His work as an investment-industry executive and later as an adjunct professor took him to places all over the globe. And whether in San Francisco, London or Mumbai, Peter Jones would put on his Florida State University garb and feel the world get smaller.

"Invariably, someone would walk past me and say, 'Go Noles!'" Jones said.

No other two syllables make him feel closer to home, and Jones (BS Accounting '77) – a Clearwater resident, retired Franklin Templeton executive and College of Business Alumni Hall of Fame member – rarely ventures far from FSU's campus, in spirit or in person.

He's a member of numerous boards and committees of the college or university, including the finance department's Student Investment Fund Board and Finance Professional Advocacy Board, the latter of which he chairs. He serves on the audit committee of the FSU Athletic Association, the investment committee of the FSU Foundation and the committee searching for the university's next vice president of advancement. He also serves on the FSU International Programs Association board.

"I'm very active on campus in a variety of ways, because I want to be," Jones said. "I love FSU."

That explains a recent gift from Jones and his wife, Mary Lee, to fund the financial laboratory/trading room in Legacy Hall, the college's future home. College officials say the financial laboratory will offer financial modeling, portfolio management and other Wall Street-focused technology to prepare upper-level finance students for a highly competitive job market.