Scott Rinker, PhD
Executive Director of Student Development and Success
L. Scott Rinker, PhD, is the Executive Director of Student Development and Success at the American Canadian School of Medicine. A senior higher education leader with more than 20 years of experience, Dr. Rinker has dedicated his career to improving student retention, persistence, completion, wellness, and equity across higher education and medical education.
At ACSOM, Dr. Rinker has worked with internal stakeholders to build a comprehensive student success and development division from the ground up. His work supports ACSOM’s growing medical student population across the Dominica campus and U.S.-based clinical sites, helping ensure that students receive structured guidance, personal support, and development resources throughout their medical education journey.
Dr. Rinker’s leadership focuses on creating student support systems that are proactive, data-informed, and deeply personalized. His work spans academic advising, student development, counseling and wellness, disability services, academic recovery, student conduct, Title IX, recruitment support, retention strategy, and accreditation compliance. Across these areas, he is known for building systems that help institutions identify student needs earlier, respond more effectively, and create a stronger culture of student success.
Before joining ACSOM, Dr. Rinker served for six years at the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, where he held the role of Assistant Dean of Student Affairs. In that position, he helped lead student affairs operations for a Caribbean medical school environment and contributed to measurable improvements in student experience and satisfaction. His work at AUC included support for student engagement, academic policies, non-academic student support, wellness initiatives, and medical education programming.
Dr. Rinker also held senior student development and student affairs leadership roles at Houston Community College, now Houston City College, one of the largest and most diverse community college systems in the United States. At HCC, he provided system-wide leadership across a multi-campus environment, supporting large-scale student success initiatives designed to improve advising, early alerts, retention, and persistence.
His work at HCC included redesigning advising and early alert systems, implementing case-managed advising, aligning student services with guided pathways, and collaborating closely with academic affairs, institutional research, information technology, and enrollment management. These efforts reflected his broader approach to student success: combining institutional data, student-centered service, and cross-functional collaboration to improve outcomes at scale.
Dr. Rinker has extensive experience using enterprise systems and student success platforms to improve accountability, communication, and decision-making. His background includes work with systems such as PeopleSoft, HubSpot CRM, Maxient, Titanium, Tableau, and Populi SIS, allowing him to connect student support, institutional reporting, and operational improvement.
Dr. Rinker earned his PhD in Counseling Psychology from Texas A&M University and has served as both a faculty member and clinical supervisor. His academic and professional background in counseling psychology informs his approach to student development, particularly his emphasis on wellness, resilience, personal growth, and the importance of early support for students facing academic or personal challenges.
Throughout his career, Dr. Rinker has been committed to building institutional cultures where student success is not treated as the responsibility of one department, but as a shared commitment across the entire organization. His professional philosophy emphasizes evidence-based decision-making, equity, collaboration, and the belief that every student should have access to the guidance, structure, and support needed to reach their full potential.
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