As Dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences—VCU’s largest and most diverse academic unit—Catherine Ingrassia, Ph.D., is driven by a foundational belief in higher education as a transformative public good. Dedicated to the idea that a rigorous foundation in the humanities and sciences is vital to a thriving society, she leads the college with a focus on expanding student access, fostering interdisciplinary innovation, and amplifying the real-world impact of groundbreaking faculty research. Leading VCU's largest academic unit, Dean Ingrassia oversees 15 departments, three schools, and eight centers, supporting nearly 10,000 students, and 500 faculty and staff members. She also ensures the college remains a central driver of VCU's R1 research mission through meaningful scholarship across all areas of the College of Humanities and Sciences. 

Since beginning her tenure as dean in June 2022, Dean Ingrassia brings dynamic, forward-looking leadership to the college, grounded in three decades of institutional knowledge and dedication to the VCU community. Since joining the university in 1992, she has been a catalyst for academic excellence, serving as Chair of the Department of English, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Executive Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Affairs. Moving forward, her vision for the college centers on continuing to elevate its role as the intellectual heart of the university—creating an environment where students and faculty alike are equipped to tackle the complex social, scientific, and cultural challenges of the 21st century. 

Under her leadership, the College of Humanities and Sciences recently created the Michelle and David Baldacci Institute for Civil Discourse and Civic Engagement, enabled by a generous philanthropic gift. Building on the  success of  the $3.5 million Mellon Foundation Pathways Program, Ingrassia established the Dean's Pathways Program. Launched in the 2026-2027 academic year, this initiative will continue to provide vital support and academic scaffolding for VCCS transfer students. Further, she has championed forward-thinking academic programming, including the introduction of an AI literacy course requirement and the creation of new minors in AI Studies, Applied Humanities, and Native and Indigenous Studies, She has also nearly doubled the number of accelerated bachelor's-to-master's opportunities–many providing pathways to the health sciences campus–and also created a robust set of offering of badges and microcredentials  as well as continuing education courses like the ”Ethics of AI.” 

Her leadership is deeply informed by her ongoing work as an acclaimed scholar of eighteenth-century British literature. A passionate advocate for the humanities, Dean Ingrassia has published seven books with a particular focus on women writers. Her most recent book, Domestic Captivity and the British Subject, 1660-1750, investigates how captivity shaped identity and human relationships in historical texts—explorations of power, agency, and society that underscore the enduring relevance of humanistic inquiry.

Beyond VCU, Dean Ingrassia is a recognized voice in her discipline. She actively shapes the future of her field through extensive national service, including leadership roles with the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS), as well as her ongoing work on the editorial board of Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature.

Dean Ingrassia earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in English from The University of Texas at Austin, and her B.A. in English and Classics graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Grinnell College.

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Dean Ingrassia's assistant, Kelsey Cappiello, may be reached at cappiellokn@vcu.edu.