Dr. Thomas W. Jones Appointed Provost
SALISBURY, MD--Dr. Thomas W. Jones has been appointed provost and vice president of academic affairs at Salisbury University.
Jones has been serving as interim provost since August 2006 and previously served as dean of the Richard A. Henson School of Science and Technology for nine years.
“Tom emerged as the successful candidate in our national search out of nearly 100 applicants,” said President Janet Dudley-Eshbach. “Members of the search committee, Faculty Senate, and other campus constituents found our internal candidate to have a full understanding of the responsibilities of the provost position at a comprehensive university of our size, and a clear sense of the challenges we face and the direction in which we need to be going to enhance the strong reputation this institution already enjoys nationally. I know Tom will be a passionate advocate for the entire campus.”
“I am extremely excited about this opportunity to be able to continue to serve Salisbury University in this leadership role,” said Jones. “I look forward to working with President Dudley-Eshbach and all of my colleagues at SU in building on our past accomplishments as we enhance our status as a Maryland university of national distinction.”
Arriving at SU as an instructor of biology in 1977, Jones served as chair of the Department of Biological Sciences in the 1980s and 1990s and was promoted to full professor in 1991. He received a Department of Defense Joint Service Achievement Medal for his service in Operation Desert Storm/Gulf War in 1991 and was selected for SU’s Distinguished Faculty Award that same year. The Maryland Association for Higher Education recognized him as Educator of the Year in 1997.
He began his administrative career at SU as associate dean in the Henson School in 1996, became interim dean in 1997, and then was appointed as dean in 1998 following a national search. One of his most significant accomplishments during this period was his oversight of the design and construction of Henson Science Hall, one of the largest science facilities of its kind in the state.
Jones earned his Ph.D. in plant physiology in 1977 from the University of Maryland College Park. He maintained an adjunct faculty position with the Horn Point Environmental Laboratory in Cambridge, MD, while an SU faculty member and spent 25 years studying the physiological ecology of aquatic plants in the Chesapeake Bay region. He often engaged students in Bay research. He has published numerous refereed science articles and was a driving force behind the creation of the Dual Degree in Environmental/Marine Science and Biology Program between SU and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. He has studied the effects of elevated levels of nitrogen and phosphorus on Maryland Coastal Bay ecology and served as president of the Atlantic Estuarine Research Society from 1990 to 1992.
As an administrator he has been highly visible in campus life, serving on numerous committees. He also has attended a number of leadership institutes, including the Harvard Management and Leadership in Education (MLE) Program.
Jones has been married to Anne-Marie Gibbons since 1968 and they have two children, Brennan Thomas and Kerrie Anne.