2014 Alumni Fellow Award acceptance speech Good Evening, As always it is a great pleasure to be back home at Penn State. My family and I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to President Barron, the Penn State Alumni Association, the College of Education, Dean David Monk, and all of you who recommended my dad for this honor. I accept it, on behalf of Terrell Jones, with deepest gratitude and respect. As some of you know, my dad’s passing was very sudden. So much so, that he told me of the fellowship designation, and had me save this date long before he became ill. Having been at Penn State for over 40 years, dad knew the caliber of our alumni family better than most. And he was truly humbled to be honored among these other honorees this evening, and to be recognized in the company of those who have received the fellowship recognition in the past. A few people are here tonight who were particularly influential in his success: Thank you Dr. James Stewart, Dr. Harold Cheatham, and thank you to my mom Carla Roser-Jones, for your support of my dad (yes he loved his wife too). My dad wore many hats during his career at Penn State, but none he enjoyed more than that of educator. Dad believed that a Penn State education, and the social learning experiences happening here, changed lives for the better. It certainly changed his. He never tired of the chance to teach and make an impact on Penn State students – especially those first-generation or low income – students who needed someone like him to speak just a little bit louder on their behalf. My dad’s favorite method of teaching was to tell a good story, but what constantly amazed me was his ability to adapt his lessons to the times, circumstances, and tools available to him. Dad employed songs, games, and even the
In 2014, Terrell Jones was honored with the title of Alumni Fellow. His daughter Courtlyn Roser-Jones accepted the honor on his behalf. This is her acceptance speech. occasional auction in his teaching methods – whatever it took to get his point across. While other educators at times became disgruntled in their later professional years by the infallibility of the modern undergraduate student, the modern classroom, and new campus atmosphere, my dad instead became so incredibly fascinated by it all. And he adapted. He was always quick to defend the contemporary learner at Penn State who studies with headphones and the TV on as, “Well they are Millennials, and that is just how their generation learns.” Never out of touch, he was once discernibly angry at my sister and me for not keeping him “in-the-know” about the day’s hottest rapper, Little Wayne. For Terrell Jones there was nothing more embarrassing than to be seen as disengaged by the student body. I wish my dad was here to accept this award tonight. It would have meant such a great deal to him since his love for his work, and his love of this place never wavered. But I’m comforted by the ending of his professional story being here tonight. Dad loved to teach because he loved to learn. He breathed to understand and he studied topics and people that interested him every day. For Dad, education was not preparation for life; education was life itself. And his was well-earned and deserving of this honor.
and private sector organizations. He was a faculty member of the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication for more than 10 years and regularly presented workshops on strategic planning for diversity in higher education and racial and cultural identity.
supporting diversity initiatives at Penn State. He is also a member of the James B. Stewart Society, a giving society in the Office of Educational Equity.
He was awarded the Way Pavers Award in 2012 for contributing to and
Born Aug. 30, 1949, Jones earned a bachelor of arts in sociology with a
In 2014, he was honored as an Alumni Fellow, the highest award given by the Penn State Alumni Association.
minor in anthropology from Lock Haven University in 1972; a master of education in counselor education and student personnel services from Penn State in 1974, and a doctor of education in the same field from Penn State in 1985. Jones is survived by his wife, Carla; two daughters, Sara and Courtlyn; and a son, Christopher. — Annemarie Mountz Penn State Education
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