NEWS
After top educators and government figures spent almost 90 minutes Friday morning greeting a president who has already had the job for more than four months, Mary Jane Saunders stood up and bowed her head to receive the heavy-looking President’s Medallion. The medal, embossed with the FAU seal, was worn as a symbol of her installation as FAU’s sixth president.
Once she took the stage of the Carole and Barry Kaye Performing Arts Auditorium, President Saunders said she wants to put emphasis on community engagement, create new programs, and boost offerings of online classes.
She also said she wants the university to continue developing community outreach and volunteering and service learning opportunities.
“We must never lose sight of the fact that serving local students and communities is an essential part of our mission,” Saunders said.
Boca Raton Mayor Susan Whelchel, who also spoke at the event, agreed with the new president. She added that FAU graduates are some of the best employees she’s ever known.
“The [Boca] campus has been playing a major role in the reputation, the character and the development of the city of Boca Raton,” said Whelchel.
Saunders also mentioned that thanks to a $1.5 million grant, the Office of Undergraduate Studies will open a new program to help students who are at risk of dropping out in their second and third years of study.
The program will offer “stepped-up” advising, according to Saunders, along with additional tutoring and career counseling.
“We want every student who enrolls at FAU to achieve the dream of achieving a college degree, and we are doing everything we can to give them the tools to do so,” Saunders said.
She also said there would be an increase in the number of study abroad programs, giving students the possibility to travel to more destinations and have a bigger perspective about the world.
“Study abroad is a uniquely enriching experience and I intend to make it a focal point of my presidency,” she said. “We are in the business of educating citizens of the world.”
Saunders stressed the importance of online classes and the growth that they will see in the near future.
“I commissioned an e-learning task force to examine our current offerings and suggest ways that they can be expanded to serve our students,” she said.
During the two-hour ceremony, many prominent people spoke to greet Saunders.
Frank Brogan, former FAU president, said he believes Saunders was the best choice for the university.
“She’s the right person, at the right place, in the right time,” Brogan said to loud applause. “She’ll lead the university boldly and bravely.”
Student Body President Ayden Maher took the chance to congratulate Saunders in the name of students.
“I have seen tremendous growth and change,” Maher said. “I know President Saunders is going to take us to the next level.”
Before becoming FAU’s president, Saunders made her career at Cleveland State University in Ohio, where she was the founding dean of the school’s college of science, director of its Biomedical and Health Institute, and a professor in its department of biological, geological and environmental sciences. She holds a doctorate in botany from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
During the last moments of her speech, Saunders moved from speaking about FAU’s future and directly addressed the audience. With watery eyes and a cracking voice, she said, “I’m very proud to be your president.”
