Dr. Tuajuanda Jordan
One of Jordan’s proudest achievements: building a liberal arts education model that is innovative and accessible to all.
“We demonstrated to the country that we’re thinking about the highest form of undergraduate education in a way that is inclusive of everyone,” says Jordan in an interview with Diverse.
When Jordan began her tenure in 2014, her top priority was increasing enrollment and improving the institution’s financial status.
“As we were trying to think about enrollment, there was this national dialogue that’s still continuing about the value of higher education, specifically about liberal arts education,” Jordan recalls. “They kept saying, ‘it doesn’t prepare you for a career … you can’t do anything with it.’ We were just tired of the rhetoric.”
In response, the LEAD initiative (Learning through Experiential and Applied Discovery) was born. It provides students with tools to think about their education practically and guarantees every student access to research, an internship, or an international experience.
“If you know something is good for one, it has to be made accessible to all,” says Jordan.
The model helped solidify SMCM as the first public honors college in the country.
“It’s not just a tagline,” says Carolyn Curry, Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the St. Mary’s College of Maryland Foundation, Inc. “Among her successes, [President Jordan] took the college and helped us rebrand it. She didn’t just lead a college — she led a liberal arts movement.”
Under Jordan’s leadership, SMCM saw a 71% increase in undergraduate admission applications, a 30% increase in first-generation students, a 20% increase in historically underrepresented and/or marginalized students, and a significant jump in alumni engagement.
“We did not at any point water down our standards and the rigor of the curriculum,” says Jordan. “As a liberal arts institution, you should be innovative and creative, but you have to remember that in the public domain, you are public servants, and you have to serve everyone.”
Jordan also prioritized building a sustainable relationship between the college and the surrounding community.
“St. Mary’s College was not always seen as the most welcoming place to the people in the community,” she says. “It definitely had that reputation as an ivory tower, so it’s been part of my mission to break down that barrier here.”
This goal became more urgent in 2017 when artifacts that revealed evidence of slave quarters were found during an archaeological survey for the college’s new stadium. Jordan led the institution in acknowledging this history and invited the local community to help determine how to commemorate the enslaved. This led to The Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland.
“She arrived at a time when the college had to ask a fundamental question over the recognition of the African American enslaved presence, and she answered that question in the way that will forever be remembered,” says Dr. Garrey Dennie, an associate professor of history and chair of the annual celebration of the Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland.
“It took perseverance. It took funding. It took imagination,” says Dennie. “Presidents will come and presidents will go. Students will come and students will go. Faculty will come and faculty will go, but that site will remain. President Jordan is the godmother of that site.”
Beyond a memorial, Jordan wanted people to pause and reflect on the college’s history, their role in the present, and how they can create a better future for SMCM and the St. Mary’s City community.
“President Jordan’s presence at the college will forever be remembered, if for no other reason than that particular effort to tip the scales of justice,” says Dennie. As Jordan steps down, she will be remembered by many in the SMCM community as a relentless advocate for equity.
Jada Ward, a 2019 alumna and the only student member of the Commemoration Committee, says Jordan did a lot to support and amplify student voices. “She made sure we had voices when we weren’t always at ease because of the climate of the world,” says Ward.
Despite facing a shifting and challenging climate, Jordan was “fierce in making sure that she champions diversity,” Curry adds.
“Throughout my time here, I have emphasized our mission,” says Jordan. “We talk about building a community where there’s not just excellence, but everyone is welcome here, and everyone has the opportunity to thrive. I hope that continues, and if you pay attention to the mission, it has to continue.”
Jordan holds a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Fisk University and a Doctor of Philosophy in biochemistry from Purdue University. Before leading SMCM, she was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and a professor of chemistry at Lewis & Clark College in Oregon.
She is now looking forward to relaxing for a few months in her yard, and then traveling the globe to experience world slam tennis.
