‘Chronicle’ Reporter: Jones Faces ‘Challenging Task’ At U Of I
New U of I Urbana Chancellor Robert Jones, announced Tuesday. His appointment becomes official pending the U of I Trustees vote Thursday. University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Board of Trustees meets Thursday in Urbana. At that meeting, they are expected to approve the hiring of Dr. Robert J. Jones as Chancellor of the Urbana campus. Illinois Public Media's Brian Moline discussed the hire with Lee Gardner, who's a senior reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education.
If approved, Jones would become the first African-American Chancellor of the Urbana campus. He comes to Illinois from the University at Albany, State University of New York, where he served as president since 2013. He previously served on the faculty and administration at the University of Minnesota.
Gardner has written about some of the issues that the University of Illinois is facing, including the year-long state budget impasse, and the Steven Salaita case.