Academic career
Rao has been an administrator for more than 30 years. In the late 1980s and early 1990s,Rao served in the private sector as a higher education academic program planner. In this role,he created master plans for the University of Washington system and the University of California. He also served as assistant to the president at the University of Florida,a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU). [6]
In 1992,Rao became a dean at Mission College in Santa Clara,California,and became president of the college two years later. This move gave him the distinction of being the youngest college president in the country at that time. [4] In 1998,he became chancellor of Montana State University–Northern,in Havre.
Rao was chosen to be president of Central Michigan University (CMU),a large public,research university in the year 2000. His work at Central Michigan University focused on interdisciplinary academic program development,economic development through commercialization of research,fundraising for the university,and outreach to the Central Michigan region. [6] During his tenure and despite state budget cuts,CMU significantly increased faculty positions and research productivity,developed academic programs and improved performance. Under Rao's leadership,CMU gained approval to establish a medical school and M.D. degree program,partnering with large healthcare systems. [6] When he left CMU in 2009,Rao was one of the three longest-serving presidents among Michigan's 15 public universities.
Virginia Commonwealth University presidency
Rao was selected to be the president of Virginia Commonwealth University in 2009 and was officially installed as VCU's fifth president on October 14,2011,in an inauguration ceremony at the Siegel Center.
In September 2024,VCU extended Rao's contract through June 2030,and VCU trustees unanimously voted to raise Rao's annual salary to $896,000,making him the fourth highest-paid university president in Virginia,behind presidents at the University of Virginia,George Mason University and the College of William &Mary. [7]
VCU Enrollment,Research Ranking and Fundraising
In the Fall of 2025,VCU enrolled more than 4,500 first-year students,its second-largest freshman class in history,with total university enrollment projected to exceed 29,000,its highest in five years. [8]
In 2025,VCU surpassed the $560 million mark in sponsored research funding for the first time. VCU has doubled research funding over the past seven years with a goal of doubling again to reach $1 billion. [9]
- VCU is ranked in the top 50 among public research universities in the U.S. by the National Science Foundation. [10]
- 19 health sciences departments and schools rank in the top 50 for NIH funding for public universities. [11]
- VCU is ranked by the National Academy of Inventors as being among the top 100 universities in the U.S. for utility patents granted,reflecting VCU’s roles in innovation and research. [12]
- 10 VCU graduate programs currently rank in the top 50 by U.S. News &World Report. [13]
- VCU and its health system received $257 million in donations in 2025 from more than 22,000 donors,its second-largest fundraising total and a $100 million increase from 2021 totals. [14]
Campus and facility developments
Under the One VCU Master Plan,the university is redeveloping West Grace Street into a "campus main street" with retail,housing,gathering spaces,and student housing for approx. 1,000 students. [15]
Additionally,a four-phase Athletic Village of approximately 42 acres is underway adjacent to the City of Richmond’s new minor league baseball stadium complex,with two stadiums,tennis center,practice fields,and an indoor track facility. [16]
Other major campus projects completed during Rao’s presidency included construction of VCU’s Institute for Contemporary Art (2018) [17] ,the VCU Engineering Research Building (2021) [18] ,Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU Children’s Pavilion (2023) [19] and a STEM building with expanded lab space (2023) [20] .
Protests
While president,Rao overlooked a series of protests by adjunct faculty at VCU. [21] The coalition behind the protests critiqued Rao's salary while many adjuncts made poverty level wages. [22] Ahead of the 2018-19 budget,$4.2 million was allocated to increase adjunct faculty funding from $800 to $1,000 per credit hour,about $1,000 less than what the coalition was demanding. [23]
Ghostwriting scandal
In September 2019,it was reported that Rao had signed as the sole author of an opinion piece that he had not written. [24] The January 2019 op-ed,printed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch,supported a private development in that city but had been ghostwritten by an employee of the private development. [25] The executive editor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch stated that the newspaper would not have published the piece if it has known of its true origin. [24] Rao's actions were also criticized by independent ethics experts. [26]
Clay Street Project
VCU faced criticism in 2022-4 when VCU Health paid more than $70 million to exit a downtown Richmond redevelopment project it said had become untenable due to construction site difficulties and post-COVID cost increases. [27] The project originally envisioned a mixed-used development including a 17-story building to house VCU Health’s School of Dentistry. In the aftermath of the failed redevelopment deal,the Virginia legislature’s watchdog auditor,the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission,recommended governance reforms,including splitting the position of VCU president from the VCU health system,a move that Rao welcomed. [28] The legislature enacted the change in 2025. [29]
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