Maura Mast, PhD, former Fordham dean and award-winning mathematics educator, has been named president of Seattle University.
Mast joined Fordham in 2015, becoming both the first woman and first mathematician to serve as dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill, a position she held until 2025. During her tenure, she worked to develop STEM opportunities for underrepresented groups, enhanced resources for students, and helped launch the Serving the City paid internship program.
She also taught a popular math course based on a textbook she co-authored, Common Sense Mathematics, which was honored by the Mathematical Association of America for its impact on undergraduate mathematics education. Her goal was to make students mathematically literate about practical and civic financial matters.
“I was determined that they have a positive experience of math and that they learn how important reading numbers is to them as citizens in our democracy,” she told Fordham Now in 2021.
Mast held tenured positions at the University of Massachusetts Boston and the University of Northern Iowa, as well as visiting positions at Northeastern University, Wellesley College, and the University of Notre Dame prior to joining Fordham.
Seattle University announced her new role on June 25; she joins the Jesuit institution on Sept. 1.
