Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1546131
124 maconmagazine.com | August/September 2026 W hen Paul Jones was appointed to be the 10th president of Fort Valley State University a decade ago, he was no stranger to Central Georgia. From 2002-2013 he took on multiple executive roles at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, part of a long career in higher education that brought Dr. Jones, a Los Angeles native, to multiple states and institutions. During his tenure at FVSU, Jones led the institution to expanded enrollment, retention, and graduation outcomes as well as being named the No. 1 regional university in Georgia for social mobility, according to U.S. News & World Report. Jones caught up with Macon Magazine just as his retirement became effective in June 2026. We have deep admiration for the Wildcats. In your 10 years at Fort Valley State University, what do you feel is your legacy? Improved infrastructure was a big focus. My goal was to move the university from where we were to stabilization, and to build a foundation to position us to soar to the next level. During my time, I put in a great deal of work to strengthen the foundation. What has driven you to choose higher education as your life's work? Education has had the most impact on me. When I think about my own transformation, I wanted to give back to what impacted me. Considering education in the United States and/or in our region, what keeps you up at night, inspires your urgency for the work? I feel the heavy burden. I know there are so many students in our area and Paul Jones INTERVIEW BY SUSANNAH COX MADDUX PHOTO BY JAVE BJORKMAN F i v e m i n u t e s w i t h foreign, but excited about overcoming whatever is the obstacle. And that's what inspires me. If you have one message to leave with the students at FVSU, what is it? Finish what you started. Quitting is a learned behavior. Don't start that now. When you teach yourself to quit, it becomes easier and easier. When you commit to something, finish. Nearly four decades in higher education, do you actually intend to stop working upon retirement? That is my strongest desire. I want to retire from this type of work. After some time, I will figure out a way to give back and engage. Georgia that need education. I want to make sure we deliver on the promise. Knowing that it feels like life or death at times, for me, to get it right. It changes generations when we get it right. When you're not leading the charge at the #1 public HBCU in Georgia, what keeps you going and feeds your soul? Family. My wife, kids, grandkids, and broader family. They remind me, ground me and humble me. I've never been on the FVSU campus, what is the ideal day as a Wildcat? From the perspective of the students, they are grinding all day, balancing everything. [They are] heavily engaged and trying to navigate a space that is Keep up with THE Fort Valley State University at fvsu.edu