Dr. Arlene Rodríguez has devoted her career to implementing successful equity-centered student initiatives, creating dynamic partnerships, and fundraising for scholarships. She has earned a reputation as a trusted leader, skilled at networking and building supportive environments for both campus and off-campus communities.
Currently the interim provost/vice president of academic and student affairs at Middlesex Community College, Dr. Rodríguez also served as vice president at Cape Cod Community College, and senior advisor at the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, where she worked with all sectors of public higher education on initiatives that advanced the department’s equity goals to close achievement gaps and graduate more students from underserved populations. Dr. Rodríguez is training to be a Guided Pathways Coach for the Washington State Board of Technical and Community Colleges. Her career began as an English professor at Springfield Technical Community College, progressing to administration, first as dean and then as vice president of academic affairs.
Dr. Rodríguez has been engaged in her community, with recent appointments to the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce and Barnstable County’s Regional Network on Homelessness Policy Board. She was honored with several awards, including the National Council on Community and Justice’s Human Services Award, Springfield Women Commission’s UnSung Hero/Woman of the Year, and Professional Women’s Chamber of Western Massachusetts Woman of the Year Award.
Fluent in Spanish, Dr. Rodríguez holds a doctorate in english from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a M.A. from Lehigh University, and a B.A. from Fordham University. Selected to participate as a 2021 Aspen Rising Presidents Fellow.