Jane Fernandes
Jane K. Fernandes is the ninth president of Guilford College and the first deaf woman to lead an American college or university. Prior to Guilford, Jane served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Recognized as one of the 20 most interesting college presidents by The Best Schools and the recipient of the General Foundation of Women’s Clubs of North Carolina’s Women of Achievement award, Jane is leading Guilford College through curricular and administrative innovation to become further distinguished as a “college of excellence known for doing a few things splendidly.” A native of Worcester, Mass., Jane is a graduate of Trinity College in Connecticut, where she earned her B.A. in French and comparative literature, and the University of Iowa, where she earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in comparative literature. Born deaf to a deaf mother and hearing father, she learned American Sign Language (ASL) as a graduate student.
