Central State University’s Board of Trustees will name its new president today, as disclosed to the public in a statement. However, the university did not announce the finalists.
Alex Johnson, former president of Cuyahoga Community College, is serving as interim president. The university did not seek to renew the contract for CSU president Jack Thomas last summer when it expired.
Johnson agreed to serve as president for one year, starting last July.
AGB Search was named as the firm to find the next superintendent. AGB Search bills itself as “the search firm of choice for higher education,” and is currently working on presidential searches for other higher education institutions, including Salt Lake City Community College in Utah and Seton Hall University in New Jersey.
In summer 2020, Thomas replaced former president Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, who resigned after eight years to lead a national higher education accreditation organization. Thomas planned to continue at the university as a professor after an educational sabbatical, according to an announcement last summer.
During his three-year tenure, Thomas faced several controversies, including accusations from five women at the university of unfair demotion. A report in February by an outside law firm hired by university trustees described Thomas’ leadership style as “rude, belittling and bullying,” but not rising to the level of discrimination or harassment.
