May 10, 2024
Dear St. Mary’s College Community:
At the May 10, 2024, Board of Trustees meeting, President Tuajuanda C. Jordan formally announced her decision to retire on June 30, 2025, marking the culmination of 11 years of service to St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to extend our thanks to President Jordan for the unprecedented impact she has had on our College. Under her leadership, St. Mary’s College has flourished as The National Public Honors College, consistently rising in national and regional rankings and reputation.
Since assuming office in 2014, President Jordan has championed the ethos of the liberal arts as the compass guiding our students through our increasingly interconnected world. She fervently pursued her vision of making St. Mary’s College the preeminent institution of choice, defined by access, affordability, inclusivity and an honors experience for all. Through her disciplined leadership, we have witnessed unprecedented levels of alumni engagement, philanthropic support, community outreach and, most significantly, sustained growth in enrollment. Such achievements reflect her resolute guidance and unwavering commitment that we have come to appreciate and respect.
Guiding us through the 2016 strategic plan “A Time for Rebirth,” President Jordan laid the groundwork for our current era of sustainable growth. We enhanced our infrastructure, resources, processes, reputation and policies. Subsequently, her direction through the 2020 plan “Big Audacious Goals” propelled us to reset the College’s academic portfolio and increase the number of student applications. The Trustees and the College community worked through three task forces, never stopping in spite of the challenges of COVID, to realize a host of critical successes, including new majors, a track and field varsity sport, a record number of first-time applicants and a long-range plan to hold tuition flat.
Presently, we embark on the inaugural stages of The Rising Tide strategic plan, President Jordan’s third and most transformative undertaking. It is a testament to her Learning through Experiential and Applied Discovery (LEAD) initiative and centers on four pillars foundational to our students’ experience.
As we look around our beautiful campus, we see Anne Arundel Hall, the Nancy R. and Norton T. Dodge Performing Arts Center, the Learning Commons and the Jamie L. Roberts Stadium, each a tangible symbol of progress under her watch. Particularly poignant is the Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland, a legacy to her vision, compassion and foresight to give voice to the enslaved people who once toiled on our land.
We look forward to continuing our important work with President Jordan in the year ahead. The Board is committed to ensuring a seamless transition process, beginning with a nationwide search for President Jordan’s successor and the establishment of a Search Committee. The entire campus community will have opportunities to be involved in this pivotal process. Updates on our progress and timeline will be forthcoming. We encourage active participation from the campus community, and we look forward to all that we will be doing together in the months and years ahead to sustain the momentum that President Jordan has ignited.
In the interim, we hope you will join us in congratulating President Jordan on her retirement and expressing appreciation for her immeasurable contributions and unwavering dedication to our students. St. Mary’s College is demonstrably better and thriving because of her.
Susan Dyer, Chair
St. Mary’s College of Maryland Board of Trustees
