Dr. Mary Jane Saunders

Mary Jane Saunders, Ph.D. is Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Cleveland State University. She came to the University as Director of the Biomedical and Health Institute and then became Founding Dean of the new College of Science before becoming Provost in 2007. She is a Full Professor in the Biological, Geological and Environmental Science Department. Before coming to the University Dr. Saunders held the following positions: Deputy Division Director of the National Science Foundation, Division of Biological Infrastructure; Director, University of South Florida Institute of Biomolecular Science; Assistant/Associate Professor in the University of South Florida Biology Department; and Assistant Professor at Louisiana State University Botany Department.

Dr Saunders has promoted Engaged Learning as the hallmark of the CSU experience and has led the initiative to connect the University with the community it serves by fostering the signature themes of Health and Sustainable Communities. At CSU she instituted general education reform; started Learning Communities; supported new Doctoral, Master’s and Bachelor degree programs geared to the needs of students and the region; spearheaded the first CSU partnerships with NEOUCOM (North East Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy) in both pharmacy and medicine; and started the Center for eLearning. Dr. Saunders also developed a thriving summer undergraduate research program to enhance connections between students and faculty. This is part of an overall strategy to have CSU, as Cleveland’s only public university, concentrate on applied research focused on the area’s economic growth.

Dr. Saunders is a graduate of the Leadership Cleveland Class of 2008 and sits on the Boards of Cleveland Museum of Natural History, OhioLink/Ohio Learning Network, Great Lakes Science Center, and BioEnterprise.

She has developed and taught over twenty different courses in science and technical writing; received over twenty grants for scientific research, equipment, travel, and programs; and presented over fifty national and international scientific talks at universities, scientific meetings and government agencies. Dr Saunders is the author of over 25 scientific articles in the area of plant cell biology and microscopy.

Dr. Saunders holds a B.A. in Biology from Boston University; M.S. and Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Georgia.

Dr. Saunders grew up in Worcester Mass. Her husband is Dr. George Newkome, the President & CEO, University of Akron Research Foundation; Vice President for Researh & Dean, Graduate School; James and Vanita Oelschlager Professor of Science & Technology; Professor, Departments of Chemistry & Polymer Science at the University of Akron. Her stepdaughter, Melanie Newkome Jones is a graduate of Louisiana State University Law School and is an attorney in Baton Rouge Louisiana, where she lives with her husband and four daughters. Dr. Saunders loves reading, travel and spending time with family