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FLC mourns former President Joel M. Jones
Former Fort Lewis College president Joel Jones passed away just before midnight on Wednesday, July 13.
FLC President Dene Thomas said, “He was my friend, and one of FLC’s most loyal advocates. His influences can be found in every corner of Fort Lewis College and in generations of alumni. His legacy is seen daily across campus, most importantly in the faces of today’s students. I will miss him.”
Dr. Jones was named FLC president in 1988 after serving as vice president for Administration and Student Affairs at the University of New Mexico. He would serve at the helm of the College until 1998. Under his leadership, FLC witnessed impressive improvements in enrollment; a growth in the number of academic programs; increased national, state, regional, and local support; and significant capital improvements.
A committed teacher, Dr. Jones taught a senior seminar almost every fall during his presidency, the only Colorado college president to do so at the time.
His involvement in the creation of the FLC Facilities Master Plan led to millions of dollars of capital improvements on campus that continue today, including the construction of the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, the Center of Southwest Studies, Education & Business Hall, and Sage Hall, now named Jones Hall in his honor. He helped create and institute El Centro de Muchos Colores, the College’s Hispano resource center.
The Community Concert Hall continues as a cultural center for Fort Lewis College and for the entire area of Durango and its surroundings. His pride in all the capital improvements, including the soon-to-be-opened Geosciences, Physics & Engineering Hall, was obvious but his heart was most certainly in the Community Concert Hall.
Under his leadership in 1994, Fort Lewis College changed its nickname and mascot from the Raiders to the Skyhawks. He also added men’s and women’s soccer to FLC varsity sports, programs that would rise to national prominence.
Dr. Jones was also an active member of the Durango community. He was a founding member of Leadership La Plata and has served with such organizations as First National Bank of Durango, Mercy Medical Center and the United Way of Southwest Colorado.
Final arrangements are pending, with information to be updated on the FLC website.