U of I announces outgoing Chancellor Jones as commencement speaker

Yahoo

13-03-2025

URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — Outgoing University of Illinois Chancellor Robert Jones has spoken at every commencement ceremony held during his tenure, but he's about to have an even bigger speaking role at this year's ceremony.
He's delivering the commencement address.
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The university announced on Thursday that Jones, its 10th Chancellor and the second-longest tenured person in the position, will be delivering the commencement address to the Class of 2025. This will be the ninth and final class to graduate under his tenure.
It was previously announced that Jones would leave Champaign-Urbana between academic years to accept the Presidency of the University of Washington, another Big Ten institution.
'It has been the honor of a lifetime to be a part of the Illinois family and truly the most profound experience of my 46 years in higher education,' Jones said in a news release. 'I can't think of a better way to draw my time as chancellor to a close than celebrating our remarkable 2025 graduates as they take what they've learned at Illinois and go on to change the world.'
Jones, a native of Georgia, has his bachelor's degree in agronomy, along with a master's degree and doctorate in crop physiology. He started his academic career at the University of Minnesota in 1978 and worked there for 34 years until he became the President of the State University of New York at Albany in 2013.
Three years later, Jones became the University of Illinois' Chancellor. Under his tenure, the university said, Jones, 'prioritized redefining the role of a flagship land-grant institution for the 21st century.'
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He helped launch the Illinois Commitment, guaranteeing four years of free tuition to in-state students coming from families with incomes of less than $75,000, and oversaw the creation of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, the world's first engineering-based medical school.
Jones was also faced with crises like the state budget impasse of 2015-2017 and the COVID-19 pandemic, the latter of which saw Illinois lead the country with research of the disease and the development of a saliva-based testing system.
Other highlights of Jones' tenure include his selection by Governor Pritzker to co-chair the Innovate Illinois partnership and the launch of initiatives like the Chicago Quantum Exchange and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago with the University of Chicago and Northwestern University.
'To confront the biggest, most complex challenges of our time, we must engage new partners and rethink traditional approaches to research,' Jones said. 'These radical collaborations are ambitious, and they are how we imagine an even bigger role for a land-grant university in the 21st century.'
Sitting down with UI Chancellor Robert Jones, looking back on his career in higher education
In addition to his academic experience, Jones is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a fellow of both the American Society of Agronomy and the Crop Science Society of America.
The university hinted on Wednesday that Jones would be its 2025 commencement speaker by providing a few clues on social media. They mentioned his background in crop sciences, his two Grammy Awards and a few of his hobbies, like downhill skiing.
More obvious clues were that he 'can be spotted frequenting Green Street in search of lunch and coffee,' and that he 'holds the record of selfies taken on the University of Illinois campus.'
A few people correctly guessed Jones in the comment section based on these clues.
The 2025 University of Illinois Commencement Ceremony will take place in Memorial Stadium on May 17.
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