It would be easy for an interim in any situation to simply man the post until a permanent replacement is named. Dr. Paul Jones feels a bit differently. He says he’ll act as though the interim part doesn’t exist in his title and do everything in his power to help Darton State College grow.

“I’m not at all concerned about the interim part of the title,” Jones said. “I’m fully engaged and fully committed.”

It’s likely it was that kind of attitude that lead leaders of the University System of Georgia to name Jones as the interim president of Darton this fall after Peter Sireno resigned the post after 25 years.

Although Jones has only been on the job for roughly six weeks, he say he already feels like a part of both the Darton and Albany communities; something that surprised him at first.

“I did not know quite what to expect,” Jones said. “I knew about a couple of the challenges that may exist, but I think from the very first day, I was embraced, I think, in a way, only southwest Georgia can do. I have been incredibly surprised by the way in which people welcome others into this community.”

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