Before joining the College of Visual and Performing Arts, Ruffin served as the founding director of the Office of New Student Engagement at Queensborough Community College within the City University of New York. In this role, she oversaw the conversion, onboarding, and transition of new incoming students. Ruffin has served at a variety of institutions in the public, private/non-profit as well as the proprietary sectors of higher education. Her comprehensive higher education career includes progressive responsibilities in the areas of academic advising, student support services, and enrollment management. She has a proven record of leadership. This includes her successes in building effective teams, motivating staff, and developing employees.

Ruffin believes that it is her responsibility as a leader to insure that those that she impacts have a fair opportunity to utilize their talents, resources, skills and/or abilities to benefit the institution they are connected to, focusing on students but also supporting other constituents and key stakeholders. Her ultimate goal is to positively affect the greater good and/or those she works with and works for--her students, the administration, faculty, and staff, and the interconnected global community at large.

Ruffin earned a bachelor of science in marketing and a master of science in education from St. John’s University and a doctor of education in executive leadership from St. John Fisher College. She continues to support scholarship through her committee work with doctoral candidates.

Education

• Ed.D., St. John Fisher College
• M.S., B.S., St. John’s University