Sudden departure after 1 month raises questions
The renowned first African American woman leader of North Central College is leaving her place without any justification after a month.
According to a news release, Anita Thomas will step down as CEO of the college after one month of work has been chosen universally.
Her nomination as the” first lady and second person of color” to the Naperville, Illinois college attracted local and national media attention. In March, CBS News Chicago ran an article about Thomas’s leadership that hailed her as a” trailblazer”.
Thomas ( pictured ) went on a leave of absence in May, and will be leaving her position on July 30, according to a statement from the college’s media relations, provided to The College Fix.
In a statement released on July 8 to The Fix, board chair Michael Naset stated that” Dr. Thomas will be continuing her job in higher education after taking a short break.”
” We wish to thank her for her company. Choose join us in wishing her and her home a happy birthday, Naset asked.
Her departure is” an unexpected walk” that surprised the rector and vice president for academic affairs, who succeeds her in the position, and has raised questions on campus, according to an essay on school’s student-run information site NCC Linked.
During her day on campus, Dr. Thomas promoted honesty and accountability. In a December meeting, she expressed joy for her role as President and showed no signs of leaving”, according to the document.
According to The Fix, several webpages on the school’s websites that were about or contained Thomas even appear to have been cleaned up due to her July 30 withdrawal.
According to online libraries, Thomas and several other female college officials ‘ articles from March 2023 for Women’s History Month appear to have been deleted sometime after July 4.
A” Meet the President” website featuring Thomas also appears to have been removed around the same time, The Fix found.
According to online libraries, the media discharge about her 2023 hiring likewise became unavailable online between July 8 and October 10. Nevertheless, The Fix found the website restored next week.
The school’s media group did not respond to The Fix‘s phone and email inquiries regarding Thomas’s withdrawal and the articles that appear to have been removed from its website before July 30.
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Abiodun Goke-Pariola, rector and vice president for academic politics, was appointed as the new leader for a” intermediate time”, the university announced July 22.
The College’s Board says it does n’t anticipate starting a national presidential search until spring 2026 to allow for the College’s Board to concentrate on pressing issues facing higher education at this time, according to the release.
Over the past year, The Fix contacted the president’s office via phone and email to request a statement from Goke-Pariola regarding his thoughts and plans for the transition to the new location, but they did not receive a reply.
In an interview with the scholar news site, Goke-Pariola said he was surprised to learn about Thomas’s exit.
According to Goke-Pariola,” I was just informed when I needed to know because I had to move in the position in accordance with the school’s rules.”
In a statement posted on LinkedIn in June, Thomas wrote,” I am actually well, but certainly on an emotional rollercoaster as I work with the committee on my contract. I have a limited amount of information to promote right now, but I hope to be able to communicate quickly, says NCC Linked.
Thomas’s contact info was never found on The Fix.
Due to her role as chairman, Thomas was a professor of psychology and college coaching at Loyola University Chicago, a vice chairman at St. Catherine’s University in Minnesota, and a professor at the University of Indianapolis, according to her history.
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Photograph: North Central College/YouTube
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