Rita Jones
I began my career with Long Beach State in 1964 and retired in 1995. I worked in the Faculty Early Retirement Program (FERP) from 1964 to 2000. I was a professor in the department of elementary teacher education and also worked as department chair and coordinator of student teaching.
The entire experience was memorable and unique. As a new faculty member at the time, we were developing our own traditions and taking on personal initiatives that were needed. This made it a challenging and exciting experience.
I received my Doctorate from Berkeley and my husband and I were both offered positions at Purdue. However, the person who hired me left and the officer would not honor it since I had a semester left in my Doctorate program. I chose to work for LB because there was a lot of academic discrimination amongst other schools towards women. I felt that opportunities would be greater here.
The only one from my school is Carol Riley, who is now the President of the Emerti and Retired Faculty and Staff Association. I see her professionally at meetings and functions. I am still actively involved with the Athletic Department.
I am the State Secretary for the California Emerti and Retired Faculty and Staff Association. Since 2011, I have also been on the membership committee, Vice President, and President of CSULB ERFAS. I've been actively involved since retirement, and a guest lecturer for adult education programs and community college programs. I travel extensively and love to travel abroad, with at least two internatonal trips per year.
Futuristic. LB is a growing institution; it does not have a long historic tradition to fall back on. I was heavily involved in developing programs that benefitted students in laboratory schools throughout their undergrad years, essentially enabling them to look into the future.
