Posted: April 16, 2025
Contact: Noelle Hawton, Noelle.Hawton@MinnState.edu, 651-201-1801
ST. PAUL, Minn., April 16, 2025 – The Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities has named Ritu Raju to serve as president of South Central College (SCC). Her appointment becomes effective July 1, 2025.
“Dr. Raju showed an amazing understanding of South Central College and its mission,” Scott Olson, Minnesota State chancellor, said. “Her commitment to serving students and to working with the local business community to meet their workforce needs was clear. She’s had success with this work previously in her career and we’re honored to have her be a part of the Minnesota State family.”
Dr. Raju brings two decades of higher education experience in both administration and teaching and is widely recognized for her strategic leadership skills. She is known for developing creative strategies to increase enrollment as well as sustaining a campus culture that facilitates a spirit of belonging.
She has served Gateway Technical College (WI) as president and chief executive officer since 2023. At Gateway, Dr. Raju has achieved five consecutive semesters of double digital enrollment growth, reversing a 10-year enrollment decline. She also led the college to its designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (the first technical college in Wisconsin to achieve this) and has established strategic partnerships with several large companies serving the region.
Previously, Dr. Raju served as vice president of academic affairs at Tarrant County College Northeast Campus (TX) from 2020-2022. In this role, she supervised all academic programming including transfer, workforce programs, dual credit, and continuing education. While at Tarrant, Dr. Raju created multiple partnerships to ensure the college could meet workforce, career development, occupational, and adult basic education needs in the region.
Prior to that, she held several appointments at Houston Community College (TX), including dean and interim dean of Advanced Manufacturing from 2018-2020, division chair for speech, communication and sign language from 2015-2018, associate chair of technical and mass communication between 2008-2015, and English faculty from 2006-2014. While at the college, Dr. Raju piloted classes in 3D Printing and Mechatronics, created the first bilingual machining program at the school, and oversaw the first program in the nation to achieve designation as a Registered Apprenticeship Center by the Department of Labor.
She holds bachelor’s degrees from Bangalore University India and the University of Houston Downtown, a master’s from Sam Houston State University, and a doctorate from Texas Tech University.
About South Central College
South Central College (SCC) is a comprehensive community and technical college that is part of the Minnesota State system with campuses in Faribault and North Mankato. The college offers programs that prepare students to transfer to a four-year institution to pursue a bachelor’s degree, immediately start or advance in a rewarding career after graduation – or do both. SCC also provides customized workforce education for professionals and organizations. SCC is an Affirmative Action Equal Opportunity Employer/Educator. For more information, visit www.southcentral.edu.
About Minnesota State
Minnesota State includes 26 community and technical colleges and seven state universities serving approximately 270,000 students. It is the fourth-largest system of two-year colleges and four-year universities in the United States.
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