URBANA – The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chancellor and vice president of the University of Illinois System plans to step down at the end of the current academic year, according to U of I System President Tim Killeen.
Robert Jones became the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s first African American chancellor in 2016.
Kileen praised the U of I System’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic under Jones’ leadership. He said in a statement that the Urbana-Champaign became one of the leading universities in the country by developing a saliva-based test and ecosystem to rapidly receive results.
“Chancellor Jones understands, on a very profound level, the power of the university system to deliver when people need it most — our research prowess was never more evident than during the pandemic as the creator of a life-saving test for the virus and a partner in the drive to create a vaccine.”
Also under Jones’ direction, “the university has expanded to serve Illinois in critical areas, including economic development, and boosted fundraising,” according to a news release from the university.
Killeen has asked Jones to remain with the U of I System to work on initiatives related to expanding the system and Urbana-Champaign’s role and presence in Chicago, international partnership opportunities, and support in the search for the next chancellor.
“I truly believe this is the greatest university in the world, which makes this the most difficult decision that has confronted me in my 47 years in higher education. My time at Illinois has been the most profound experience of my professional life, and I thank every single campus community member for that,” Jones said in a statement.
“We are at the high point in our 157-year history in terms of our educational and research impact. Next is a period of transition with our institutional strategy and collaborations. This is an appropriate time to look toward the next leader who will build on that momentum and promote the bold ideas for which Illinois is known.”
Jones is a Georgia native who earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from Fort Valley State College, a master’s degree in crop physiology from the University of Georgia and a doctorate in crop physiology from the University of Missouri, Columbia. He began his academic career as a faculty member at the University of Minnesota in 1978.
The university said it will now begin the search for Jones’ replacement.