Session: 1234567891011121314         Page 568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639 of 763

close friends on the Regents. He is a conservative Republican, and I'm an Independent something, I guess. Democrat maybe. But we talk together about educational issues and ideas. And he, for example, when he was Chancellor, set up a task force on monitoring the Regents Action Plan for equity. And we talked about it before he presented it to a Board, and that's where we are now. And I must also say to you I look forward to this being my last year on the Board of Regents. I really-- I mean, I've been there too long.

By the way, I should tell you that when I went on there was one woman and I was the first black. Now we have two blacks, one of whom is a woman, and five women on a sixteen-person Board of Regents. One of the women is black, and there are two Hispanics. George Batista from New York City, the Bronx, and Carl Carballada, who is a banker in Rochester. And Carl, in spite of being a rather successful banker, still identifies himself as Hispanic.

So the Regents has become more democratic in its-- and representative. It's not dominantly or almost exclusively a male club. The term “club” is a fairly descriptive term for the Regents, after you serve with people for a while.

It's still a club, although more representative?

More representative, yes. And you get to know your fellow Regents. Whether you agree or disagree with them, you tend to be polite.