After more than 40 years working in journalism, University Times editor Susan Jones is no longer on a deadline. 

Jones, who has served as editor of the University Times for the last eight years, recently announced her retirement from journalism.

She began her career as a news editor at what was then called the Charleston Daily Mail in West Virginia, and after 15 years migrated to Pittsburgh’s the Tribune-Review, where she worked as a news editor for six years and a features editor for another 12 years. 

After being in the field for so many years, Jones says she can’t pinpoint what sparked her interest in writing and journalism. She started writing for her high school paper and went on to work for West Virginia University’s student newspaper, the Daily Athenaeum.

“Basically, this is all I’ve ever done,” Jones said.

The University Times has published since 1968 and, according to its website, provides objective coverage of Pitt. In 2017, however, Pitt’s senior vice chancellor for communications sought to absorb the University Times into the marketing and communications department, which members of the Faculty Assembly disagreed with.

Ellie Graves, now Pitt’s senior director of communications, held the editor position for 18 months before moving into an internal communications role. After this, Jones said, Pitt brought her in to return to the old way of the University Times. 

“Faculty were very upset about [the change] and went to then-Chancellor Gallagher and said, ‘We really want this to be an independent publication like it has been,’” Jones said. “He agreed, and they brought me in to make [the University Times] an independent voice again.” 

Jones said this positioning allows the publication to do deep dives into stories that might not get much coverage otherwise. For example, if Pittwire or Pitt’s Human Resources department release a short statement about Pitt’s budget, the University Times can take it a step further. 

“[Then] we’re going to get reactions from faculty and staff, [ask] what they think about the pay raises and compare them to other schools,” Jones said.

Jones said part of what she loves about her job is getting to know members of the Pitt community.

“I was a little intimidated at first because I thought, ‘Everybody’s a PhD, and I have a little bachelor’s of journalism degree,'” Jones said. “But everybody wants to tell their story.”

Jones said Pitt has given her freedom to write whatever she wants, within reason, which is why she believes it was a great job for her to end her career on.

“Nobody has ever told me not to write something,” Jones said.

Though she received her bachelor’s from West Virginia University, Jones now calls Pittsburgh her home. 

“I love WVU, don’t get me wrong,” Jones said. “But I’ve spent twice as much time at Pitt as I did in Morgantown. I think Pitt’s a great school, and they’ve certainly treated me well.”

While she appreciates the more relaxing pace of work at the University Times, Jones also loved working in fast-paced newsrooms earlier in her career, calling it a “challenging job” though a fun one. 

“Everybody’s sort of pulling together to get things done,” Jones said. “I have no regrets about being in journalism all that time. Although it was kind of nice to leave it. I have to admit, it was grueling after a while.”

Back in the fast-paced days of the Charleston Daily Mail, Jones met current University Times writer Shannon Wells. Wells said Jones struck her as “friendly, upbeat, kind, and fun” — qualities which were reaffirmed when they worked together more closely at the University Times.

“I felt welcomed and comfortable and part of the small UT team right away,” Wells said. “The rapport was pretty immediate and natural.”

According to Wells, Jones cultivated a work environment that promoted mutual support.

“If Sue is having a challenging or frustrating day, she may mention it to us, but it never comes through in her interactions with people,” Wells said. 

Jones “instinctively” knows how to get to the heart of a story and inspire her colleagues, Wells said, adding that she has made a positive impact on the Pitt community.

“Sue is always curious and passionate about what goes on at Pitt, and adept at getting and conveying the best information from the right people,” Wells said. 

Marty Levine, another writer at the University Times, called Jones “a journalism pro.”

“[Jones] knows what it takes to create a successful story, which means she understands all the ins and outs of what we are going through as reporters under her,” Levine said. “She also has continued to write her own stories, sharing not only the workload but our experiences reporting on this particular community. Not every editor at any publication does that.”