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Rodrigo Lazo, professor of English, has been appointed to the position of associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion for UCI Graduate Division.

Lazo will work directly with Gillian R. Hayes, vice provost and dean of the graduate division, to develop plans and policies that will contribute to diversifying the graduate student population and also help current students complete their degrees. He will work with graduate programs across campus to review policies and procedures on admissions and retention. Additionally, he will develop a strategic vision to support the success of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars and consider ways for graduate division to help students facing challenges completing degree requirements because of the pandemic.

“I’m so pleased to welcome such a fantastic academic leader to Graduate Division,” said Hayes. “Our graduate students and post-docs are at the heart of this university and I’m excited to be able to provide them with another advocate who will listen and fight for them.”

“I appreciate the opportunity to work with our students,” Lazo said. “I’m looking forward to supporting our Black Thriving Initiative at UCI and making sure all of our students are set up for success.”

Lazo has 17 years of experience at UCI. In addition to being a professor of English, he has previously served as the associate dean of the School of Humanities and directed the Humanities Core Program, a year-long introduction to the humanities for first-year undergraduate students. His research interests include American and Latinx studies, 19th-century U.S. literature, and immigrant/migrant fiction. His most recent book, Letters from Filadelfia: Early Latino Literature and the Trans-American Elite (University of Virginia Press, 2020), details the contributions of Spanish-speaking intellectuals and broadens the history of the original capital of the U.S.

Lazo’s new position starts immediately.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
English