Dean James L. Rodríguez appointed chair-elect of national board

Dr. Rodriguez will lead American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education

By California State University, Bakersfield

September 26^th, 2025

The American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) has selected Dr. James L. Rodríguez, dean of Extended Education and Global Outreach (EEGO) and special assistant to the president for external affairs, as chair-elect of its board of directors for the 2025-26 academic year. Dr. Rodríguez will serve as chair-elect through June 2026, after which he will take over as chair for the 2026-27 academic year.

AAHHE is a nonprofit higher education association that promotes inclusive excellence through fellowship programs and initiatives primarily focused on the professional development of students and faculty.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to serve,” Dr. Rodríguez said. “I would like to make meaningful contributions working with others to advance AAHHE’s missions and goals. This includes supporting signature programs for scholars as they rise from undergraduate to graduate student to tenured faculty.”

Dr. Rodríguez was first nominated to the board in 2020 and served as treasurer until his recent appointment as chair-elect. He joined CSUB that same year as the dean for the College of Social Sciences and Education, a position he held for over three years before being selected as the interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.

Dr. Rodríguez has served as CSUB’s dean of EEGO and special assistant to the president for external affairs since July.

Prior to joining the university, Dr. Rodríguez worked for over a decade at CSU Fullerton as a professor of child and adolescent studies. During this period, he also served as acting chair for the Department of Chicana(o) Studies and as interim associate vice president for Student Affairs and Institutional Research and Analytical Studies.

Dr. Rodríguez holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Pomona College and a Ph.D. in child and adolescent development from Stanford University.

Dr. Rodríguez said one of his primary goals as AAHHE chair will be to bolster the association’s faculty and graduate student fellowship programs. He plans to work with the board in its efforts to secure more funding for initiatives and programs.

“We’re going to continue to develop and promote our signature programs. That’s where AAHHE invests the vast majority of its resources,” he said. “I look forward to working with the board to support AAHHE members and to elevate the impact of the association’s programs and initiatives.”