This development comes after the NCC Board of Trustees began their yearly meetings to discuss the future of the college on May 20. During these meetings, Anita Thomas, who holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, took a leave of absence from her duties as president.
Dr. Thomas promoted transparency and authenticity during her time on campus. In a December interview, she expressed enthusiasm for her role as President and showed no signs of leaving.
“I want the students to continue to reach out and talk to me. So if you see things that seem like not-authentic President Thomas, call me out on it,” said Dr. Thomas.
Dr. Thomas entered her role as the 11th president of North Central College on July 1, 2023. She was the first woman and person of color in NCC’s history to be President. She also held the faculty rank of professor of psychology in NCC’s Arts and Sciences. Now, she has become the shortest-tenured President in NCC’s history with one year.
“I am physically well, but admittedly on an emotional roller coaster as I am working with the board on my contract. I am limited at this point in what I can share but hope to be able to communicate soon,” wrote President Thomas via LinkedIn in June.
Historical Context
Two other Presidents tie for the second-shortest tenures at five years apiece: Henry H. Rassweiler (1883-1888) and Lawrence Hoover Seager (1911-1916). More recently, Troy Hammond takes the third spot after nine years in the role.
Within Rassweiler’s term, a law in Illinois limited who could be on the board. Therefore, he proposed a plan to increase the number of Trustees from fifteen to twenty-seven. However, the Trustees refused to accept the proposal and adopted a new plan. Following this, the board replaced Rassweiler with Bishop Thomas Bowman due to his support of the law.
In 1915, the Evangelical Church elected Seager as Bishop. Therefore, he tendered his resignation in 1916. After Seager’s resignation, the Board of Trustees appointed a committee of five members to select a president.
Hammond resigned in 2022. He believed it was time for a new leader to guide the College after nearly a decade in the role.
Unexpected Leave
In 2023, 19 individuals were assigned to the search process, alongside three ‘Presidential Search Committee Support’ members.
According to the official NCC website: “Thomas was unanimously elected by North Central College’s Board of Trustees following a national search that engaged trustees, students, alumni, faculty, and staff.” This unexpected departure leaves alumni, staff, students and trustees polarized. As well, without an official statement, this opens the door for rumors to circulate.
Despite having spent four days on campus for meetings, many Board of Trustees members declined to comment or were unreachable for questions.
“Hopefully, students are paying attention to what is being said and ask questions about the decisions the Board of Trustees and the acting president are making,” said College Chaplain Eric Doolittle.
Staff involved in the meeting have also reported being bound by a Non-Disclosure Agreement or NDA. As both Columbia law school and U.S. News explain, an NDA is a contract where one party agrees not to share confidential information. NDAs may provide protection to important information and the opportunity for legal response. These sources caution employees to carefully read and ask questions before signing these agreements as they are legally binding.
Aftermath
Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs Abiódún Gòkè-Pariolá is expected to become interim president.
“I feel ready, I’m focused, I feel comfortable and I have served before at a previous university where I was provost and served as acting President for several months,” said Gòkè-Pariolá.
In an interview with The Chronicle, Gòkè-Pariolá stated that he knew nothing about the May meetings. Instead, Thomas’s leave of absence and the promotion blindsided him.
“I was only informed when I needed to know because I was going to be the one who has to step into the role according to the college’s bylaws,” said Gòkè-Pariolá.
He refused to disclose who informed him, how he received the information, or where it came from. Instead, opting to share information about the school’s financials. Despite NCC’s assistance of students with financial concerns, many departments had to cut programs within the year, leading students and alumni to worry about school finances.
“There’s nothing that has been permanently cut,” said Gòkè-Pariolá.
Current Day
Currently, Huron Consulting Group is investigating the school’s financial patterns. Reportedly, NCC wants six million in surplus dollars. Staff is calling this process an ‘operational review’. On June 12, Gòkè-Pariolá assured that any cuts and post-review decisions would be at the college’s discretion.
“Just like with family, you want to make sure that you are not living from paycheck to paycheck… I think students will benefit by having this money to redirect towards them. That’s the purpose of the surplus, to be sure that you have enough money to operate,” said Gòkè-Pariolá.
Later, on July 8, the Office of Institutional Communications released an official statement on behalf of the board announcing that Dr. Anita Thomas will permanently depart after July 30.
Her departure from NCC marks a significant transition for North Central College. Her tenure, though brief, saw her become the first woman and person of color to hold the presidency, a milestone in NCC’s history. Looking forward, many of the effects of this departure are yet to be discussed. How long will this search for a new president take compared to the last one? How long will Gòkè-Pariolá serve as acting president? And what will the interim leadership mean for the college’s immediate future?
