NCC announced they had selected Dr. Anita Thomas as the 11th president of the institution, in an event held in Wentz Concert Hall on Tuesday.
Thomas will be the first woman of color to lead NCC. The Board of Trustees unanimously selected her, according to a press release by the college. The presidential search now concludes with the selection of Thomas. The months-long search was triggered when former president Troy Hammond announced his resignation in June of last year.
Currently, Thomas serves as an executive vice president and provost at St. Catherine University, a private women’s university in St. Paul, Minnesota. Previously, she had served as a dean at the University of Indianapolis. In addition, she has served as a faculty member and associate dean at Loyola University Chicago. Thomas holds a doctorate in counseling psychology.
Excited and looking forward
In an interview with NCClinked, Thomas said she is excited to be named the next president of NCC.
“It’s just a great college with a great reputation, all of the students I have met so far are incredibly impressive, ” said Thomas. “The faculty are very active in their scholarship, seem very engaged in student work and excited about working with students. And the administration, the board have been really wonderful.”
As she prepares to take up the role of president, Thomas said she looks forward to starting the listening tour and to meeting everyone in the next couple of months. She also looks forward to quickly becoming a part of the campus community.
Once she begins her tenure as president, Thomas said her number one focus will be strategic planning and trying to figure out how it can align with the college’s mission statement. She also stated increasing retention and graduation rates as another priority.
Addressing student concerns
When it comes to addressing bias incidents on campus, Thomas said it will require some difficult, intense and honest conversations. She also believes it will require self-reflection.
“From my perspective, as a physiologist, it’s important for individuals to get to know themselves before they endeavor working with others, we are all multicultural beings,” Thomas said. “And a lot of times, when we find that we’re comfortable with our base and we connect with others, we see that there’s more similarities than differences.”
When it comes to addressing sexual violence on-campus, Thomas believes it will take a lot of psychoeducation and working together. However, with investigations sometimes taking longer than what students expect, and federal policies changing, she said there is sometimes a disconnect between policies, actions and investigations.
“I think making sure that students are aware of behaviors that will be tolerated, behaviors that need to change or improve, really working to understand the policies is gonna be really important.”
Thomas will begin her tenure as president on July 1. She will succeed interim president Donna Carroll.
