For nearly 30 years, he has been one of UCLA's staunchest supporters of diversity and a central figure in promoting access in education. This month, the campus community bids farewell to Raymund Paredes, associate vice chancellor of academic development and a longtime champion of outreach.

Beginning March 1, the administrator who was UCLA's highest-ranking Latino will assume the position of director of creativity and culture programs at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York, where he will oversee its arts and humanities programs.

"Raymund has been a role model to numerous faculty, staff and students and a considerate colleague whose personal warmth and generosity will make him greatly missed," said Claudia Mitchell-Kernan, vice chancellor of the Graduate Division.

"Raymund's commitment to diversity and equity is his UCLA legacy," said Winston Doby, vice chancellor of student affairs. "He is passionate about his work and relentless in pushing the campus and the UC system for more equitable access for all segments of society."

Paredes' tenure at UCLA began in 1973 when he joined the Department of English. As a professor, he introduced Chicano literature courses on campus and helped develop Chicano studies as a discipline, subsequently serving as chair of the César Chávez Center for Chicana/o Studies. During his term as associate dean of the Graduate Division, UCLA had more graduate students of color than any other major research university in the country. As chair of the Council on Diversity, Paredes worked to make the campus more sensitive to issues of diversity and multiculturalism.

In his role as associate vice chancellor, he promoted a range of cultural and academic events on campus, spearheaded many of UCLA's new K-12 and community college outreach efforts and served as the key link between the university and the Latino community.

"I've been very proud of my work at UCLA, particularly on issues of diversity and ethnic studies," Paredes said. "Proposition 209 and recent court cases have presented us with very difficult challenges to maintaining diversity, and we must revitalize our commitment and be more imaginative in meeting those challenges."

An avid reader since childhood, Paredes - the first in his family to graduate from college - always knew he wanted to pursue a career in teaching. "I was raised in a family where public service and working in a helping profession was very much emphasized," said the El Paso, Texas, native.

He hopes to maintain a close working relationship with UCLA.

"The opportunity to work on a national and international scale, helping to develop arts and cultural programs - particularly in underserved communities - was very enticing," Paredes said of his new job.