Dr. Tuajuanda C. Jordan

Dr. Tuajuanda C. Jordan
Dr. Jordan in her office on the St. Mary's College of Maryland campus

Dr. Tuajuanda C. Jordan, the seventh president of St. Mary’s College of Maryland, took office on July 1, 2014. Under her leadership, a new three-year strategic plan, “A Time for Rebirth,” was approved by the Board of Trustees. The strategic plan builds on the College’s charter as the only public honors college of Maryland. In spring 2017, the College added a new environmental studies major and bachelor of science degrees in six majors. The biochemistry program achieved accreditation from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology – the first public institution in Maryland to hold such a designation. During Dr. Jordan’s tenure, a number of other enhancements have been made to the College, including: establishment of the African/African Diaspora House and Eco-House student living learning centers, addition of varsity rowing for men and women teams, and creation of campus workgroups to foster inclusion, diversity, and equity. From 2005 to 2011, Dr. Jordan served as director of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science Education Alliance program, where she launched the SEA Phage program. This program has been implemented at more than 50 institutions and resulted in numerous scientific and pedagogical publications. Prior to joining St. Mary’s College, Dr. Jordan also held a number of leadership positions in higher education, including dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of chemistry at Lewis & Clark College in Oregon and associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at Xavier University of Louisiana.

Dr. Jordan’s recent honors include being named as one of Fisk University’s Talented Tenth (2016), Purdue University Distinguished Women Scholar (2015-15), and Influential Marylander by the Daily Record (2015). She received the Torchbearer Award (2014) from the National Coalition of Black Women, Baltimore Metropolitan Chapter, and was inducted (2015) into the Zeta Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.