Central State University President Jack Thomas announces he will step down in June

After embroiled tenures at his last two institutions, Central State University President Jack Thomas announced Monday afternoon that he would be stepping down.

Thomas said in a message to the campus community he would stay on the faculty as a tenured professor after a sabbatical rather than seek to renew his contract, which expires next month.

"I want [to] thank the faculty, staff, students, alumni and the University Community for your support over the last three years," he said in a tweet announcing his departure." After much thought, prayer and consideration, I have decided not to seek renewal of my contract. May God bless and keep each of you."

Thomas said he made that decision “having accomplished what I set out to do as president.” That includes boosting enrollment, launching a new strategic plan and a $75-million campus expansion to construct seven new buildings.

Central State University Board of Trustees Chair Mark Hatcher said in a statement Monday: "The board thanks Dr. Thomas for his service to the university and the progress that the university has made during his time as president. The board will immediately begin plans for a search for Dr. Thomas’ successor.”

Thomas came to Central State, Ohio's only public historically Black university, in July 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 campus shutdowns.

Before that, Thomas spent eight years at Western Illinois University. During his final years at Western Illinois, where he was the university's first Black president, Thomas faced bitter opposition from some trustees and community members, who claimed that he prioritized "diversity over excellence," according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Western Illinois saw a 35% drop in enrollment, elimination of some majors, the demolition of dorms, and more than 100 people losing their jobs during Thomas' tenure.

Thomas' supporters there said the campaign to oust him from Western Illinois was racist and did not account for trends affecting higher education across the board, like enrollment shifts and decreases in state funding.

At Central State, Thomas faced a new set a problems.

In January, Central State stepped away from a partnership with a controversial free online college program that brought in thousands of online students but was criticized by the U.S. Department of Education, according to The Dayton Daily News.

Thomas was also under investigation earlier this year for a complaint filed against him by five female employees with Central State's Board of Trustees. In the complaint, the women claimed Thomas caused them mental, emotional and financial stress, "effectively killing the careers" of each of them.

At the request of the university's board, the state Attorney General's office hired the Ohio-based law firm Taft, Stettinius & Hollister to investigate the accusations against Thomas. The investigation concluded by stating Thomas' conduct may be "rude, belittling and bullying" but did not rise to the level of harassment or discrimination.

Some of those women are now suing Central State University for damages in the Ohio Court of Claims, alleging they were victims of "a pattern of discrimination" by Thomas.

Thomas’ three-year contract requires he be paid $300,000 in his final year as president, plus a benefits package that includes a $12,000 annual vehicle allowance and $54,000 housing allowance.

In his remarks to the campus community, Thomas said it has been a privilege to serve as Central State's president "during this historic period as we made monumental strides in moving the university forward."

“During my final days as president, I will continue to work to ensure that everything is in place for the new leadership to begin the next chapter in Central State University’s history," he said.

Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. Sign up for her Mobile Newsroom newsletter here and Extra Credit, her education newsletter, here.

shendrix@dispatch.com

@sheridan120

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Central State University President Jack Thomas to resign in June