Born in Smith County and raised in Taylorsville, Steven Jones has come to make his home in the Delta. The vice president of Administrative Services at Mississippi Delta Community College came to Moorhead in August of 2019. He’s described as a “go-getter” by his boss, MDCC President Tyrone Jackson,
“Vicksburg is my second home. I’ve lived there for 15 or 16 years. My godparents are from there and after I graduated from Hinds Community College with a degree in paralegal technology, they opened their doors and let me stay for a while.”
He continued his education at Mississippi College, where he secured his bachelor’s in paralegal studies and then a master’s in higher education administration. His path continued to Hattiesburg where he studied and attained his Ph.D. in higher education and did a post-graduate certificate in community college leadership. From there he attended the University of South Florida and got a post-graduate certificate in diversity equity inclusion.
His career path began after Hinds when he worked as office manager for a medical facility. He then got a job at a law firm in Jackson for nearly a decade as a paralegal and then senior paralegal and finished up as a law firm administrator. Hinds Community College was his first job in education, serving as the assistant director of Student Housing and Residence Life and deputy Title IX coordinator. Within a few months, he was promoted to director of Student Housing and Residence Life and was later promoted to executive director of Title III and Sponsored Grants, where he oversaw $7 million annually in grant funds and over $18 million total. It was at Hinds where he met Dr. Jackson and then followed him to the Delta.
“Mr. Jones believes in excellence as the expectation. He is knowledgeable about budgets and finance, physical plants and auxiliary services,” Dr. Jackson said. “He is deeply committed to a culture of innovation in higher education. Steven is a team player, a visionary leader, and is an excellent member of our senior leadership team as a member of the President’s Cabinet.”
His duties at MDCC include quite a bit. In addition to overseeing Administrative Services, within a year he had College Advancement and Public Relations. When Ed Rice left in 2021, Student Services merged under Dr. Jones as well.
“We went from six major functions to managing 16 major functions,” Dr. Jones said. “That’s where I am now.”
His vision and goals are lofty yet attainable for the dusty little jewel of a community college.
“I call Mississippi Delta the hidden jewel of the Delta. My initial goal and passion in getting in higher education was to help students, help the underserved in our community. I want to help those who needed a push. Someone passionate enough about reaching their educational goals. For me, Moorhead has been wonderful. There are challenges but overall, there are good people here, people who are passionate about students and who are passionate about higher education. I’m thankful to be able to contribute my skill set to what we’ve already established. The future is very bright. Dr. Jackson has been a real visionary leader and I bought in from day one.”
The “One College” concept has been preached from the president’s office to each office and campus location.
“We want to get all the campuses in one accord. One beat, one style,” Dr. Jones said. “That way we all flourish at the same time.”
Looking toward the future, Dr. Jones is looking to stay, give back and grow.
“Mississippi Delta is a unique place. We are the poorest region in the nation and our students have a lot of challenges in terms of being prepared for college and the workforce. I see ourselves as key to bridging that gap, from our students leaving high school, coming to Mississippi Delta, getting the tools they need to be successful and joining the workforce and being contributing citizens.”
Being over facilities, Dr. Jones has a keen interest in helping Trojan athletics compete and win.
“We don’t have the tax base that our competitors have. As a result, we don’t have a lot of money to allocate to our athletic and even our academic facilities. What we are trying to do is be very creative and innovative in how to utilize the funds we do receive. We try to maximize every dollar that we receive. We try to find other funding to add to what we have. Part of my role has been to push our legislative agenda. I’ve taken that bull by the horns and what we’ve seen from a collective effort is one, Mississippi Delta has established a presence at the capital and two, we’ve built a strong relationship with our delegation on the local, state and federal level. Three, truly understanding the town and gown relationship has yielded positive dividends for the college. Last year, we had one of the most successful legislative sessions in the history of the college bringing in over $14-plus million. Part of those funds are going to go to athletics and the conversation has already started on where those funds will go.”
He noted the funds have to be evenly distributed due to Title IX requirements that keep men and women’s teams on an even keel. Some of the projects being talked about are updating and upgrading locker rooms, upgrading athletic fields, and updating the weight room and common areas.
“There have been talks about re-designing our athletic fields but this won’t happen overnight. This is the start of something bigger. Something greater and it will take time to get where we want to be. We are headed in the right direction.”
The funds will be overseen in a collective effort from the president’s office and administrators as well as Dr. Jones.
“We always consult and athletics will take a role in that process. I’ve set a meeting so I can hear from all the coaches. I do manage all of our construction projections along with the VP of Business Services but nothing is done without first talking to the board of trustees to get their approval on how we allocate and spend those funds.”
In his short time on campus, Dr. Jones has acclimated to the flat land and those who live here and work here.
“The Delta is just a beautiful place with beautiful people and a place I’ve grown to love,” he said. “I really enjoy working at Mississippi Delta and we have a good group of individuals who share in this passion to make it better. And I enjoy a challenge. The good part is we get to see the continuous growth each year. I’m excited to see where we are today compared to 2019. And if we continue to push the envelope, we’ll continue to see greatness.”
Dr. Jones oversaw the new administration building and several other projects in the works and coming up.
“It is a beautiful building and we have the new bookstore finishing up, the new culinary arts project getting finished up at GHEC (Greenville Higher Education Center), renovating roofs and getting ready to break ground on some water and sewer upgrades through ARPA funds and looking at a new career technical building we hope to break ground next fall on our GHEC campus. And we have the new men’s residence hall. That’s one thing people have been talking about the longest. I’m happy to be part of history. It’s the first new men’s residence hall in over 40 years. It’s our hope to break ground this summer. It will help with recruiting and retention.”
Jones was recently selected for the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship.
Nationwide, only 35 individuals were selected for the 2023-2024 class, and Jones is only the third person ever to be chosen for this fellowship from the state of Mississippi and the first from MDCC.
"I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to participate in the prestigious Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship. It is truly an honor," said Jones. "I look forward to collaborating with other community college leaders as we explore creative and innovative ways of enhancing student access and success and improving the overall quality of higher education for the students we serve."
As part of the fellowship, Jones will participate in seminars led by Aspen Institute and Stanford University faculty, as well as some of the nation's top community college professionals and higher education experts.
During the fellowship, Jones and his fellow participants will have access to mentorship by an exceptional, nationally recognized current or former community college president who engages them in a dynamic exchange of ideas and helps to draw connections across the seminars, portfolios, and participants' own professional experiences. The fellowship addresses the turnover in the community college presidency by recruiting and developing diverse reformers who can push the field forward and advance student success.
When he’s not spending time between Vicksburg and Moorhead, Dr. Jones enjoys traveling and spending time with his immediate family. Though he hasn’t had time to enjoy the outdoor amenities of the Delta, he does have his eyes set on fishing the Trojan Lake on campus.
“I’ve seen some folks fishing and catching some huge fish,” Dr. Jones said. “I can’t wait to get a line in there.”
