Alfred University today announced that Linda Jones, a ceramics professor we recently featured in one of our videos, will be the new chief administrative officer of the university’s College of Ceramics.
Jones, currently the director of the Picker Engineering Program at Smith College, will join the staff at Alfred University as associate vice president for Statutory Affairs beginning July 1. Alfred is part of the New York state university system. Jones becomes the first woman to head the College of Ceramics in its 110-year history.
Jones earned her bachelor’s degree at Mary Washington University, and her master’s and Ph.D. degrees in fuel science at Penn State.
The selection of Jones allows her to return to Alfred where she taught ceramic engineering for 14 years before going to Smith.
It will be interesting to see what imprint Jones makes on the college. Her responsibilities will include both the School of Art & Design and the materials programs in the Kazuo Inamori School of Engineering. I know that she is a strong advocate for cross-collaborative education and research approaches. She certainly changed Smith. Through her leadership in the Picker program, she was able to push a liberal arts, all-women campus into a top-20 engineering program. Really terrific stuff!
Jones is a Fellow of The American Ceramic Society and serves on its board of directors. In fairness, I should also disclose that she serves on an ACerS board that advises my department on its work. Having said that, my experience is that Jones is a engaging, thoughtful personality who coincidentally does great academic work in the area of high-temperature, corrosion-resistent ceramic and glass materials.
At the risk of tooting my own horn, the video I link to above gives a good sense of what great personal and intellectual assets Jones will be bringing to Alfred.