Jonathan Alger will be the next president of American University, the school announced Monday.
Currently, he’s the president of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he has been for 12 years. Alger will start his new role in D.C. on July 1.
He will replace Sylvia Burwell, who announced in August 2023 that she will step down at the end of the 2023-24 school year to spend more time with family. She was the university’s first female president and had held the position since June of 2017.
“Encouraging students to dream big is the heart of higher education, and the opportunity to join American University is a dream come true for me and my family. AU’s stellar academic profile and global impact reflect the unique and inspiring characteristics of the faculty, staff, students, and alumni,” Alger said.
According to a memo, Alger knows the D.C. community, more specifically, the AU campus neighborhood, well; it’s where he met and married his wife Mary Ann. Retuning to the District “to create the next chapter of this great institution is an unparalleled opportunity,” he said.
During his time at JMU, he was responsible for developing a plan for the university that put an emphasis on engaged learning and civic and community engagement, American University said.
The school’s endowment more than doubled under Alger’s watch between 2019 and 2023, and exceeded its most recent fundraising campaign goal. He also led the university’s move to the Sun Belt Conference as part of its transition to Division 1’s Football Bowl Subdivision.
Alger has been in higher education for over three decades. Prior to James Madison, he served as senior vice president and general counsel at Rutgers University, and as assistant general counsel at the University of Michigan. He has also worked for the American Association of University.
In the U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Office, Alger created and implemented policies on “race-conscious financial aid, racial harassment, and free expression,” according to American University.
He graduated from Swarthmore College with a bachelor’s degree in political science with a concentration in public policy and minored in history, AU said, before getting a law degree from Harvard University.
American University ranks as one of the 10 largest colleges and universities in the D.C. region, with 7,800 undergraduate students enrolled in the 2023 school year, 5,200 graduate students, and 1,800 faculty members.
Alger will be introduced as the 16th president of American University at a campus event April 10.
WTOP’s Jeff Clabaugh contributed to this report.
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