An experienced chemist and educator with 50 years of experience, Saundra Y. McGuire, PhD, serves as the founder and the owner of SYM Educational Consulting LLC. She has further flourished as an assistant vice chancellor, a professor of chemistry and the director emerita for the Center for Academic Success at Louisiana State University, where she formerly worked as a chemistry professor, an adjunct professor and the director of the Center for Academic Success. Additionally, Dr. McGuire has found success with the National College Learning Center Association, the University of Michigan, Howard University and Grambling State University in numerous executive roles.
Prior to establishing her consultancy, Dr. McGuire was active with Cornell University in a variety of positions, including the acting director, a senior lecturer, the associate director and the assistant director of the Learning Skills Center. She also gained valuable expertise at Alabama A&M University, the University of Tennessee, the State University of New York at Brockport and Chevron Research Company during the early years of her career. Throughout her career, Dr. McGuire has also dedicated herself to scientific education in advisory board positions for Spelman College, the National Science Foundation, the American Chemical Society, Dartmouth College and Hampton University.
In a career filled with highlights, Dr. McGuire is especially proud of traveling the world to promote student success. The author of two best-selling books, she has spoken in 47 states and 11 countries on five continents. She retains her professional alignment as an elected fellow with the Council of Learning Assistance and Development Education Associations, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Chemical Society. In addition, Dr. McGuire is affiliated with such organizations as the American Association for Higher Education, the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions, the National Association of Minority Medical Educators, the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, and the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, among others.
In the early 1970s, Dr. McGuire earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Southern University. She subsequently obtained a Master of Arts in Teaching in chemistry from Cornell University. More than a decade later, Dr. McGuire graduated with a PhD in chemical education from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
With a plethora of knowledge at her disposal, Dr. McGuire has participated as a manuscript reviewer for the Chemical Educator, Supplemental Instruction Journal, the Journal of Chemical Education and the National Science Foundation. Over the years, she has also provided her expertise as a speaker at the Scripps Institute, Washington University and Cornell University. Moreover, Dr. McGuire contributed as an author and co-author for such publications as “Using the Scientific Method to Improve Mentoring,” “Teaching and Learning Strategies That Work” and “Diversifying Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM): An Inquiry into Successful Approaches in Chemistry.”
In light of her professional achievements, Dr. McGuire has accepted a plethora of awards, including three Outstanding Conference Presentation Awards for Teaching Higher Education, the Employee of the Year Award from Louisiana State University, the American Chemical Society Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students Into Careers in the Chemical Sciences, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, and the Dr. Henry C. McBay Outstanding Chemical Educator Award. During the early years of her career, she was honored for her exemplary efforts by Cornell University and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Looking toward the future, Dr. McGuire intends to experience the continued growth and success of her career.