Any permanent chancellor with a nontraditional background would also need a waiver.
"Sam Shepard, of all people, who comes from a nontraditional theater background, is hamstringing other people's creativity," he said.
Other institutions, like the Hofstra-North Shore -LIJ School of Medicine, which is due to begin classes in August 2011, have made it a priority to educate students from diverse, nontraditional backgrounds.
The New York City comptroller on Thursday rejected a $21 million contract to train and recruit teachers over the next five years, a move the city said jeopardized a popular program that attracted teachers from nontraditional backgrounds to the city's schools.
But now the chancellor, who has given more autonomy to school leaders and encouraged the recruitment of new teachers from nontraditional backgrounds, is trying to coax principals to hire from within.
The program is meant to bring promising students from nontraditional backgrounds to the school, including students of color.
It is probably fair to say that most of the 26,000 students at the University of East London come from nontraditional backgrounds.
Mr. Alder also said the university would allocate funds to provide academic support "for students from nontraditional backgrounds while they are at university".
