Dr. Mary Anne Saunders, Special Assistant for Global Initiatives to UNM President
September 25, 2013
The world revolution of globalization is rapidly changing the face of American higher education. Everywhere universities are expanding their outreach by enhancing exchange and partnership programs and even establishing campuses abroad. But this exciting process is not always well understood by people outside academic institutions and even by those within them.
Dr. Mary Anne Saunders will speak to AIA on the latest trends in global education and their implications for the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque and the state. She is currently the Special Assistant for Global Initiatives to UNM President Robert Frank who upon taking the helm at University of New Mexico last October, launched a comprehensive globalization program. President Frank and Dr. Saunders strongly believe that in the twenty-first century a great university must focus on the larger world, and that this will have clear benefits for the university and the community it serves. The globalization program aims to 1) increase the enrollment of foreign students at UNM and improve the services provided to them; 2) double or triple the number of UNM students who study abroad and enhance their experiences; 3) expand and strengthen partnerships with academic institutions abroad; 4) explore the ways that these global connections and experiences can improve economic development in Albuquerque and throughout New Mexico.
In her talk, Dr. Saunders will bring us up to date on the exciting things that are happening at UNM as a result of the new Global Initiative, but she is also well-equipped to put these developments in the broadest perspectives.
Saunders holds a Ed.D. from George Washington University where she taught for 22 years. She was Associate Dean for Special and International Projects in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences where she was instrumental in establishing an education project with members of the Saudi royal family. She served as Executive Director of the Center for International Training and Education at GWU’s high-tech campus in Ashburn, Virginia. After leaving GWU, Saunders was Executive Director of the Office of Global Education at Kent State University.
