Joseph L. Jones is no longer president of Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock. Dr. Jones has stated that he resigned from his position. But the board of trustees has stated that Dr. Jones was terminated for cause.
In the fall of 2016 Arkansas Baptist College enrolled more than 800 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education. African Americans were 94 percent of total enrollments at the historically Black college that year. This fall enrollments dropped to 575 students.
Kenneth Harris, chair of the college’s board of trustees said that Dr. Jones was terminated for “lack of transparency.” In a published statement, Harris said “the board has lost confidence in Dr. Jones’ leadership and judgment in order to guide the school to its greatest potential.”
Joseph L. Jones became the 14th president of Arkansas Baptist College on September 1, 2016. He had been serving as a visiting professor of political science in the department of social and behavioral sciences at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Before teaching at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Dr. Jones was the founder and executive director of the Social Justice Institute at Philander Smith College in Little Rock.
Dr. Jones is a graduate of Philander Smith College, where he majored in political science. He holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in political science from Clark Atlanta University.
