Richard Jones, Vice President for Student Engagement at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ
A beloved figure on campus, Rowan University Vice President of Student Engagement Richard Jones shares why his passion is making sure that students have a transformational college experience.
Beth Dombkowski:
Hello. My name is Beth Dombkowski, and I'm coming to you from the Office of Admissions at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. Welcome to Rowan Confidential. I am here today with Richard Jones. Hello, Richard.
Richard Jones:
Hello.
Beth Dombkowski:
Richard is the Vice President of Student Engagement, formerly the Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students. He joined us at Rowan in 2008, and he is from Jacksonville, Florida. Undergraduate degrees are in literature and history. Richard has a Master's in counseling, Master's in counselor education with an emphasis on student development, he's currently finishing his EdD in educational leadership, policy, and law at Alabama State. So, thank you so much for taking the time to be with us today. I really appreciate it.
Richard Jones:
Thank you for having me.
Beth Dombkowski:
Lots of questions for you. Who are you? What do you think about? What makes you tick? What wakes you up in the morning?
Richard Jones:
I'm a Scorpio, and I like long walks on the beach.
Beth Dombkowski:
Pina coladas?
Richard Jones:
What wakes me up in the morning is being able to have a career that connects with my passion. That is absolutely what gets me up in the morning.
Beth Dombkowski:
And what is your passion?
Richard Jones:
My passion is serving students. Making sure that students have a transformational experience. Particular here at Rowan, since that's where I am.
Beth Dombkowski:
It is.
Richard Jones:
Yeah. So that they can go out and do great, wonderful things in the world.
Beth Dombkowski:
Okay. Excellent. How does what you do impact the world?
Richard Jones:
Well, I believe that if we create systems where students can be successful, and they receive a comprehensive education inside and outside of the classroom, and they develop a sense of self-worth, autonomy, and they become actualized, then once they graduate then they go out into the world and they empower other people to do the same thing. Right?
Beth Dombkowski:
Excellent. Yeah.
Richard Jones:
And that's who we transform the world. That's how we impact the world, by making sure that we are giving students an opportunity to get to know themselves so that then they can carry that forth and have other opportunities to impact other people.
Beth Dombkowski:
Very true. Very true. Now when we were speaking prior to this, I learned something about you that I didn't know. Yes. You did not start out in this field.
Richard Jones:
I did not.
Beth Dombkowski:
Where did you start? What was your first job?
Richard Jones:
Well, okay. So, my first job was an admissions officer going out recruiting students to go to attend a university in Florida. But that was not my career plan.
Beth Dombkowski:
No. Of course not. Yes.
Richard Jones:
My career plan was to be an attorney.
Beth Dombkowski:
You were going to be an attorney.
Richard Jones:
Absolutely.
Beth Dombkowski:
Okay.
Richard Jones:
And so, I was really active as an undergraduate. I was an RA. I was a student senator. I was on the board of trustees for the Black Student Union. I was a presidential envoy. And so, I was, once again, really active. I was walking on campus my senior year, and the vice president for student life walked up to me. His name was Dr. Roland Buck. I will never forget this day. He said, "Hey, Jones. What're you doing when you graduate?" I was like, "I'm going to law school." He was like, "Did you take the LSAT?" I was like, "What's that?"
Beth Dombkowski:
Oh, no.
Richard Jones:
He said, "Well, that's like the SAT for law school." I immediately panicked. Because while I did well in school, as far as grades, a horrible standardized test taker.
Beth Dombkowski:
Oh, no.
Richard Jones:
So my GPA was high and my high school GPA was high, but my SAT scores weren't high. So, he was like, "Well, you're going to have to take the LSAT if you're going to go to law school," so I was like, "Oh, okay." And so, I signed up to take the LSAT two weeks later.
Beth Dombkowski:
Oh, my goodness. No preparation.
Richard Jones:
No prep, no Kaplan, no nothing. And, you can imagine what my score was.
Beth Dombkowski:
Did you know what type of test it was, or what you were walking into?
Richard Jones:
I had no clue. I had no clue. Because, the internet was still something relatively ... I'm completely dating myself right now, was still something relatively new. And so, there wasn't practice tests or anything like that.
Beth Dombkowski:
Oh, no.
Richard Jones:
And so, I just went in and I took the test cold turkey. I did not do well. I went back to Dr. Buck and I told him that I didn't do well. And he said, "Well, you know what? You're pretty active. We've got this opportunity coming up as an admissions officer here at the university. We think that you should apply."
Richard Jones:
They had a particular emphasis that they wanted to recruit National Merit Scholars, Achievement Scholars, and also increase diversity on campus. And so, I was like, "Oh, well. There's no other game playing right now, so I might as well put on my cleats." Right?
Beth Dombkowski:
Yeah.
Richard Jones:
And so, I applied for the job and I was the successful candidate. I never looked back, because I realized that I was giving people information that could change their lives. I did not have that information. Right?
Beth Dombkowski:
No. Yeah.
Richard Jones:
And so, I was empowering people to make informed choices. That was all I needed.
Beth Dombkowski:
And I have to ask, having been an admission counselor myself many years ago, what was your territory?
Richard Jones:
So my territory was, it was all over Florida. And because I was specifically looking for National Merit Achievement finalists and Achievement finalists, I had more of the prestige schools. And so, my territory was all over Florida.
Beth Dombkowski:
All over Florida.
Richard Jones:
All over Florida. As a matter of fact, you all would love this. I don't know if there are any movie buffs out there, but there's a movie director right now, a movie producer, his name is Will Packer. He has produced movies like Drumline and a lot of, oh, Girls Trip with Queen Latifah.
Beth Dombkowski:
Oh, yeah.
Richard Jones:
I recruited him.
Beth Dombkowski:
Did you really?
Richard Jones:
To go out, to go to the university. I met him when he was in the 12th grade.
Beth Dombkowski:
Oh, my goodness.
Richard Jones:
Yeah.
Beth Dombkowski:
That's great. So from admissions, where did you go from there? Take me on your journey.
Richard Jones:
All right. From admissions, and when I realized that I wanted to do this as a career, I quickly learned that the way that I wanted to impact the lives of students, I couldn't do it as an admissions officer. Because a lot of times, admissions officers don't get the opportunity to make policy for the university. Right?
Beth Dombkowski:
Yes. You only see the students for a very small period of time.
Richard Jones:
Right.
Beth Dombkowski:
Get them in, settled, and then-
Richard Jones:
And then go recruit-
Beth Dombkowski:
... never hear from them.
Richard Jones:
Right. And then, go recruit the next group of students to come in. And so, I started looking around at the people who were setting policy at the university, and what sort of choices that they made regarding their career, and I saw that they all had Master's degrees. So, I realized that I had to get a Master's degree. So, I made that decision.
Richard Jones:
Now, here's the interesting thing now. Because now I'm an admissions officer and I'm used to now doing research about schools, I said that I'm going to do it that way now. Because when I chose my university to attend, it was because I didn't my AP English homework and the admissions counselor from the university where I attended was going to be in the auditorium during the same time I had to turn in my AP homework.
Beth Dombkowski:
Oh, my goodness. That's hysterical.
Richard Jones:
So, that's how I chose my university.
Beth Dombkowski:
Oh, man.
Richard Jones:
I went home and I told my dad that I wanted to go to that university, and he was like, "Oh, that's good. The football team is really good." No major or nothing.
Beth Dombkowski:
Nothing. The football team.
Richard Jones:
Right. Just the football team was winning. So, I said I wanted to do it very differently. I wanted to be intentional about where I wanted to go. And so, I got on the phone, called directory assistance. Remember because the internet wasn't a big thing during that time.
Beth Dombkowski:
It was either that or look it up in the phone book.
Richard Jones:
Exactly. By mistake, I was interested in attending an HBCU, which is a historically black college or university. I asked the directory assistant for Jackson State University in Mississippi. By mistake, she gave me Mississippi State University.
Beth Dombkowski:
Oh, my goodness.
Richard Jones:
Right. Which is a PWI, a predominantly white institution. So I was like, "Well, I'm gathering information. I might as well get information from them, as well."
Beth Dombkowski:
Talk to them. Sure. You're supposed to be there.
Richard Jones:
Right. So, by the time I got off the phone, they were sending me the application. I had an interview for a hall director position because I was an RA as an undergraduate. And, I never applied to anywhere else, and I ended attending Mississippi State University.
Beth Dombkowski:
Oh, my goodness.
Richard Jones:
So after Mississippi State, it was time to look for a job and I applied for a job at Vanderbilt University. I was the successful candidate at Vanderbilt, and I spent about seven years there and got really awesome opportunities there. So, the rest is kind of history. I just kept progressing.
Beth Dombkowski:
Yeah.
Richard Jones:
Right. Yeah.
Beth Dombkowski:
That's amazing. Sometimes though, we all get a little rent in our plan. Things don't go quite as planned, even if we don't necessarily have a plan we get steered onto a different track. Can you tell us about a time when an outcome wasn't what you expected and how you moved forward?
Richard Jones:
Well, absolutely. I think that I've never had a plan. Not until recently. So, my plan was to go to law school and it didn't turn out. And so, I made the best of it and I think that I had to adapt, be nimble, and realize the benefits of what was being offered. Right?
Beth Dombkowski:
Yes.
Richard Jones:
And fortunately, I landed in a very good place. But from that point on, I realized the importance of making a plan. I think that's just in life. Life does not always go the way that you plan. So, I think that one of the skills that we have to master is to be nimble, to be able to adapt, make the adjustments, and turn that negative into a positive. Because, I really believe in divine providence. I don't believe that there's anything, I don't believe in accidents. I believe that everything happens for a reason. Right?
Beth Dombkowski:
Absolutely.
Richard Jones:
And so, either you're going to control what happens to you or it's going to happen to you. And so, you might as well be in control of it and have a plan, but understand that the ... I'm feeling like I'm getting really all metaphysical now, that the universe has a plan for all of us.
Beth Dombkowski:
You know what? Just go for it.
Richard Jones:
The universe has a plan for all of us.
Beth Dombkowski:
[crosstalk 00:11:51]. Yeah.
Richard Jones:
I think that the plan for us is to fulfill our passion. And so, yeah, I just really want. I believe the universe sets up opportunities for us to define our passion, to hone our passion, and then to fulfill our passion. Does that make sense?
Beth Dombkowski:
It does. Absolutely. I'm sitting here reflecting on my own experiences with that and how I can draw direct correlations. My first admissions job, I interviewed for the position a year before I actually got it. My plan was to take the job, quit, go to grad school when I got into grad school, and do whatever it was I was going to grad school for. When they didn't hire me, I went to grad school. Turned out I was in the wrong field. Dropped out of grad school. A couple weeks later, the school called and said their counselor didn't work out, would I be interested in coming in for an interview.
Richard Jones:
Wow.
Beth Dombkowski:
It happens.
Richard Jones:
It happens.
Beth Dombkowski:
It's just sometimes-
Richard Jones:
But you have to be open to it.
Beth Dombkowski:
Just give yourself over. Yes.
Richard Jones:
Yeah. I like that. Give yourself over.
Beth Dombkowski:
Yep.
Richard Jones:
I like that. You've got to trust that great things are going to happen for you.
Beth Dombkowski:
Yes. I agree. So if you were to go back in time before college, there you are, you're 18. What advice would you give your 18 year old self?
Richard Jones:
Just one or can it be a few things?
Beth Dombkowski:
It's your show. You can do whatever you want.
Richard Jones:
Okay. All right. Chill.
Beth Dombkowski:
Chill. Okay.
Richard Jones:
I would say that. Make really good friends. Be authentic. So, I developed this philosophy over my years of living, and not to worry about what people think.
Beth Dombkowski:
Oh. That's so hard for students. Yes.
Richard Jones:
Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Because, I just realized that when you worry about what other people think, you become a slave to their thoughts. I've never met a happy slave. And so, I believe that you've got to do the thing that is true to you, and not worry about what other people may think. As long as you are not hurting other people, and as long as you're treating people with fairness, and that you are being kind, and making decisions with integrity, you're going to be okay because you're going to find your tribe. And the people that love you for you, they're going to love you.
Beth Dombkowski:
So, be yourself.
Richard Jones:
Be yourself. And I know that sounds like an afterschool special, but it is so true. If you are yourself, then this light will come from you and you will attract the people who really appreciate you for yourself.
Beth Dombkowski:
I couldn't agree more. And lastly, why Rowan?
Richard Jones:
So, Rowan is ... I tell people that Rowan is friendly. I grew up in the South. And so, I have these ideas about what it would be like to live up North and work at a university that was in the North, in New Jersey. And so, my ideas about New Jersey was very industrial. It was probably more North Jersey-
Beth Dombkowski:
Probably. Yes.
Richard Jones:
... than South Jersey.
Beth Dombkowski:
South Jersey.
Richard Jones:
Right? And so when I interviewed here, people were so friendly. I was sitting on a bench between interviews, and people would pass by and they would say hello.
Beth Dombkowski:
Hello.
Richard Jones:
Right. Hello. I was like, "Okay. This is cool." But as I started working here, I started paying attention to the standard of care that I believe students get here. I think there are a lot of people here, Dr. Jim Newell is one of them, they understand what a transformational experience this is for people. I think there are a lot of people who get the fact that a lot of our students are still first generation college students. And they understand that our students here want connection with their faculty and staff, and that's what I like here.
Richard Jones:
I think that there's an opportunity here for some really good relationship building. Relationship building that can last you far beyond your four years here. And, I believe that there is a genuineness here that students experience with faculty and staff. Yeah, so I think that as a parent, I would send my student here because I believe that there are enough people here that will care about my student the way that I would. Does that make sense?
Beth Dombkowski:
Of course. Yes. Makes perfect sense.
Richard Jones:
Yeah.
Beth Dombkowski:
Do you have any closing remarks?
Richard Jones:
I would say for closing remarks that, think critically about the decisions that you make, because the decisions that you make have lifelong ramifications. I would say choose your friends wisely. Make sure that you cultivate relationships with people who can love you just as much as you love them. And remember that there are no value in things, that it's only value in people.
Beth Dombkowski:
Thank you so much for joining us today. This has been Rowan Confidential.