New University of Washington President Braces for Ongoing Federal Funding Challenges: What It Means for Students and Research

Just two weeks after Donald Trump became president, the University of Washington announced Robert J. Jones as its next president. His arrival comes at a time filled with uncertainty, especially regarding federal funding.

Jones expects to face significant challenges, particularly from the federal government’s funding policies. In a recent interview, he emphasized, “Some of these things you can’t just turn the switch off and turn it back on later and expect things to operate smoothly.” He pointed out that essential federal student aid and funding from major institutions like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation are now very uncertain.

In 2024, the NIH awarded the University of Washington over $570 million, making it one of the top institutions for federal funding in health-related research. This money supports the university’s well-respected nursing and public health schools. However, Jones noted that the impact of funding cuts could extend beyond these fields, affecting programs in the humanities and social sciences as well.

He stated, “Sometimes we forget to talk about the research money that comes from the federal side to support the humanities and some of the social science programs as well. The way that this is being framed, the directives cut across almost every aspect of our university.”

While a federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s new NIH funding policy, this situation remains precarious. On February 19, many gathered at UW to protest potential cuts to federal funding for research.

“Different sections of the university are not hived off,” remarked Eva Cherniavsky, a professor at UW who participated in the rally. “It’s kind of life or death for the University of Washington right now.”

Jones comes to UW after serving as chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for eight years and as president of the State University of New York at Albany. Notably, he will be the first Black president in the university’s history, which dates back 164 years.

Jones began his academic journey at Fort Valley State University in Georgia, where he studied agronomy. He later earned master’s and doctorate degrees in crop physiology before joining the faculty at the University of Minnesota.

He will officially take over as president in August, succeeding Ana Mari Cauce, who has led UW since 2015.