Rasky died Dec. 29 at her home in El Cerrito, Calif. following a long illness, the UC Berkeley School of Journalism said.
As a reporter, Rasky won a George Polk award for national reporting for her coverage of the congressional budget crisis in 1990 for the Times.
She was known as a passionate teacher of political and government reporting, and students said she often helped them long after they left school.
John Myers, a former student of Rasky's who is now at ABC, says her students referred to themselves as "Rasky-ites" because she became a guiding force in their lives.
"Susan became a guiding force in my professional life in August 1993 and never waivered in her willingness to advise, promote and tutor my work as a political reporter," Myers said in an obituary published by the journalism school.
Rasky continued reporting while teaching at Berkeley, doing pieces for the Los Angeles Times, NPR and the Sacramento Bee.
A native of Los Angeles, Rasky attended college at Berkeley, and received a master's degree in economic history from the London School of Economics.
A memorial service was planned Sunday in Mill Valley.
