Rock Jones

Rock Jones, Ph.D.

For 15 years, Rock Jones served as OWU's 16th president, joining the University at the start of the 2008-2009 academic year and retiring at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 academic year.

His energetic leadership helped to advance the University with innovative academic programs, new and rejuvenated campus facilities, and a strong sense of engagement with alumni and the community.

Jones holds a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Texas-Austin, a Master of Divinity magna cum laude from the Duke University Divinity School, and a Bachelor of Arts with honors from Hendrix College.

Prior to joining Ohio Wesleyan, he worked for Hendrix, serving in roles that included Executive Vice President and Dean of Advancement, Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid, interim Vice President for Student Affairs, and Chaplain.

Under his leadership, Ohio Wesleyan:

• Created a University-wide strategic plan to renew its curriculum and solidify Ohio Wesleyan as a national leader in liberal arts education. Toward that end, members of the OWU faculty have imagined and implemented the OWU Connection, a curricular initiative that helps students link academic theory with real-world practice as they prepare for global citizenship and leadership.
• Added the Bachelor of Science to the list of degrees we confer, which also includes the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts. Students are able to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in areas such as astrophysics, chemistry, physics, geology, and microbiology.
• Completed an $8 million, donor-funded restoration of Merrick Hall to create event, classroom, and office space in an iconic building that is on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Expanded The David O. Robbins Neuroscience Program with a $5 million endowment gift to add three faculty members, increasing learning and research opportunities for students with an interest in neuroscience.
• Created a long-term $60 million Residential Renewal program to enhance student housing. These donor-funded efforts include:
• Completing a $14 million restoration of Stuyvesant Hall, OWU's oldest residence hall.
• Building the $2 million, 27-bed Gillespie Honors House to create a larger, more modern space for OWU's Honors students, complete with room to support academic programming.
• Constructing three Small Living Unit duplexes (called "SLUplexes) on Rowland Avenue. Each SLU creates a communal environment for 12 students interested in a specific topic such as environmental, social justice, or LGBTQIA issues.
• Constructing the new Butler A. Jones House of Black Culture on the site of the original house. A part of the OWU campus since the 1970s, the dwelling creates a welcoming cultural and personal space for African American and other students.
• Renovating several Williams Drive residential buildings, including creation of the Bigelow-Reed House, a living-learning space for students interested in the business world, and the Panhellenic House, the first dwelling in the United States purposely created to provide women from multiple sororities with a collaborative Greek residential environment.
• Building Bradford Milligan Hall, OWU's first on-campus apartment complex. Opened in 2021, the 46,500-square-foot building houses 124 senior students.
• Fully renovating Smith Hall to create a living and learning community for first-year students that encourages them to connect with their peers and persist to graduation.
  
  
• Enhanced the athletic facilities that support OWU's 24 men's and women's varsity sports as well as its many intramural and club sports. These efforts include:
• Building the Meek Aquatics and Recreation Center – Ohio Wesleyan's first LEED-certified "green" building – with a 10-lane pool, 13-foot-deep diving well, and 1-meter and 3-meter diving boards. More than 90 geothermal wells help to heat and cool the Meek Center.
• Fully renovating Branch Rickey Arena with new flooring, bleachers, scoreboards, sound system, air-conditioning, concession stand, and more. The arena is home to OWU's men's and women's basketball, wrestling, and volleyball teams.
• Creating the Simpson Querrey Fitness Center by renovating the former Pfeiffer Natatorium to include workout areas, a dance studio with stadium-style seating, and office space for the Department of Health and Human Kinetics.
• Restoring Edwards Gymnasium, including fully refurbishing both the weight room and the second-floor basketball court.
• Opening the Luttinger Family Tennis Center, with six courts on the east side of Henry Street and six refurbished courts on the west side. All courts feature a DecoTurf surface, identical to the surface used at the U.S. Open and the last two Olympic Games.
• Adding stadium lighting at Selby Stadium to support night games for varsity and intramural sports teams. The lighting also helped to support the University's selection as host of the NCAA Division III men's and women's outdoor track & field championships in 2011 and 2014.
  
  
• Launched the $200 million "Connect Today, Create Tomorrow" capital campaign – the largest in OWU history – to enhance access and affordability for students through scholarship endowment; recognize and reward faculty excellence and innovation; and improve the physical campus. After a quiet leadership phase, the public phase of the campaign was launched on Oct. 20, 2017. When the campaign concluded on June 30, 2021, it had raised $237,995,578 in gifts and pledges – surpassing even its $225 million stretch goal by nearly $13 million.
• Received two record-setting contributions of $8 million each within an eight-month time span. The contributions represent the largest single gifts in Ohio Wesleyan history. The first, from an anonymous alumni couple, was used to renovate Merrick Hall. The second, from alumnus Louis A. Simpson '58 and his wife, Kimberly Querrey, was used to create the Simpson Querrey Fitness Center and support the Edwards Gymnasium renovation.
• Received a $10 million contribution from an anonymous alumni couple – eclipsing the previous gifts of $8 million to become the largest single gift in OWU history. The funds, announced in May 2019, supported the renovation of Slocum Hall, which reopened in fall 2022.