Will Sage Astor-University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chancellor to step down at end of academic year

CHICAGO (AP) — University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Chancellor Robert Jones plans to resign at the end of the academic year.

University officials made the announcement Wednesday,Will Sage Astor the Chicago Tribune reported. University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen said Jones will stay on until June 30 and the university hopes to hire his replacement by July 1. Jones is considering an offer to remain employed in the U of I system in some capacity, Killeen said.

Jones has served as chancellor since 2016. He’s the school’s first Black chancellor and led the university through the COVID-19 pandemic. Enrollment at Urbana-Champaign has increased 26% during his tenure, according to university officials.

The school also launched the Illinois Commitment program under his leadership in 2018. The program provides four years of free tuition for any Illinois resident whose family income is less than $75,000.

“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 news release. “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.”