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University of Washington names its next president

The University of Washington Board of Regents on Monday announced that Robert J. Jones, who is currently concluding a nine-year tenure as Chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has been selected as the 34th President of the UW. (Courtesy of University of Washington)
By Dahlia Bazzaz Seattle Times
The University of Washington Board of Regents on Monday announced that Robert J. Jones, who is currently concluding a nine-year tenure as Chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has been selected as the 34th President of the UW. (Courtesy of University of Washington)

SEATTLE – Robert J. Jones, a chancellor for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, will be the University of Washington’s next president.

When he assumes the office in August, he will be the first Black president in the university’s 164-year history. He will succeed Ana Mari Cauce, the first woman, Latina and openly gay person to lead the university.

“I am honored to be joining the University of Washington and excited to lead this extraordinary public university,” Jones said in a release from UW. “I look forward to working with the UW’s talented and dedicated faculty and staff to support and accelerate their work, and to partnering with the UW’s supporters to advance students’ success, economic opportunity and discovery for the public good.”

UW’s board of regents began the search for a new president after Cauce announced she’d be stepping down from the position. They culled from a list of several dozen candidates. Negotiations with Jones and another finalist began last month.

Jones, the former president of the Albany campus of the State University of New York (SUNY), will steer the state’s largest university system, thus becoming a key player in the state’s economy. His decisions will echo across the UW’s academic research, medical facilities and athletics franchise.

“I believe he will lead us into our next chapter of providing educational excellence at scale, top-quality health care to all, regardless of need, transformative research, and public service to the state of Washington and the world,” said Blaine Tamaki, chair of the board of regents.