Nearly eight months after Dr. Jack Thomas resigned as president of Western Illinois University (WIU) he was selected on Friday to serve as the ninth president of Central State University—a historically Black university in Wilberforce, Ohio.
Thomas, a seasoned administrator who served at the helm of WIU for nearly after nearly a decade, was the target of a campaign by some Western Illinois University alumni who called for his ouster as head of the rural school. Some suspected that the efforts were racially motivated.
“I don’t let threats like that cause me to do things,” he told Diverse at the time. “I’m doing this on my own. The board did not ask me to. I just feel it’s time, time for new leadership.”
Mark Hatcher, chair of the Central State Board of Trustees said that Thomas emerged as the top candidate following a national search.
“Dr. Thomas was selected based on his proven ability to lead and grow institutions of higher learning with a focus on improving academics, student-oriented career preparation and institutional fundraising,” said Hatcher.
Thomas—who holds degrees from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Virginia State and Alabama A&M— and is an expert on Black males in literature, will replace Dr. Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, who has lead the university since 2012. She is scheduled to step down in July.
“Central State University continues to progress and is among the region’s best institutions of higher education,” said Jackson-Hammond. “The University offers more than academic quality assurances. It supports families and communities that want to achieve an enhanced quality of life. Dr. Thomas will ensure that Central State University’s trajectory is focused and ambitious.”
