Jones to step down as Cal U president
By Jose Negron
jnegron@yourmvi.com
California University of Pennsylvania will soon be in the market for a new leader.
The seventh president in university history, Geraldine M. Jones, plans to step down Jan. 29, 2021.
“I’m looking forward to spending more time with my beautiful family and having the opportunity to travel and enjoy more personal time with my best friend and husband, Jeff,” Jones said in a message to Cal U students, faculty, alumni and staff.
“It’s hard to say goodbye when our university, and our world, are facing such acute challenges. But I have always planned to depart on my own schedule. This winter, when I mark a milestone birthday, is the right time for me to begin a new chapter in my life.
“It has been an honor working beside many of you, and a joy to interact with our students and watch them blossom. Over more than four decades, I have come to know this university’s resilience, and I have seen firsthand the countless ways that Cal U changes lives, including my own. I feel blessed to have played a role in helping to move our university forward.”
Jones, 69, stepped into the leadership role in 2012. Her association with the university began when she earned a bachelor’s degree in education from California State College in 1972. She went on to receive her master’s degree, also in education, in 1980.
Following a brief teaching stint in the Albert Gallatin School District, Jones returned to her alma mater in 1974 and spent 46 years as a faculty member and administrator.
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