Mary Cullinan is the current president of Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon.[1] She succeeded Elisabeth Zinser as president of SOU in 2006.
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Dr. Mary Cullinan grew up in Washington D.C. Her father was Assistant Postmaster-General under President Dwight Eisenhower and later a speech writer for various senators, congressmen and other influential politicians-including Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.[2] Her early passion for storytelling foreshadowed her future career in English. She graduated magna cum laude with a degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania in 1972. Dr. Cullinan obtained her master's degree in 1973 and her Ph.D. in 1978 in English literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.[1]
After becoming a tenured professor of English at California State University-Hayward (now CSU East Bay) in 1991, she received her first administrative position as chair of the department of English at the University (1991–1992; 1993–1994). At California State University-Hayward, she was also interim dean of the School of Arts, Letters, and Social Sciences (1992–1993) and Director of the Office of Faculty Development and Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching (1994–1996).[1]
Later, she served as Dean of the College of Arts, Letters and Sciences and English professor at California State University, Stanislaus from 1996 to 2003. She served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs as well as Professor of English at Stephen F. Austin State University from 2003-2006.[1] In 2006 Mary Cullinan became President of Southern Oregon University. Her blog is at http://news.sou.edu/president/.
In 2011 Cullinan received from the CASE District VIII Leader of the Year from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Higher Education.[3]