Dean Nick Jones announced last Friday that he will step down from his position on June 30 as the first Benjamin T. Rome Dean of the Whiting School of Engineering. Jones will be moving to The Pennsylvania State University, where he has accepted an offer to serve as the institution’s next Executive Vice President and Provost.
“Penn State is one of our great public universities, and the provost is its chief academic officer, reporting directly to the president and acting as chief executive officer in the president’s absence,” President Ron Daniels wrote in an email to the University community. “I know that everyone at Johns Hopkins joins me in offering Nick congratulations and best wishes.”
Jones has served as a member of the faculty at Hopkins since 1986, and was appointed dean in 2004.
“I have been extremely privileged and humbled to serve the Whiting School and the Johns Hopkins University —as a member of the faculty, a chair, and as dean— and I have thoroughly enjoyed the over 25 years I have had the honor of working here,” Jones wrote in an email to The News-Letter.
During his tenure, Dr. Jones promoted numerous collaborative opportunities within the Whiting School and across divisions. He helped to establish the Institute for NanoBio Technology, the Institute for Computational Medicine, and the Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics, among other organizations.
“Nick Jones will leave the Whiting School in wonderful shape,” President Daniels wrote. “He has built a strong and capable leadership team, and together they have done an outstanding job of recruiting and retaining faculty members of the highest caliber.”
Since his appointment as dean, research funding has grown an average of 6 percent a year, led by increased support from the National Institutes of Health. The newly-constructed Hackerman Hall and the under-construction Malone Hall have also attracted significant philanthropic support.
Of course it is difficult to leave Hopkins, but Jones believes his new appointment at Penn State to be a natural professional advancement.
“It is a wonderful and exciting opportunity for me to contribute to the mission of an excellent institution and to help move it forward after a period of considerable challenges,” he wrote.
As executive vice president and provost, Jones will be responsible for bringing together different parts of the university to set overall academic and strategic priorities and allocate funds to move those priorities forward. He will work closely with vice presidents, vice provosts, deans of academic colleges and other unit leaders, staff, the University Faculty Senate and various other committees.
Jones is extremely thankful for all the support he has received during his time at Hopkins.
“The Whiting School is an extraordinary place. I draw immense pride from all of our accomplishments and never cease to be impressed by the talent and commitment of our people: our faculty, students and staff,” he wrote. “I know that WSE’s future is bright, indeed.”
