The University of Washington Board of Regents has selected Robert J. Jones to be UW's next president.

Jones, who is currently concluding a nine-year tenure as chancellor of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and previously served as president of University of Albany, is due to start at UW Aug. 1.

Ana Marie Cauce, UW's current president, is stepping down at the end of the current academic year, after having served in that role for 10 years.

Jones is due to become UW's 34th president—and the first African American to serve in that role.

With its main campus in Seattle, UW had total enrollment of nearly 62,800 students last fall. The university's School of Medicine operates in Spokane through a partnership with Gonzaga University. A total of 180 students study through the partnership in Spokane's University District.

The announcement is the latest in a spate of changes at Pacific Northwest universities. Last month, Gonzaga announced that Katia Passerini, of Seton Hall University, will replace Thayne McCulloh as president. Last week, Washington State University disclosed that it was in negotiations with a finalist to succeed Kirk Schulz, who also is stepping down at the end of the current academic year.