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David A. Jones Sr. 

Aug. 7, 1931-Sept. 18, 2019

 

Betty Lee Ashbury Jones

March 1, 1933-Aug. 16, 2019

 

“We at Bellarmine University join the community in mourning the passing of David A. Jones Sr., while also celebrating the great legacy that David and his wife, Betty, left in Louisville,” said Dr. Susan M. Donovan, Bellarmine’s president. “For more than 20 years, the Jones Family has been an instrumental partner in the core teaching and learning that is the heart of Bellarmine. Through their personal, foundational, and corporate partnership, they provided unwavering support and guidance, and their generous philanthropy has been critical to Bellarmine’s development. There is no question that Bellarmine would not be the great institution it is today if not for the contributions of David and Betty Jones.”

 

The support of the Joneses transformed Bellarmine in ways both tangible and intangible. Among them: 

 

Norton Health Sciences Center:  Thanks to the generosity of the Jones family and Humana, Bellarmine in 2003 built the state-of-the-art Norton Health Sciences Center, where students are greeted by Mr. Jones’ quote etched in glass: “Innovation occurs at the intersection of passion and competence.” Within this academic building, faith and reason come together as we teach the arts and sciences to new generations of caregivers in our community; inspiring them to empathize with those who are suffering and to seek solutions for that suffering.

 

Liberal arts and the library: Through personal funding of Bellarmine’s liberal arts core and the Humana Foundation’s support in building the W.L. Lyons Brown Library, Mr. and Mrs. Jones helped countless students develop the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills necessary to succeed in our world.

 

Courage to Teach:  The C.E. and S. Foundation’s support of the Courage to Teach faculty development initiative provided faculty with new content and skills that enhanced Bellarmine’s programming in existing courses, served as the basis for the launch of new courses, and guided the development of Bellarmine’s new core curriculum. Courage to Teach was the impetus for the creation of Bellarmine’s Faculty Development Center, which remains an enduring resource for faculty.

 

Communication:  When Humana supported Bellarmine’s Institute for Media, Culture and Ethics, and thereby the establishment of undergraduate and graduate programs in communication, it helped found a new educational platform at Bellarmine where the classic liberal arts discipline of communication is integrated with modern applications. Thanks to this support, students benefit from a liberal arts curriculum focused on communication ethics, theory, writing, and media application. These skill sets allow students to become leaders in their field of study, social change agents in their community, and trailblazers in the ever-changing arena of communication. 

 

Foreign language and international programs: The Jones family’s generous support, both personally and through the C.E. and S. Foundation, of Bellarmine’s foreign language and international programs helped faculty internationalize Bellarmine’s curriculum and has profoundly opened the world to Bellarmine students. Mr. and Mrs. Jones helped Bellarmine students view life through an international lens and sensibility and gave them the language skills to communicate and thrive in the new global economy. It is thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Jones that today Bellarmine can guarantee every student an opportunity to study at any of 150 partner institutions, in 50 countries on six continents.

 

Advanced Analytics: The Humana Foundation’s investment in the creation of Bellarmine’s academic programs in data analytics, in concert with personal philanthropy from Mr. and Mrs. Jones, allowed Bellarmine to teach our students to better draw value and meaning from data. This support also provided students with the skills they need to critically analyze their world, communicate, and create solutions—skills that are fundamental to a liberal arts education.