The changes come on the heels of a report, issued last spring by an independent committee headed by former Suffolk County District Attorney Ralph Martin, on how to improve the private police department’s relationship with the diverse university community it patrols.

“The hiring of a black man to such a senior position will only help create an inherent realization in other individuals within the department that there’s going to have to be more caution taken in their approach,” said Ryan Williams, a Harvard senior and member of the Black Men’s Forum who is concerned about police treatment of black students and faculty. “It’s definitely a positive thing to have somebody who may bring a different perspective to the table, but don’t think it’s going to be utopia over night.”

Claiborne will start his new job Nov. 10 after 30 years on the Boston police force, where he rose through the ranks from patrolman to superintendent in charge of field services and was once a candidate for police commissioner.