ATLANTA — For the past decade, Georgia State University Honors College students have known retired Brig. Gen. Jack Fox (M.Ed. ’75) as a mentor, educator and champion of student leadership. A longtime friend and supporter of the Honors College, Fox died July 18, leaving behind a legacy of service, mentorship and generosity that will continue to support and shape students well into the future.
While stationed with the military just outside of Atlanta in the early 1970s, Fox saw an opportunity to pursue one of his passions: teaching. Under the encouragement and support of military mentors, Fox earned his master’s degree in education at Georgia State. The experience marked the beginning of a lifelong connection to the university.
Fox remained involved with the university throughout his career and was recognized in 2023 with a Georgia State University Distinguished Alumni Award, which honors alumni for excellence in their careers, service to their communities and commitment to their alma mater.
In 2023, Georgia State President M. Brian Blake (right) presented retired Brig. Gen. Jack Fox (M.Ed. ’75) the Distinguished Alumni Award, the Georgia State University Alumni Association’s highest honor.
Fox and GSU’s Honors College
Fox first connected with the Honors College during the tenure of founding Dean Larry Berman, who stepped down from the post in 2020 after nearly a decade of leadership. Through this connection, Fox taught an Honors leadership seminar, mentored students during the COVID-19 pandemic and returned year after year to lead a talk with students about leadership.
“Jack Fox had a passion for leadership and wanted to make a difference in the lives of Honors College students,” Berman said. “He cared so much about the future and the role young people would play in shaping the world.”
Fox’s investment in students will continue for years to come. One of his most enduring gifts to Honors students is the BG Jack and Marvine Fox Transition Scholarship, established with his wife, Marvine, to support high-achieving Honors students as they transition from undergraduate study to graduate programs at Georgia State. The scholarship reflects the values Fox championed throughout his life: education, leadership, service and a commitment to helping others reach their potential.
Fox’s belief in students remained a constant throughout his years of involvement with the Honors College. When asked about the future, he often pointed to the students he met through the Honors College.
“When people worry about the future, I tell them, ‘I’ve been to the Honors College — we’re going to be OK.’”
Fox recently sat down with the Honors College and reflected on leadership, service and his hope for Honors students. Excerpts of the conversation are shared below.
Question: If you could give one piece of advice to Honors students, what would it be?
Fox: Don’t stop learning about whatever you’re doing. Make yourself better, explore, read, whatever you need to do. But don’t stop. There’s no such thing as good enough. If you accept that, you’ve already quit.
Q: Across your career in both the military and education, what lessons have proven most important as you’ve developed as a leader?
Fox: Learning about yourself is an important step — realizing where your weaknesses are and working to correct those weaknesses. Integrity is key. That’s a baseline of everything you do. Realize early on that you live in a glass house that people are always looking at it.
“Jack’s impact on students was profound. Those who were fortunate to interact with Jack, in the classroom or informally, gained a nuanced understanding about their capacity to lead.” — Honors College Dean Sarah Cook
Q: How can students become better leaders when engaging with people whose viewpoints and life experiences differ from their own?
Fox: It sounds so easy, but listen. Listen to what other people are saying, in whatever environment you’re in, and start out by getting to know who you’re working with. Know what their backgrounds are. Be receptive to advice, guidance and complaints.
Q: Being a leader often comes with a lot of feedback, constructive and otherwise. How do you recommend new leaders handle challenging feedback?
Fox: I think that it’s so important to work with everybody. Be willing to accept what somebody has to say along the way. One of the things I would do after an exercise or a situation is an after-action review. As a team, we would all come together to discuss how things went, but I wouldn’t let the leaders talk first. I want the lowest ranking people to start the conversation. That’s part of building teamwork and getting everybody to feel like they’re part of the team.
Q: What advice do you have for students who want to make a lasting impact in their communities?
Fox: Find a meaningful way to serve and contribute. Find something that you know you can make a difference in and work toward whatever that goal is. Or, if you see something that needs to be done and you don’t think you have those skills, work hard at acquiring them. I think every person, if they are willing to roll their sleeves up and do something, can contribute.
Q: Many Honors students want to make a difference in the world, but the number and scale of today’s challenges can sometimes feel overwhelming. What advice do you have for students trying to make sense of it all?
Fox: Whatever you do in life, there’s going to be things occurring beyond your control, so the best advice I could say is focus on what you can control. If I focus on what my job is, what my lane is, what my role is and do that to the best of my ability, positive things can happen. Don’t let external factors get you off track. Trust that we, as human beings, are going to make it work.
Retired Brig. Gen. Jack Fox (M.Ed. '75) and his wife Marvine Fox created the BG Jack and Marvine Fox Transition Scholarship to help exceptional Honors students continue their academic journey into graduate education at Georgia State.
Q: Is there anything we haven’t covered you’d like to say?
Fox: I’d just emphasize I’m very proud of what Georgia State is. It’s a leader in education. To me, the diamond in Georgia State is the Honors College. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe that.