Bucks County Community College names new president
Patrick M. Jones, a professor of music and chancellor of Penn State Schuylkill, will take over July 1.
The chancellor of Pennsylvania State University’s Schuylkill campus will become the next president of Bucks County Community College on July 1, the college announced Tuesday.
Patrick M. Jones, a professor of music who has been chancellor since 2019, was unanimously approved by the board of trustees from among three finalists announced by the college last month. The finalists came for on-campus visits, including open forums with faculty, staff and students and an interview with the board.
The other two were: John C. Boyd, president of Mayland Community College in North Carolina; and Evon Washington Walters, president of the Northwest Region of Community College of Allegheny County.
“The college is a gem and I look forward to working with the trustees, faculty, staff, and students on our campuses and centers, and our business, community, and elected leaders in ensuring it thrives and fulfills its indispensable role as an educational, cultural, and economic engine of Bucks County,” Jones said in a prepared statement.
» READ MORE: Community colleges fueled much of the enrollment growth seen this year for the first time since the pandemic
Jones, of Glenside, will replace Felicia Ganther who resigned in December citing personal reasons and following a previous vote of no confidence by the faculty union, according to the Bucks County Herald. She had served as president for less than three years.
The college said it annually serves more than 10,000 academic-credit students and 25,000 alternative-credit students.
“We are confident that he will lead the college forward with integrity, skill, vision, and enthusiasm,” board chair Thomas J. Jennings said in a statement. “He is a compassionate leader, driven by results, devoted to students and well-acquainted with service to our diverse communities.”
» READ MORE: Bucks County couple will fund 100 scholarships for local community college students
Before becoming chancellor of Penn State’s Commonwealth campus in Schuylkill Haven, Jones previously worked as an assistant vice president for academic affairs at Drexel University and held a variety of positions at Syracuse University, Boston University and University of the Arts.
He also had served in both the Army and Air Force for three decades and retired from the Air National Guard as a colonel. He was a musician, unit commander, chief of Air National Guard Bands and advisor to the Air Force director of public affairs during his time in the military.
He has a bachelor’s degree in music education from West Chester University, a diploma of fine arts from the University of Calgary, a master’s in conducting from George Mason University, and a doctoral degree in music education from Penn State, the college said.
Jones and his wife, Karen Weiss Jones, director of development at Penn State Abington, are native Pennsylvanians, according to a biography on Jones’ Penn State Schuylkill website.