Ronald Mason Jr. Named President of the University of the District of Columbia

Ronald Mason Jr. was named the next president of the University of the District of Columbia. He will take office on July 1.

Since 2010, Mason has served as president of the Southern University System. Earlier in his career, he was president of Jackson State University in Mississippi and served in several administrative posts at Tulane University in New Orleans.

In June 2014 President Mason ruffled some feathers when he proposed a reorganization of the Southern University System structure so that the main campus at Baton Rouge would be under the control of the system’s president office. As a result, the faculty senate at the Baton Rouge campus approved a vote of no confidence in Mason and later called on the board to fire him. The board of supervisors approved President Mason proposal to merge the two positions but voted not to extend his contract past June 30, 2015. A search is currently underway to fill the dual position of president of Southern University and chancellor of Southern University at Baton Rouge

A native of New Orleans, President Mason is a graduate of Columbia University and the Columbia Law School.