St. Mary’s College of Maryland President Tuajuanda C. Jordan gave the keynote address during the American Conference of Academic Deans (ACAD) Virtual Deans’ Institute Tuesday, Sept. 26.
During her remarks, “Leadership: A Calling that Just Cannot be Ignored,” President Jordan spoke of her journey to college presidency — a position, as she said in her remarks Tuesday, she had never intended to aspire to. “I am a first-generation college student who was born into segregated Virginia in 1960 and who, as a result of a lot of things, became a college president."
Jordan elaborated on her upbringing, the strong women in her life — including her grandmother who guided her toward a college education and to achieve things beyond anything afforded to her — and the many people and circumstances that shaped her career path. Throughout her talk, she addressed her calling to leadership, the importance of empowering others, being self-aware, and having humility and grace.
President Jordan allowed time for a question and answer session after her remarks.
The ACAD is an individual membership organization dedicated to the professional development of academic leaders. Founded in 1974, the ACAD mission is to assist leaders as they advance in careers dedicated to the ideals of liberal education.
During Tuesday’s virtual institute, members of the ACAD participated in several roundtable discussions including topics on Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) programming and staffing challenges, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT, navigating faculty affairs, creative ways to celebrate success, and more.
For more information on the ACAD, go to ACAD.org.
