Western Illinois University Names a New President

Jack Thomas was named the 11th president of Western Illinois University in Macomb. He will assume his new position on July 1. He is currently serving as provost and academic vice president at the university.

Prior to joining the administration at Western Illinois University in 2008, Thomas was senior vice provost for academic affairs and a professor of English at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. He has also held faculty positions at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, South Carolina State University, and Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Thomas is a graduate of Alabama A&M University. He holds a master’s degree from Virginia State University and a Ph.D. in English literature and criticism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Blacks make up about 9 percent of the 10,500 undergraduate students at Western Illinois University.