Jonathan Alger, a nationally renowned scholar of higher education policy, was named AU’s 16th president on March 18. Alger, who has served for 12 years as president of James Madison University, will join AU on July 1 upon the completion of President Sylvia Burwell’s changemaking seven-year tenure.
Under Alger’s leadership, JMU increased external research funding by 92 percent from 2019 to 2023 and more than doubled its endowment. Alger also has championed the creation of the Valley Scholars Program, which has provided full-tuition scholarships to hundreds of first-generation JMU students, and the nonpartisan James Madison Center for Civic Engagement.
“Jon Alger is one of America’s great university presidents,” said Ted Mitchell, president, American Council on Education. “His collaborative leadership style, deliberative demeanor, and strategic vision will only accelerate the great progress AU has made under President Burwell.”
Alger’s selection is the culmination of a highly competitive six-month process led by the Presidential Search Committee, which included faculty, staff, students, alumni, and trustees. Gina Adams, SPA/BS ’80, chair of the AU Board of Trustees, said Alger’s commitment to and passion for scholarship, research, learning, and community engagement stood out among a talented pool of candidates.
“His vision for AU, his understanding of the unique attributes of a university community, and his proven ability to address the complex challenges facing higher education have prepared Jon to lead AU moving forward,” Adams said.
A Harvard-educated lawyer, Alger previously served as senior vice president and general counsel at Rutgers University. As assistant general counsel at the University of Michigan, he played a leading role in two landmark cases on diversity and admissions before the US Supreme Court. Earlier in his career, the Rochester, New York, native worked for the American Association of University Professors and the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Alger has also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in leadership, law, higher education, public policy, and diversity at JMU, Rutgers, and Michigan.
Alger and his wife, Mary Ann, were introduced to the AU community during a campus reception on April 10. He said that the hundreds of staff, faculty, students, and alumni gathered in the Katzen Arts Center rotunda for the celebratory event were “the heartbeat of the university.”
“You challenge, you encourage, and you inspire,” Alger said. “I know these are challenging times in higher education, in our nation, and in our world. And I know that you have ideas, concerns, and hopes to share. I am committed to working side-by-side with all of you. We will listen to one another, we will learn, we will strive. We won’t get everything right, but we will move forward together.”
Donning an AU red tie, Alger, a warm smile spreading across his face, also shared what drew him to the university
“I especially like that AU’s mascot is an eagle. Throughout our nation’s history and on our coinage, the eagle has been an enduring symbol of courage, strength, hope, and opportunity,” said Alger, an avid coin collector.
“As we get started this summer, I’m looking forward to spending time with all of you as we begin to write the next chapter in a great history. I want to hear your American dreams. What can we do together to build on the important work that has been done here to take this wonderful institution to even higher levels of excellence in the years to come?”