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FAU President Resigns: “Controversies Have Been Significant”

fau.edu

FAU President Mary Jane Saunders resigned effective immediately from her top post at the university. She'll stay on as a member of the faculty.

Florida Atlantic University’s president says bad publicity splashed across national headlines was too much.

Mary Jane Saunders has resigned.

Next month would have been Saunders’ three-year anniversary as president.

While the university is showcasing her string of accomplishments, there was no way to get around a spate of missteps in recent months.

“There is no doubt the recent controversies have been significant and distracting to all members of the University community,” Saunders said in her resignation letter.

“The issues and the fiercely negative media coverage have forced me to reassess my position as the President of FAU,” Saunders wrote. “I must make choices that are the best for the University, me and my family.”

Here’s what she was referring to:

While Saunders is leaving her post, she’s not leaving the university. The Board of Trustees announced she’ll return to a faculty position and conduct research into the feasibility of developing a physician’s assistant program at FAU.

Dennis Crudele, FAU’s senior vice president for finance and administration, has been appointed acting president effective immediately.

Trustees expect to have an interim president in place by this fall. Then, a search committee will be formed to find a permanent replacement.

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