Rudy M. Molina, Jr. is Vice Provost for Student Academic Success at James Madison University (JMU). Since arriving at JMU in 2020, Dr. Molina has been instrumental in advancing student success initiatives and has secured new resources to support the local community to help close the learning gap exacerbated by the pandemic in local K-12 school districts and simultaneously worked with colleagues across JMU to raise the retention rates and close the equity achievement gaps among undergraduate students. 

Dr. Molina works directly with the Provost and other university leaders to provide academic leadership in areas related to student success, advising development, assessment, research, accreditation, and academic policy and effectiveness. He oversees several units dedicated to enhancing the student experience and improving educational outcomes, including the Academic Success Programs, Honor Council, Learning Centers, University Advising, Pre-Professional Health Advising, Transfer Initiatives, Student Success Analytics, Summer and Winter sessions, and three U.S. Department of Education grants (TRIO Upward Bound, TRIO Talent Search, and Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs). 

Dr. Molina currently leads the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) for JMU and built the Student Success Analytics team, a new unit at JMU designed to incorporate a data-informed approach to student success. This approach fuses JMU’s already high-touch approach to student success with a new set of high-tech tools. The formation of this team, along with several other campus initiatives, have led to the creation of “student pulse surveys”, reframing mid-terms grades, creation of a student case management system, LMS data analysis, Pell grant assessment, and several others. These initiatives accelerated JMU’s already firm commitment to its community, evidenced by increased overall retention rates and the closing of equity achievement gaps among student segments such as out-of-state, first-generation, and students of color. 

The development of the new Early Student Success System at JMU has positioned him and his team to explore other innovative approaches such as curricular analytics, dual-admission pathways with community colleges, student success coaching, and the use of technology to improve the registration experience and policy changes that support student athlete success. All of these are examples of a collaborative approach to higher education leadership. 

Prior to his role at JMU, Dr. Molina served as the Associate Vice Chancellor in Illinois and before that, he was a Director in Arizona. In these roles, he partnered with colleagues, donors, and other community members to raise funds and design programs to prepare students for college, support college students with disabilities, and champion innovative policy changes to improve overall student performance and degree attainment. 

In his career, Dr. Molina has raised over $12 million in extramural funding, including both private gifts and competitive grants from the federal government and state agencies. Most recently, as the Vice Provost at JMU, he has successfully raised over $6 million as the Principal Investigator for TRIO Talent Search and Co-Principal Investigator for two other U.S. Department of Education grants (TRIO Upward Bound and GEAR UP). 

Dr. Molina's dedication to student success and his ability to secure funding for impactful programs have made him a respected leader in the field of higher education. He continues to work tirelessly to enhance the academic experience and outcomes for all students at JMU. 

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