Theatre professor Jorge Huerta is a man of many firsts. He was the country’s first Chicano to receive a doctoral degree in theatre. He launched the first Hispanic-American bilingual Master of Fine Arts program in the nation. And he directed the first Chicano theatre group to perform in Spain. On New Year’s Day, Huerta notched another first when he became the first person at UCSD to hold the dual titles of Associate Chancellor and Chief Diversity Officer (CDO). In this interview, Huerta looks back on his first two months in the new job and discusses the challenges of putting diversity principles into practice.

Q. What led to your appointment as the new Chief Diversity Officer?

Huerta: When Chancellor Fox first arrived on campus, she was very concerned about the lack of diversity on campus at all levels, students, staff and faculty. I was a member of the Diversity Council, and I chaired the Task Force on Underrepresented Faculty. Both groups had recommended that the Chancellor appoint a Chief Diversity Officer. I first met Chancellor Fox in early September when she welcomed a group of transfer students to UCSD – historically, these students have been looked down upon – and she connected with them in an amazing way. In a subsequent meeting, she said to me, “I need an Associate Chancellor and Chief Diversity Officer, and everyone has told me that you’re the perfect choice.”

Q. What are some of your early goals?

Huerta: My first goal has been to get a handle on all the diversity efforts that are already in place. We have a lot of initiatives that people aren’t aware of, and we don’t want to reinvent the wheel. For example, many people don’t know that on any given weekday, Birch Aquarium takes an “aquarium on wheels” to schools in multicultural and underserved neighborhoods. I’ve been meeting with representatives from all campus groups to find out what their concerns are, and I’m keeping a comprehensive list so that I can follow up.

Q. Have you encountered any surprises or had any revelations in your first two months as CDO?

Huerta: I shouldn’t be surprised by this, but I’m ecstatic to be working out of the Chancellor’s office! I also have learned that when you go public with something like this job, many different constituencies begin hoping that you can solve their problems. I’m young enough to believe that positive change is always possible and old enough to know that Rome wasn’t built in a day. I will need to focus on educating people and clearing up misconceptions. I want people to know that the university continues to participate in federally mandated affirmative action programs; California has abolished affirmative action, but the federal government hasn’t. I want people to be aware that diversity doesn’t just pertain to race and ethnicity. Diversity means recruiting men to the dance program and women to the engineering school. In my department, it would mean bringing in a Republican or two. It’s all about enhancing the educational experience.

Q. How would you describe our current portfolio of diversity efforts?

Huerta: Early outreach is a big part of it, and funding for those programs keeps going up and down. It’s important to retain students through initiatives like the OASIS (Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services). It’s important to mentor all new faculty – junior, associate and full – to help them adjust to the university. As for our community centers, the Cross-Cultural Center, the Women’s Center, and the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center, they are all moving into brand new facilities in the old Student Center. Each of those centers has more programming than I could begin to describe. Our Preuss School is just remarkable. The first class of graduating seniors, all of whom were admitted on a needs-based criterion, scored as well on standard tests as students from La Jolla High and Torrey Pines High. I’ve always thought that affirmative action should be based upon need. Approximately 60% of our students work to help put themselves through college. We don’t have a lot of trust fund kids at UCSD.

Q. What are some challenges you anticipate in your efforts to achieve true diversity at UCSD?

Huerta: The biggest is dispelling misunderstandings about how we are and are not “breaking the law” with regard to affirmative action. People don’t understand what we can and cannot do in terms of hiring. You have to have access to the largest pool of applicants for faculty and staff positions. Too often, people say, “We couldn’t find any African-Americans in this field.” But national studies show how many African-Americans, Latinos, women, etc. are being produced in every field. Historically, we’ve recruited from 12 of the top universities; well, let’s get a little broader. Throw the largest net out there, and prove to me that you could not identify any underrepresented candidates. It’s true that senior underrepresented faculty can be very hard to find. But programs like our California Cultures initiative will help us attract those faculty. And we have to do a much better job at retaining underrepresented faculty. Just because the university has been good to one Latino like me doesn’t mean it’s been good to all. The university has denied tenure to faculty in every field who did not deserve to be let go. There were many more Chicanos, Latinos and African Americans when I arrived than there are now. The current numbers are devastating.

Q. What kind of feedback have you gotten from faculty, students and staff?

Huerta: Phenomenal. The Vice Chancellors have been extremely supportive; they take staff diversity very seriously. One of the initiatives I’m planning is to meet with faculty in every department and present a tutorial on diversity, much like the campus tutorial on sexual harassment. I’m working closely with Russell Doolittle, Chair of the Diversity Council, Jon Welch of Academic Affirmative Action, the Vice Chancellors and others. I want to create a diversity survey for staff modeled on surveys conducted by Business Affairs. I’m very happy that UCSD will pursue an undergraduate African-American studies minor program – this was announced by Senior Vice Chancellor David Miller at our February 28 UCSD Black History Month Celebration. We need a directory of diversity courses. My own experience has taught me that too many students don’t even know that Chicano Theatre exists. I am just delighted when I see Anglo students in my classroom.

Q. How much of your job will involve working with people from outside campus?

Huerta: I’ve met with a lot of community leaders, including the county-wide Latino Concilio, and I’m eager to meet with alumni. And I’ve gotten a list of my counterpart CDOs at other UC campuses. My colleagues, Phyllis Coleman, Director of Campus Initiatives, and Carol Putnam, Special Projects Manager, and I are contacting them all to learn what initiatives have been successful for them. For example, here at UCSD, we admit far more African-American and Latino students than we ultimately enroll. Why aren’t they accepting our offers of admission? UCLA has a much higher acceptance rate, and I’d like to learn how they have achieved it.

Q. Will you have to give up teaching for this new position?

Huerta: I’m going to keep teaching because that’s how I’m going to get into heaven! And of course, I’ll continue writing. I’m working on an introduction to the first bilingual edition of Luis Valdez’s play “Zoot Suit.” And I’m supervising graduate students in Hispanic theatre. As I carry out my duties as CDO, I want faculty to remember that I’m still their colleague, I’m still in the classroom, and I’m still a member of the faculty of the Theatre and Dance Department.

Q. Artists and dramatists are known for their creativity. How will you bring that talent to your work as CDO?

Huerta: Working in Theatre over the years, I’ve seen the universality of human experience, and I’ve learned that everybody has to be creative. Everybody has to learn to capture an audience, which is what I love about teaching: you must try to have the students in the palm of your hand. The bottom line is passion. I am as passionate as the Chancellor is about building campus diversity and changing the face of this university.