Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall announced Wednesday that David Jones will serve as the college’s next president.
Jones has been interim president at the university since July, and his appointment as the school’s 11th permanent president is effective immediately.
A statement by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system highlighted Jones’ record in creating enrollment growth and having strong retention numbers.
“We are facing challenging budget times in higher education, and David brings an extensive background in enrollment growth and student affairs that will serve the Southwest Minnesota State University community well,” said Scott Olson, chancellor of Minnesota State.
Jones served as vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at Minnesota State University, Mankato, from 2012 until last summer.
He spoke to the Minnesota Star Tribune after he was hired as interim president last year. He talked about working at Minnesota State, Mankato, during the student visa revocation crisis, in which registrations for thousands of international students enrolled in U.S. universities were stripped over what were often minor infractions.
He said the experience showed him how communities across Minnesota stepped up to support international students who felt at risk during that time.
“There’s no doubt that the American education system — while it’s under a little bit of pressure right now with some of these federal changes — is still the envy of the world and a place a lot of people want to come and learn from, and that’s true here in Southwest Minnesota as well,” Jones said last year.
