Retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral C.J. Jaynes, a Greensburg native and Indiana University of Pennsylvania graduate, has donated $100,000 to support the university’s college of natural sciences and mathematics endowed faculty fellowship program.

The donation is part of IUP’s “Impact 150” capital campaign. As of December 2025, the campaign’s total is more than $102 million, including $48 million for the university’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine.

Jaynes’ gift will support faculty members in IUP’s Kopchick College of Natural Sciences.

“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,” said Steve Hovan, dean of the Kopchick College.

Funding also provides a partial release from the required teaching load for faculty to allow them to focus on research, a stipend to support research students and costs for travel to professional conferences and publications.

Jaynes graduated from IUP in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and earned a master’s in the same field three years later. She now lives in Maryland.

After finishing her master’s degree, Jaynes joined the Navy and was commissioned in March 1983. She spent the next 33 years working as an Aeronautical (Maintenance) Engineering Duty Officer and an Acquisition Professional.

Following her retirement in 2016, Jaynes began working as an executive technical advisor for Precision Navigation Systems, for Raytheon, a business unit of RTX.

In 2024, Jaynes donated money to establish an endowed scholarship available to full-time veteran students studying a STEM field.

Jaynes said in a statement that her time at IUP shaped her future.

“I had incredible professors that encouraged and challenged me,” she said. “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.”