Retired Rear Admiral CJ Jaynes ’79, M’82
Retired Rear Admiral CJ Jaynes, a 1979 mathematics bachelor’s degree graduate who also earned her master’s in mathematics in 1982 from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, has continued her support for IUP with a $100,000 gift to IUP’s Impact 150 comprehensive campaign.
Her gift supports the IUP John J. and Char Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Endowed Faculty Fellowship Program. It is part of IUP’s Impact 150, the university’s $150 million comprehensive campaign.
The largest fundraising campaign in the university’s history, the campaign is named in honor of the university’s sesquicentennial celebration in 2025. The campaign had its public launch in August 2025 with $81,236,852—54 percent of the campaign goal—from 11,673 donors.
Impact 150 centers around raising funds for healthy students, including supporting students academically and personally; a healthy university, including maintaining IUP’s commitment to excellence and innovation; and healthy communities, including IUP’s work to establish a college of osteopathic medicine.
As of December 2025, the campaign’s total is at more than $102 million, including $48 million specifically for IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine.
Rear Admiral Jaynes, originally from Greensburg and now living in Hollywood, Maryland, has been a long-time supporter of IUP and students in the sciences, including a 2024 gift to establish the Rear Admiral CJ Jaynes Scholarship for Veterans in STEM. This endowed scholarship is for full-time students at IUP who are veterans and who are studying in a STEM field (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
The Kopchick College Endowed Faculty Fellowship Program is designed to strengthen faculty excellence, student success, and institutional reputation by providing sustained, flexible support to outstanding faculty members whose work advances teaching innovation, student research, and scholarly or creative productivity. The Fellowship will serve as a catalyst investment, enabling faculty to deepen their impact on students while enhancing IUP’s profile as a student-centered, research-active public university.
“The Endowed Faculty Fellowship Program is a transformative investment in the future of scientific discovery at IUP and beyond,” IUP President Michael Driscoll said. “It helps IUP to attract and retain top-tier researchers, who work with our students at all levels to pursue high-impact projects, advance knowledge, and drive groundbreaking discoveries across disciplines.
“Rear Admiral Jaynes has been a champion in support of our students in STEM and our veterans, and we are very grateful for her ongoing generosity,” President Driscoll said.
“An endowed faculty fellowship program offers a transformative opportunity to provide the sustained support for our faculty to innovate, mentor students, and drive meaningful discoveries that extend far beyond our campus,” Dean of the Kopchick College Steve Hovan said.
Funding from the endowment also provides a partial release from the required teaching load for faculty to allow them more time to focus on research, a stipend to support research students, funding for travel costs to attend professional conferences, and publication costs.
Rear Admiral Jaynes is a 2017 IUP Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, recognized for career excellence. In May 2021, IUP’s Council of Trustees approved a resolution to honor and recognize her contributions with the naming of the tutoring room in John J. and Char Kopchick Hall as “The Admiral’s Study.” Kopchick Hall, IUP’s $90-million, 142,536 square foot science and mathematics facility, is home to the Kopchick College.
In addition to her financial support of IUP, Rear Admiral Jaynes has been a long-time volunteer, serving on the Dean’s Advancement Council for the Kopchick College. She has presented at many events for students, offering her professional expertise about leadership and career success. She also has been a panelist for the Kopchick College IUP STEM Women’s Summit, held as part of the university’s Research Appreciation Week.
After completing her first degree at IUP, Rear Admiral Jaynes taught at Indiana Area High School while working on her master’s degree in mathematics. After completing her master’s degree, she joined the Navy and was commissioned in March 1983 and spent the next 33 years as an aeronautical (maintenance) engineering duty officer and acquisition professional.
She made naval history on August 1, 2012, when she became the seventy-ninth woman to be promoted to rear admiral, and the first woman at the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) to achieve flag officer rank. Her first flag officer assignment was Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers, for the naval aviation enterprise.
Her final tour in the Navy was as the program executive officer for air anti-submarine warfare, assault, and special mission programs. She retired in May 2016 as a rear admiral.
Following her retirement from the Navy, she began a position as executive technical advisor for Precision Navigation Systems, for Raytheon, a business unit of RTX.
She was selected for the 2013 Women Worth Watching listing and appeared in a 2012 edition of Profiles in Diversity Journal. She is a member of Women in Defense, Women in Aviation, and the Association of Naval Aviation.
In addition to her IUP degrees, she is a 1995 graduate of the Naval War College and earned her MBA from Norwich University in 2008 and a systems engineering certification from Cal Tech in 1999.
“The years I spent at IUP shaped my future in ways I never would have dreamed of,” Rear Admiral Jaynes said. “I had incredible professors who encouraged and challenged me. They believed in me, and in turn, I believed in myself. I was away from IUP for 33 years, and when I had the chance to return to campus, it was like I never left. I want to enable a similar experience for others. Giving the professors and students an opportunity to focus on research and professional growth is important to me to highlight the university’s academic reputation and watch our future graduates live their dreams.”
IUP has a strong tradition of enrolling and supporting its veteran and military-affiliated students; in fall 2025, IUP welcomed 855 veteran and military-affiliated students; of this number, 816 students are in undergraduate or graduate programs. IUP has one of the largest ROTC programs in the Commonwealth. More than 3,500 IUP graduates have served in the military, including in leadership roles; IUP has graduated 12 generals as well as a number of US Navy admirals.
IUP opened its Military Resource Center (now the Military and Veterans Resource Center) in spring 2014, working collaboratively with IUP programs and services to provide one-stop information to help these students transition to college life and achieve their academic goals. IUP has consistently been recognized as a Military Friendly School by national publications.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary during the 2025–26 academic year, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.