Daphne Rankin, PhD

Associate Vice President for Summer Studies and Special Programs, Virginia Commonwealth University

Daphne has more than twenty-five years of higher education experience. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and her MS in Sociology and PhD in Public Policy and Administration from VCU.

An innovative and enthusiastic educator, administrator, and communicator, Daphne has extensive experience in student transition, retention, and success. Since joining the university’s administration in 2004, she has assumed progressive leadership responsibilities in curriculum development, student retention, first-generation student and family programs, enrollment management, and summer studies. Dr. Rankin served as VCU’s first Director of Student Engagement and helped to develop the University College. Recognizing that one-third of the students in VCU’s first-year class are first-generation students who often bring a unique set of needs with them to campus, her team developed You First at VCU, a network of programs and initiatives for first-generation students that addresses academic success, social integration, and family support.