Jazmine Rodriguez, new dean of equity and engagement in the Division of Student Life, has been a higher education administrator for nearly a decade. She comes to Rhodes College from Northwestern University, where she was a recruitment and operations specialist and assistant director in Campus Life. Prior to her time in Evanston, IL, she worked at Rollins College in Orlando, FL, as director of fraternity and sorority life and assistant director of residential life.
Rodriguez’s extensive experience in programming includes student leadership; data-driven, needs-based programs focused on the nine dimensions of wellness; campus traditions; and student retention and success. She also has developed training sessions for various groups on equity and inclusion, bias incidents, conflict management, bystander intervention, trauma-informed response, group dynamics and facilitation, and goal setting.
While at Northwestern University, Rodriguez also worked for the Hispanic Alliance For Career Enhancement (HACE) as a consultant supporting the El Futuro program, a program for high school students aimed at improving college entrance and completion rates.
For Rollins College’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, she reimagined fraternity and sorority recruitment, infusing trans-inclusive procedures and language into the process. Rodriguez served on the college’s Diversity Advisory Council, Gender Equity & Inclusion Task Force, and Women’s Leadership Institute, and she says these roles primed her to be an advocate for diverse individuals and persons with unique situations in her new role at Rhodes. In addition, she chaired the Women in Student Affairs Knowledge Community for NASPA-Florida.
“The dean of equity and engagement is truly a new role here at Rhodes and includes a number of responsibilities that have been held in other positions within student life over time,” says Dr. Meghan Harte Weyant, vice president for student life. “This deanship in this way is a new vision and elevation of this mission-critical work. I am beyond thrilled that Jazmine has agreed to lead student life equity, engagement, and belonging initiatives. I am confident that she is the right person to lead us forward, harnessing her propensity for action, a creative and courageous spirit, and an unparalleled commitment to relationship and capacity building. This work is the crux of our student life experience, and it is deeply and critically aligned with the college’s strategic initiatives and vision.”
A native of Miami, FL, Rodriguez holds a master’s degree in educational leadership and a bachelor’s degree in interpersonal/organizational communications from the University of Central Florida.
“I am so honored and excited to join the Rhodes community. Every student deserves an educational experience that is equitable and provides them the space and the resources to develop and thrive,” says Rodriguez. “Our students deserve a campus community where they feel a genuine sense of belonging and are celebrated for who they are. I look forward to partnering with colleagues and departments to continue to work toward a community that is diverse, inclusive, and just.”