In July 2009, Felix V. Matos Rodriguez will take over as president of Hostos Community College of the City University of New York, which in 1970 opened in a converted tire factory in the South Bronx to educate members of a primarily Puerto Rican community. Like Mr. Matos Rodriguez, who moved to the mainland United States at age 18, many of those students face cultural and linguistic challenges as they make the transition to college life. Hostos is one of six community colleges in the 23-institution CUNY system. It now enrolls about 5,100 students; about 61 percent are Hispanic and 32 percent are black. Half of the college's students have a native language other than English. Its new president, who grew up in a suburb of San Juan, has pursued a varied career as a history professor, academic administrator, and public servant in the United States and Puerto Rico. As a Puerto Rican historian and educator, he was drawn to the contributions that Hostos has made to Puerto Rican history, he says. He also says he was attracted by the chance to preside over a bilingual college that provides higher education to an ethnically and culturally diverse community. He said he hopes to create more partnerships with community groups and improve graduation and retention rates.