About the Director

Sister Susan M. Sanders "Through critical thinking, reflection, writing, and conversation, we invite you to 'Center Your Self' at Saint Xavier University's Center for Religion and Public Discourse."

Sister Susan M. Sanders, R.S.M., Ph.D., is the Director of the Center for Religion and Public Discourse, Vice President of Mission, Heritage & Values, Associate Professor of History and Political Science, and Associate Professor in the Graham School of Management at Saint Xavier University.

A Sister of Mercy of the Regional Community of Chicago, Professor Sanders received her Master's degree in Public Policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and her Ph.D. in Public Policy from the Harris School at the University of Chicago. She began her teaching career at Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School, Chicago, and prior to coming to Saint Xavier University, taught at the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Chicago; and DePaul University, where she was Associate Professor of Public Services between 1990 and 2001.

Professor Sanders has extensive experience serving on the boards of nonprofit organizations. These include Amate House, Saint Xavier University, Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago and the Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School in Chicago, where she served as Board Chair. She is also a current trustee and one of the founders of the McAuley Institute, a national nonprofit housing organization that assists in the development of affordable housing.

In 1995, Professor Sanders was awarded DePaul University's coveted Excellence in Teaching Award and, in 2002, was presented with the Distinguished Alumna Award of the Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School. In 2003, Saint Xavier University recognized her for her work on teen dating violence by awarding her the Excellence in Scholarship Award. In 2004, she was asked to become vice president of the newly created Mission, Heritage and Values program to assure that the University honors its Mercy heritage while visioning for the future.

Professor Sanders teaches policy analysis, policy implementation and political feasibility analysis, statistics, economics and ethics. Her research interests include examining the missions, governance and organizational structures of nonprofit organizations, especially the ways that their sponsors, trustees and clients relate to and serve each other in these structures.

An author of numerous publications in both academic and trade journals and books on nonprofit health care, Professor Sanders' book Teen Dating Violence: The Invisible Peril (2003), is currently available from Peter Lang Publishing at (800) 770-5264. Professor Sanders also lectures extensively on teen dating violence.