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Mary Jane Saunders began serving as the President of Florida Atlantic University on June 7, 2010. She is the sixth President in the 50-year history of FAU, a comprehensive public university with campuses and sites in Boca Raton, Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce. As the University’s chief executive officer, Dr. Saunders oversees an institution that is currently serving 29,000 students at the bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral levels. With more than 3,500 employees, including 1,500 dedicated faculty members, and an annual operating budget in excess of $600 million, FAU ranks as one of the largest employers in South Florida. The University’s regional economic impact exceeds $2 billion.
President Saunders has taken the helm at FAU as it is emerging as a major center of research, particularly in the fields of biomedicine, biotechnology, ocean engineering and marine science. Her vision for FAU is to continue the University’s rapid development as a regionally and nationally important center of education, research and civic engagement, in partnership with supporters in the community.
In addition to serving FAU as President, Dr. Saunders is a member of the faculty of FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. She came to FAU from Cleveland State University, where she was Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. She also was the founding Dean of CSU’s College of Science and Director of its Biomedical and Health Institute. Her professional background includes service as a Deputy Division Director of the National Science Foundation and as Director of the Institute of Biomolecular Science at the University of South Florida.
President Saunders holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Boston University and both a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in botany from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, she is married to Dr. George Newkome, a distinguished polymer science and chemistry research professor.
