Dear Campus Community,
I am excited to announce that Gerald Jones, J.D., will be joining Sonoma State University as Vice President for Student Affairs. He begins in this leadership role at SSU on July 1, 2022.
An alumnus of Sonoma State (BA with a double major in English Literature and Afro-American Studies), Gerald Jones, Esq. has served as Interim Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, Student Access & Success since 2021, and has 18 years of experience at SSU promoting student success from pre-college to graduation. His work includes collaboration with Academic Affairs, Admissions, and other campus partners in developing and maintaining programs that support the CSU Graduation Initiative 2025 and student success. He has provided leadership, management and guidance for lower division and general education advising, athletics academic advising and eligibility; and a wide array of centers, programs, and initiatives, including the Center for Academic Access & Student Enrichment (CAASE), the DREAM Center, Summer Bridge, Disability Services, the Transfer Center, and the Wine Industry Scholars Program, among many others. Mr. Jones received his Master’s of Legal Studies (MLS) and Juris Doctor (JD) from Empire College School of Law, and his educational leadership vision prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as a holistic approach to student success, both inside and outside the classroom.
Throughout his career at Sonoma State University, Mr. Jones has distinguished himself as a widely respected leader and consensus-builder, someone who sees the short term while envisioning the long term, thinks comprehensively about institutional priorities, and is always willing to roll up his own sleeves to ensure that essential work gets done. He has earned the support and regard of his campus colleagues, including faculty, staff, students and other administrators.
Mr. Jones has an extensive record of awards and accomplishments covering the entirety of his tenure at SSU. Most recently he received the prestigious California State University Wang Family Excellence Award for Outstanding Staff that is awarded to one outstanding staff member in the system who, through extraordinary commitment and dedication, have distinguished themselves through exemplary contributions and achievements that advance the CSU mission, contribute to student success, bring benefit and credit to the CSU and enhance excellence in teaching, scholarship and service.
Mr. Jones serves as Principal Investigator on numerous awards, including a five-year $1.875M continuation gift for CAASE from the Kalmanovitz Charitable Foundation; a $425K grant from the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria for Summer Bridge; and $3.8+M in continuation grants from TRIO through the Department of Education. In fact, Mr. Jones has been principal investigator on more than 25 grants, bringing nearly $16M to the campus since 2004. Additionally, he engages in extensive campus service through membership on Strategic Finance for Student Success; Orientation Steering Committee; Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Task Force; Pathways to Promotion – Student Services Professional Career Ladder Committee; and the Strategic Enrollment Management Committee, as well as many other committees and working groups.
“I am truly humbled and grateful to step into the role of Vice President for Student Affairs at Sonoma State, a campus I feel a deep connection to, both personally and professionally,” Mr. Jones emphasized. “I have always been driven by the anthem ‘No excuses, just solutions.’ And if there is any area on campus where we cannot rest on our laurels or lament the past, it is Student Affairs – precisely because we are working with the ever-changing characteristics of our student body. We need to keep up on the latest research, the most recent best practices, the most responsive strategies, because our students are not a monolith. It is incredibly rewarding work, but it is also a dynamic and ongoing challenge, one that I am so excited to take on in this new role.”
In addition to his extensive campus work, including teaching, grant work, student success initiatives, and programmatic development and implementation, Mr. Jones remains active in the community, serving on the Board of Directors of the Redwood Food Bank, 10,000 Degrees Advisory Board, and Sonoma County Family YMCA. And within his professional communities, he maintains memberships in the American College Personnel Association; NASPA Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education; and the Council for Opportunity in Education, among others.
Please join me in thanking the Search Advisory Committee members and congratulating Mr. Jones on his appointment to this important leadership position on campus. Additionally, deep gratitude and appreciation is extended to Dr. Michael Young for serving as Interim Vice President over the past six months. His steady leadership, wisdom and advocacy for students and Student Affairs has been invaluable during this time.
With Gratitude,
Judy K. Sakaki
President