Dr. Javier Reyes Appointed Chancellor of UMass Amherst

AMHERST, MA | UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS - Office of Communications | February 16, 2023 – Pointing to his record of innovative leadership and embrace of public higher education’s historic mission, the UMass Board of Trustees, acting on President Marty Meehan’s recommendation, has selected Dr. Javier Reyes to be the next chancellor of UMass Amherst.

Governor Maura Healey praised Dr. Reyes’ appointment as “historic.”

“Javier Reyes is an innovative and dynamic leader who will harness the full potential of UMass Amherst. I’m confident that he will inspire students and faculty alike to continue growing the school’s excellence in education and research. I congratulate Dr. Reyes, President Meehan, and the UMass Board of Trustees on this historic appointment. I am grateful to Chancellor Subbaswamy for his many years of service to the university and for taking it to new heights. I wish him the very best in his future endeavors.” than 33,000 students and $440 million in research awards. He will succeed Chancellor Subbaswamy, who has led UMass Amherst for the past 11 years.

“I am honored by the opportunity to lead UMass Amherst, a world class university that is on the rise, and humbled by the trust that President Meehan and the Board of Trustees are placing in me,” Reyes said. “My visit to campus and meetings with students, faculty, staff, alumni and community partners were truly inspiring. My wife, Maritza, and I are excited about making Massachusetts our home and doing our part to elevate UMass Amherst toward the top 20 public universities in the United States.”

UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy welcomed Reyes to the university. ““I am really excited to welcome Javier Reyes as the next chancellor of UMass Amherst,” Subbaswamy said. “His prior experience at two land-grant flagships, his record of assembling and leading collaborative teams, his temperament, and his friendly personality all bode well for the continuation of UMass Amherst’s progress and impact into the future.”

Reyes will be the sixth chancellor appointed on President Meehan’s watch, following: Jacquie Moloney (UMass Lowell), Robert Johnson (UMass Dartmouth), Marcelo Suárez-Orozco (UMass Boston), Mark Fuller (UMass Dartmouth), and Julie Chen (UMass Lowell).

A Rising Star in Public Higher Education

Reyes, 48, was appointed interim chancellor of the University of Illinois Chicago on July 1, 2022, and previously served as UIC’s provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

The University of Illinois Chicago is an R1 Carnegie Classification research institution. With its $440 million in research awards, UIC places in the top 65 among the more than 650 national universities in research funding.

“Dr. Reyes understands that UMass Amherst is the Commonwealth’s indispensable education and research engine,” said Stephen R. Karam, chairman of the UMass Board of Trustees. “From the very beginning, we were determined to find a special leader who could build on all that has been accomplished over the past decade and help drive our flagship campus even higher. We have found that exact person in Dr. Javier Reyes.”

“Javier Reyes has demonstrated uncommon energy and vision throughout his career,” UMass President Marty Meehan said. “A bold and innovative leader, he has inspired students in the classroom, supported initiatives that have unleashed the teaching and research talents of faculty, and connected great public universities to the socio-economic aspirations of their communities. He is well-prepared to build on the strong foundation that has been built under Chancellor Subbaswamy’s stellar leadership.”

Born and raised in Mexico, Reyes is an economist who has devoted his career to the cause of public higher education. He will be the first Hispanic to serve as Chancellor of UMass Amherst.

Reyes currently serves as interim chancellor of the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), Chicago’s largest university campus, with more

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago are developing cleaner, more sustainable sources of energy, creating new medical diagnostic techniques, focusing on ways to improve the quality of urban life and are examining ways to manage large amounts of computer-generated data.

UIC is classified as a Minority Serving Institution, a Hispanic Serving Institution, and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution.

Prior to his arrival at UIC, Reyes served as dean of the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University and as vice president for the state’s economic development program Startup West Virginia. Under his leadership, enrollment of the Chambers College of Business grew by 20 percent.

Reyes began his career in higher education in 2003, when he joined the University of Arkansas economics faculty after earning a Ph.D. in economics from Texas A&M University. He later became vice provost for distance education and associate dean for undergraduate studies and executive education at the Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business.

Javier Reyes was born and raised in Mexico and attended Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico City, where he earned his continued on page 5