Former President of Clark Atlanta University to Head the University of Massachusetts on an Interim Basis

The University of Massachusetts at Amherst has named Thomas W. Cole Jr. as interim chancellor. Dr. Cole is the former president of Clark Atlanta University. Cole is replacing John Lombardi who is leaving to become president of the Louisiana State University system.

Dr. Cole is a graduate of Wiley College in Texas. In 1966 he earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Chicago. He then joined the faculty of what was then Atlanta University as an assistant professor of chemistry. From 1982 to 1986 he served as president of West Virginia State University. He was named president of Clark Atlanta University in 1989 and served until his retirement in 2002.

Dr. Cole is not a candidate for the permanent position as chancellor at the University of Massachusetts.

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