arodrigu@hunter.cuny.edu
212 772-5754
1006 East Building

Dr. Maria Rodriguez has been a member of the counseling faculty of the SEEK Department (formerly the Department of Academic Skills/SEEK) at Hunter for over 25 years and is a strong advocate for the needs of special program students.   Her commitment to multicultural counseling is an integral part of her professional work, teaching, research, and scholarly endeavors.   She received an M.S. degree in Counseling and Personnel Services, Specialist in Education Certificate, and Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University at Albany.   In addition, she has a second master’s degree in Anthropology from the New School for Social Research.  She is a licensed Psychologist in the State of New York.

Teaching

Dr. Rodriguez teaches the Orientation for Success course offered for new SEEK students and the Career Planning and Job Search course for new and continuing SEEK students.   She has also taught Introductory Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Urban Puerto Rican Family on an adjunct basis at the undergraduate level as well as graduate courses in Counseling and Special Education.   

Research

Currently, Prof. Rodriguez is compiling survey research on Latino students at five CUNY colleges with the aim of highlighting the background and experiences of a sample of 663 students.  The research, part of a Faculty Fellowship award received from The Center for Puerto Rican Studies, aims to raise awareness of the needs of Latino college students and provide recommendations for counseling and other supportive services.

 Her research interests and publications, which have been presented at local, regional and national conferences, are focused on developing culturally relevant educational and career interventions for at-risk college students and assessing the impact of those interventions.    She has been active in the field of Counseling, previously serving on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, as an Occasional Reviewer for the Editorial Board of the Career Development Quarterly, and as a Reviewer for the Career Information and Review Service of the Career Development Quarterly.  She also served as the North Atlantic Regional Representative for the Association of Multicultural Counseling and Development and was honored with an Outstanding Service Award.