Various news sources, including the Journal & Courier, are reporting the passing of Stan Jones. He was a Purdue graduate and state Representative from the Lafayette area in the 70s and 80s. He then went to work for the Bayh administration as the Commissioner for Higher Education.
During his time as commissioner, Jones oversaw the development of the 21st Century Scholars program, Indiana’s Education Roundtable and the implementation of Core 40, the state’s required high school curriculum, according to the statement.
He went on to found Complete College America, a nonprofit with a goal to ” increase the number of Americans with quality career certificates or college degrees and to close attainment gaps for traditionally underrepresented populations.” Governor Holcomb released a statement saying, “Stan Jones was a leader in every sense, continuously striving to enhance the lives of Hoosiers and bettering the institutions that serve them. He transformed the state of Higher Education in Indiana and helped countless students here and across the nation complete their dream of going to college. He will be sorely missed.”
I don’t believe I ever had direct interactions with Stan. But he was active enough in state policy that his name would come to my attention pretty frequently over the 20 years I’ve been paying attention to state politics. Obviously, his efforts extend longer than that — going back more than 40 of his 67 years. That’s an impressive record of public service. My condolences to his family.
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