Dr. Martha D. Saunders is the ninth president of The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss. She took office on May 21, 2007, continuing an illustrious career of higher-education leadership.
As the new president at Southern Miss, Dr. Saunders worked quickly to bring the campus together in a widely inclusive strategic planning process. Under her leadership, the university has identified four overarching areas of strategic emphasis including:
- a climate for academic success
- an enhanced national image
- stronger connections with the community
- a culture of healthy minds, bodies and campuses.
She and campus officials are actively planning events surrounding the university’s 100th anniversary in 2010.
Dr. Saunders came to Southern Mississippi from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she served as its first-ever female chancellor. Prior to her appointment at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, she was vice president for academic affairs at Columbus State University in Columbus, Ga.
She previously held the position of dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of West Florida (UWF), where she earned the rank of tenured professor of communication. At UWF, she also worked as director of the University Honors Program.
Throughout her 30-year career in higher education, Dr. Saunders has taught thousands of students. Her philosophy of education follows three simple guiding principles: know your students, connect them to bigger things and set a good example.
Dr. Saunders' training and experience in the field of communication led to numerous publications on crisis communication and public relations; widely anthologized published speeches; and the Public Relations Society of America's highest national award for the "Just 2 It!" public safety communication campaign.
A native of Mississippi, Dr. Saunders earned her B.A. in French from The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg; her M.A. in journalism from the University of Georgia in Athens; and her Ph.D. in communication theory and research from Florida State University in Tallahassee.
