Esther
Jones, Vice President
Esther Jones is the Associate Provost and Dean of the Faculty at Clark University in Worcester, MA which shelters the Lambda of Massachusetts chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. She has served as Vice President for two years, and President for seven years at the Lambda of MA chapter. Concurrent with her service as President of Lambda of MA, Jones has served on the national senate as an at-large member for six years, serving on the Committee on Chapters for three years, and currently serving on the Executive Committee. In these increasing levels of leadership within the society, Jones has succeeded in heightening student awareness of Phi Beta Kappa and the value of a liberal arts and sciences education, strengthening alumni ties and connections with the university chapter, and increasing opportunities to serve as a convener of society-related events that promote the love of learning as foundational to cultivating a meaningful life of consequence.
At the time of her election to the society at her alma mater, the Fisk University Delta of TN chapter, Jones was unaware of the prestige of the honor. A joint English and music/vocal performance major, she completed all course requirements in such fashion that by her senior year, there was room in her schedule to take some courses for fun: photography, drawing, and black psychology. While she enjoyed fulfilling the courses and requirements for both of her majors, the semester of freedom to feed her curiosity about interesting subjects for their inherent interest was the most memorable and rewarding experience of her undergraduate career. It is this spirit that is fostered, recognized, and promoted by the society—love of learning [as] the guide of life—that led Jones to a career in academia and in her commitment to the transcendent values of the society today.