Assistant Dean of Yale College and Latino Cultural Center director Rosalinda Garcia will step down next month after 12 years at Yale.

Garcia, who came to Yale in January 2002, has accepted the position of Assistant Vice President of Student Life at Our Lady of the Lake University, a private Catholic university in San Antonio, Texas.

In a Wednesday email to friends and colleagues, Garcia said she is sad to leave Yale but excited about working at Our Lady of the Lake.

“One of the reasons I was so attracted to my new position is because about 72 percent of the students at [Our Lady of the Lake] are Latino and about 60 percent are the first in their family to go to college,” she wrote. “Their graduation rates aren’t what one would hope and so there are many opportunities to help. I really can’t wait to find a way to do so.”

While at Yale, Garcia ran the Latino Cultural Center, otherwise known as La Casa, and oversaw a wide swathe of diversity initiatives on campus, including the Cultural Connections pre-orientation program and the STARS (Science, Technology and Research Scholars) program for minority students interested in STEM fields.

In a Wednesday email to students announcing her departure, Garcia wrote that she would convene a meeting of the broader Yale Latino community to discuss the transition period for La Casa. She also emphasized her continuing commitment to Yale, and her desire to remain in touch with the La Casa community.

“As a dean, I found what everyone is looking for — a life filled with purpose and beautifully kind, talented people,” she wrote. “I’m incredibly thankful for having had the opportunity to share this time at Yale with you. It has been a privilege serving as one of your deans.”

Garcia added that she would visit Yale in the fall to say a proper farewell.