Two Williams Baptist University faculty members have been formally installed into professorships honoring former WBU President Dr. Thomas O. Jones. Dr. Robert Foster and Dr. Michael Fox were recognized during the university’s opening convocation ceremony Wednesday, August 21.
Foster was installed in the Thomas O. Jones Professorship in Christian Ethics. A member of the WBU faculty since 1999, Foster serves as chair of the Christian ministries department and professor of Christian ministries at Williams.
Fox was installed in the Thomas O. Jones Professorship in Faith & Vocation. He is a WBU alumnus, and he has served since 2024 as associate professor of Christian ministries.
WBU President Dr. Stan Norman conducted the installation of Foster and Fox, and the two were presented medallions by Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Ruth Provost.
“It is a great day when we can confer this professorship on two distinguished faculty members, and at the same time honor the legacy of Dr. Tom Jones,” Norman said. “Dr. Robert Foster and Dr. Michael Fox both embody the high ideals established by this professorship. This truly is a cause for celebration at WBU.”
The Thomas O. Jones Professorship was endowed earlier this year by an anonymous, $250,000 gift. Jones, the sixth president of WBU, led the school from 2012 to 2017. Jones and his wife, Gail, are currently retired and living in California.
