Tuajuanda C. Jordan, president of St. Mary’s College of Maryland, has announced she will retire in June 2025 after a decade of service.
Over the course of Dr. Jordan’s tenure, the university adjusted tuition increases to improve students’ access to higher education. At the time of her retirement announcement, the college’s tuition is less than what it was at the beginning of her presidency. She oversaw significant growth in enrollment, curriculum offerings, and community partnerships. Additionally, her leadership led to many building and infrastructure updates, including the establishment of the on-campus Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland.
Dr. Jordan’s professional career in higher education began with Xavier University of Louisiana. She first joined the faculty in 1994 as an assistant professor of chemistry. She held various leadership positions with Xavier University including associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and associate vice president for academic affairs. Prior to assuming the presidency of St. Mary’s College of Maryland, she held faculty and leadership positions with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Maryland and Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon.
In a letter to the St. Mary’s College of Maryland community, Dr. Jordan wrote, “I once read that a leader knows when her work is done. In making that decision, she should ask herself three questions: Am I leaving the institution in a better place than I found it? Have I done no harm? Can I leave whole? I can answer ‘yes’ to all three and know that now is my time to pass the baton.”
Dr. Jordan holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Fisk University in Nashville and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.