Hubie Jones (SSW’57), Dean Emeritus and Activist/Scholar, Named BUSSW 2021 Commencement Speaker

Hubie Jones (SSW’57), dean emeritus and the School of Social Work dean from 1977 to 1993, will be the featured speaker at this year’s BUSSW virtual commencement ceremony for the Class of 2021. Jones, who helped shape Boston’s civic landscape for over forty-five years, has played an integral role in community organizations throughout Boston and within the city’s African American population. Retired in 1993, Jones has founded, led, or shaped more than 30 civic organizations in Boston both before and since his tenure at BU.

As this BU Today profile points out, “Jones spent the last half-century living out that commitment [that social work as a profession not only helped people and families, but that it had a commitment to social change and social action], translating scholarship into civic action as a leader, bridge-builder, and fearless advocate for urban children and racial equality in the city of Boston.”

As associate and executive director at Roxbury Multi-Service Center in 1967, his Task Force on Children Out of School (now Massachusetts Advocacy Center) published the report The Way We Go to School: The Exclusion of Children in Boston, which led to the first-in-the-nation enactment of two landmark laws that focused on special education and bi-lingual education.

In 2010, Jones received the Purpose Prize, a national honor awarded to select individuals over 60 carrying out encore careers and using their skills and experience to make a difference in their communities and the nation.

The Hubie Jones Lecture in Urban Health was established in 2012 in his name by an anonymous donor to honor his vision.  Hosted by the Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health, the annual symposium addresses vexing health issues, featuring national and international leaders working at the intersection of health and social justice.

The 2021 BUSSW Commencement will take place virtually in mid-May. The ceremony will include Jan., May and Sept. 2021 graduates from all MSW programs –  four campus sites and online – as well as doctoral students.

For more information on BUSSW Commencement 2021, please visit our Commencement webpage here.

For details on the Boston University’s All-University in-person commencement planned for May 16, please go here.