New UW leader ready to navigate Trump world

The University of Washington’s incoming president says the institution may have to adapt to President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs in higher education, but it will not abandon its principles in the process.

“We have to maintain our values as it relates to diversity, equity and inclusion,” Robert J. Jones said in an interview with The Seattle Times. “We may have to change the language in terms of how we talk about it, but the values are absolutely sound.”

In August, Jones will become the university’s first Black president, bringing with him decades of higher education leadership experience, where he oversaw several initiatives aimed at expanding opportunities for people of color — the first of which was nearly 40 years ago, when the president of the University of Minnesota asked him to create a mentorship program for students of color.

As the Trump administration’s executive order sends shock waves across higher education, Jones says he’s taking a thoughtful and slow approach at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he is finishing out his last months as chancellor.

“I think it’s critically important that we not get too far out in front of our skis because this thing is dynamic,” Jones said. “It’s changing all the time.”

The executive order could upend programs that support underrepresented groups on college campuses. Trump’s administration has suggested that it will strip federal funding from institutions that don’t comply.

In response, several organizations, including the American Association of University Professors, have filed a lawsuit to declare the order unconstitutional and block the government from enforcing it.

Jones believes his path to the University of Washington presidency was made possible through DEI opportunities.

“I’m a prime example of what can be produced by these efforts,” Jones said Thursday. “And so to me, it’s disappointing that people are looking at it as something that’s negative, rather than the impact that has had across many aspects of society.”

The son of sharecroppers from Georgia, Jones has spent his entire career in higher education. He began as a crop physiology professor at the University of Minnesota, contributing research on the environmental stressors affecting corn.

After three decades there, rising through the leadership ranks, he took the top job at the Albany campus of the State University of New York, then moved to his current position in Illinois, where he has served as the first Black chancellor.

There, he launched the Illinois Commitment program, which guarantees four years of free tuition for low-income Illinois students. In 2020, amid national protests following George Floyd’s murder by police, he introduced the Chancellor’s Call to Action initiative, a fund supporting research on systemic bias and structural disparities.

In response, several organizations, including the American Association of University Professors, have filed a lawsuit to declare the order unconstitutional and block the government from enforcing it.

Jones believes his path to the University of Washington presidency was made possible through DEI opportunities.

“I’m a prime example of what can be produced by these efforts,” Jones said Thursday. “And so to me, it’s disappointing that people are looking at it as something that’s negative, rather than the impact that has had across many aspects of society.”

The son of sharecroppers from Georgia, Jones has spent his entire career in higher education. He began as a crop physiology professor at the University of Minnesota, contributing research on the environmental stressors affecting corn.

After three decades there, rising through the leadership ranks, he took the top job at the Albany campus of the State University of New York, then moved to his current position in Illinois, where he has served as the first Black chancellor.

There, he launched the Illinois Commitment program, which guarantees four years of free tuition for low-income Illinois students. In 2020, amid national protests following George Floyd’s murder by police, he introduced the Chancellor’s Call to Action initiative, a fund supporting research on systemic bias and structural disparities.

Jones said the University of Washington’s regional influence attracted him to the job.

He pointed to UW’s leadership in medical education as a major attraction. He praised the university’s WWAMI partnership, the School of Medicine’s multistate medical education program that expands access to training in rural and underserved communities.

“This is something I care greatly about,” he said, noting that his wife and daughter are both physicians.

“I can’t think of another place in this country where a flagship university has been asked to step up to help universities or other states address the fundamental issue of producing more primary health care providers,” he said.

He was pleased to see the university’s involvement in quantum computing. At Illinois, he helped oversee a $500 million quantum initiative and was excited to learn about UW’s work in the field. “This is one of the most promising new big ideas,” he said, noting that quantum technology will reshape industries from finance to health care.

Jones doesn’t plan to jump into sweeping changes immediately.

“The best thing to do, whether it’s your first 100 days or however many, is to do more listening and less talking,” he said. His first months at UW will focus on identifying the university’s strengths and where targeted investments could elevate them.

Some faculty and state lawmakers have criticized the search process that led to his hiring for its secrecy.

The university did not release the name of the chosen finalist until after the university’s governing board had chosen Jones.

But Jones stands firmly behind confidentiality. “We wouldn’t be sitting here today without it,” he said, adding that he wouldn’t have applied otherwise. “There’s no question in my mind that these types of searches give universities access to the best possible pool of candidates.”

As for how long he expects to stay? His contract is for five years, but he’s leaving the door open. “I plan to be here as long as it takes to get the work done,” he said.

Dahlia Bazzaz: 206-464-8522 or dbazzaz@seattletimes.com.