Lehman College President Fernando Delgado

Appointed July 1, 2021, Dr. Fernando Delgado is the fourth president in Lehman College’s more than 50-year history. He is proud to lead one of the Bronx’s preeminent institutions; a federally designated Hispanic-serving institution that is a perennially leader in social mobility. 

Dr. Delgado came to Lehman with more than 20 years of public college administrative experience in the Midwest and Arizona, including five years as executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, which serves approximately 10,000 students through its four academic colleges. Prior to that he served as vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. He has also held roles as an academic dean at Minnesota State University, Mankato and Hamline University in St. Paul. His academic career began at Arizona State University, where he also began his work as a university administrator.

The son of immigrants—his father is from Mexico and his mother from Spain—Dr. Delgado, like more than 60 percent of Lehman’s students, was also a first-generation college student. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from San José University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in communication studies from the University of Iowa.

Dr. Delgado continues to publish and present his research, which centers on questions of Latinx identity and popular culture, the role of sport in society, and the theoretical approaches to intercultural communication. He has published in a variety of academic journals and books and presented his scholarship at regional, national, and international conferences and as a guest lecturer at universities in the U.S. and beyond.

Throughout his time as an administrator, Dr. Delgado has been active with the American Council on Education (ACE), the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), and the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLGU). He has extensive experience with institutional accreditation, strategic planning, internationalization, and budget management.

Learn more about President Delgado in this interview on the BronxNet program Open with Rhina Valentin.