When new Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Maria Fuentes-Martin, who replaced outgoing administrator K.C. White on Aug. 24, addressed the Student Government Senate at its meeting last week, she stressed one thing: Call her Mari.
Or, if being formal, Dr. Mari.
In her new role, Fuentes-Martin is the second-in-command to the vice president of student life and enrollment, Kurt Keppler. She also oversees Campus Life, Greek Life, Student Advocacy and Accountability and Disability Services and serves as an SG adviser.
Fuentes-Martin has more than 24 years of experience in higher education and has served as a dean of students for 15 years.
Before coming to LSU, Fuentes-Martin served as vice president of student life and dean of students at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Her predecessor, White, is now the vice president for student affairs at Kennesaw State University after leaving LSU in July.
Fuentes-Martin said one of her main goals as dean of students is to increase student involvement. LSU already has an excellent student experience, she said, and it’s her job to help it grow.
“I want to make sure we give every student the chance to be equally involved,” Fuentes-Martin said. “I want to see students engaged in some part of campus life.”
Fuentes-Martin said her other priorities are safety, increasing campus diversity and helping students discover their own paths in life. She said she wants students to leave LSU as strong citizens with a clear idea of what they want out of life.
Fuentes-Martin grew up in Weslaco, Texas, on the southern tip of the state. She worked in her hometown for 15 years filling roles for the University of Texas at Brownsville, the University of Texas-Pan American and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
She has 19-year-old twins at Texas A&M University and a 15-year-old son in high school. Her youngest son and her husband in Weslaco will join her in Baton Rouge in January.
SG Senate passed a resolution during its Sept. 2 meeting welcoming Fuentes-Martin to campus. Before voting, SG Senator Jeaux Zerkus delivered a speech complimenting the new administrator.
“She is an incredibly accomplished lady,” Zerkus said. “I am very thrilled that she is here.”
Fuentes-Martin said the faculty made her feel welcome upon arrival, and she has come to appreciate the campus’ aesthetic appeal.
“The trees are gorgeous,” Fuentes-Martin said. “It feels very homey. Just watching the students and their faces and how they mingle and move around, there’s something really exciting and romantic about it.”
Fuentes-Martin attended the University of Notre Dame for her bachelor’s and master’s degrees before earning a doctorate in education from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
She said that if, by some twist of fate, LSU plays Notre Dame in another bowl game, she would be clad in purple and gold.
“But my heart might be torn between the two schools,” Fuentes-Martin said. “I’m excited about this school’s level of sports. It’s not just sports, but it’s school spirit.”

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Ari Ross

Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Mari Fuentes-Martin