field of equity issues in education and multicultural education, Rodriguez has published several books, book chapters and journal articles on such topics. His book “Affirming Equity: A Framework for Teachers and Schools” is in its fourth edition. He also has authored a series titled “Equity in Education” and “Education in a Multicultural Society” and “Mainstreaming a Multicultural Perspective into Teacher Education: Guidelines for Teacher Educators.”

At various points in his career, he has served as chair of the Kansas Alliance of Professional Development Schools, coordinator for the Institute for School Improvement and associate state director of the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges.

Rodriguez holds doctorate and master’s degrees in education from the University of Nebraska.

“I feel honored to work with such an important program for KU and look forward to the challenge and opportunity,” Rodriguez said. “Working with the directors and co-directors of the various academic programs on campus and collaborating with the various entities that have an interest in our continued success will be a rewarding experience.”

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