January 7, 2026
To: The RPI Community
From: Rob Hradsky, Vice Provost for the Student Experience
Re: James D. Raper Appointed Associate Vice Provost for Student Health and Wellness
I am pleased to announce the appointment of James D. Raper as Associate Vice Provost for Student Health and Wellness at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, effective January 12, 2026.
James brings more than two decades of distinguished leadership experience in student health, mental health, well-being strategy, and crisis response across several highly regarded institutions. His career reflects an unwavering commitment to cultivating healthy campus environments, strengthening student support systems, and advancing evidence-based practices — expertise essential to RPI’s student-centered mission and the evolving needs of our community.
Most recently, James served as Associate Vice President for Health, Wellbeing, Access, and Prevention at Emory University, where he provided strategic leadership for a comprehensive portfolio serving more than 16,000 students. His work included oversight of clinical and prevention operations, development of 24/7 crisis response, expansion of sexual violence prevention and trauma support services, and implementation of large-scale well-being and health promotion initiatives. His leadership also extended to enterprise risk management and multi-year assessment strategies that improved population-level well-being outcomes.
Prior to Emory, James held several senior roles at Wake Forest University, including Assistant Vice President for Health and Wellbeing and Director of the University Counseling Center. There, he oversaw eight departments connected to holistic student health and well-being, led crisis and public health responses, expanded counseling and prevention services, strengthened institutional well-being infrastructures, and chaired numerous committees dedicated to threat assessment, crisis management, and sexual violence prevention.
At RPI, James will serve as a key member of the Student Experience leadership team, providing strategic direction for Student Health and Wellness in alignment with the RPI Forward plan. He will oversee the Student Health Center and Counseling Center, champion holistic wellness services, guide the Student Health Insurance Plan, and collaborate closely across academic and administrative units to strengthen a culture of health, inclusion, and resilience.
Reflecting on early experiences at RPI, James shared: “As I've gotten to know the RPI community it has become abundantly clear how committed both students and the administration are to continuing to evolve student well-being at all levels. Each of my conversations with students, staff, and faculty have left me with excitement about the possibilities for creativity and collaboration — essential components for a campus that supports the well-being of all.”
James holds a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Syracuse University, a Master of Arts in Education in Community Counseling from Wake Forest University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Colgate University. He is a licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor-Supervisor and brings extensive advanced clinical expertise in a variety of areas including suicide assessment, crisis intervention, trauma-informed care, and threat assessment. Joining James is his family, including his wife Paige and sons Cranford (20) and Emery (15). They enjoy spending time outdoors and are thrilled to continue to get to know the region’s many mountains and lakes.
I am thrilled to welcome James to RPI and to the Division of the Student Experience. His depth of expertise, collaborative leadership style, and proven ability to build integrated, student-centered well-being systems will be transformative for our community. James’ strategic vision and compassionate approach to supporting students make him an exceptional addition to our leadership team, and I look forward to partnering with him to further strengthen the health and wellness infrastructure that underpins student success at RPI.
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