On March 8th, 2024 it was announced that the Honors College would change its name to the Eileen G. Jones Honors College.

Steve and Melanie Jones gave over $7 million to the Honors College to help enhance the honors program. $1.5 million was recently given to the Honors College to renovate the basement of Lycoming Hall, turning it into more study spaces and classrooms dedicated to honors seminar classes.

Steve is an alumnus of Bloomsburg University and graduated in 1983, and he is currently the chair of the BU Foundation Board of Directors. Steve wanted to name the honors college after his mother as a tribute to her.

This is the largest gift ever given to help benefit students from not only Bloomsburg but Lockhaven and Mansfield as well. This gift allows the honors college to grow and have students maximize their time at Bloomsburg. With this grant money, the Honors College is hoping to enhance study abroad programs, create more study spaces within Lockhaven and Mansfield, create more scholarships, and have students take field trips within their seminar classes.

In an interview with Dr. Hintz, the director of the honors college, he stated that, “All of these aspects are meant to help build and enhance the experience for not only honors students but high achieving students. If you are gonna do it right, you need to have money to do that.”

Dr. Hintz also emphasized that, “We want students to maxamize their time here and give them the skills to be leaders on campus.”

Dr. Hintz talked about the importance of this money and described the future of the honors college.

“We hope to create bigger and better high impact experiences for students like study abroad and this money can bring to cost down so students are not worried about paying a crazy amount of money to get these experiences.”