President Michael Rao, Ph.D.

Rao leads a nationally premier, urban public research university with an academic health system whose flagship hospital, VCU Medical Center, is ranked among the top 100 hospitals in the nation. VCU educates more than 28,000 students from 138 countries in more than 230 degree and certificate programs. As the largest employer in the Richmond area and among the largest in the commonwealth, VCU has an economic impact on Virginia of $9.5 billion. Additionally, VCUarts Qatar — located in Doha’s Education City — is internationally recognized for excellence in art and design.

Under Rao’s leadership, VCU is ranked among the top 50 public universities in the United States for sponsored research expenditures. U.S. News & World Report ranks more than 20 of VCU’s graduate programs in the top 50 in the nation. Consistently recognized for excellence, VCUart’s sculpture program is ranked No. 1 in the U.S. Likewise, five of VCU’s health sciences schools and departments rank in the top 15 for National Institutes of Health research funding in their fields among public institutions for FY2024, and in FY2024 the university surpassed $500 million in sponsored research funding for the first time. VCU is designated by the Carnegie Foundation as an "R1: Very High Research Spending and Doctorate Production" with "Community Engagement" status.

Guided by its current strategic plan, Quest 2028: Together We Transform, the university is focused on the student experience, strengthening educator and researcher compensation, increasing national prominence through research and improving the patient experience. In FY2023, the university raised a record-breaking $271 million in support of  VCU’s people, innovations, environments and the Richmond community and beyond.

VCU is classified as a Tier III institution with the highest level of financial authority by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

Rao has overseen one of the largest expansions of VCU’s footprint through the construction or renovation of approximately 9 million square feet of living-learning environments, academic meeting spaces and state-of-the-art clinical and laboratory facilities. With guidance from the master facility plan, ONE VCU, the university’s mission and physical environments will better align to support student success and patient experience while also focusing on safety, mobility and collaboration across programs. Recent projects include the VCU Engineering Research Building, the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU Children’s Pavilion, VCU Health’s Adult Outpatient Pavilion and the state-of-the-art STEM building with expanded lab space and support for innovative teaching methods.

Rao serves as chair of the Virginia Bio+Tech Partnership Authority and is a member of the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities, for whom he serves as its representative for the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. Rao also is a senior executive advisory committee member with the Northern Virginia Technology Council. He served as  chair of the Council of Presidents and is immediate past chair for the American Council on Education.

Rao’s career in higher education began in California in 1992, when he became president of Mission College. At the time, he was the youngest college president in the nation. He went on to serve as chancellor of Montana State University – Northern and president of Central Michigan University.

A tenured professor in the VCU College of Health Professions, Rao holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida and a Ph.D. from the University of Florida. He and his wife, Monica — a watercolorist and graphic designer — have two sons.