Hired
Christopher Davis- LeMoyne-Owen College (Tenn.)
Christopher Davis is taking over as the permanent president of LeMoyne-Owen College after one year in the interim position. Affiliated with the United Church of Christ, the HBCU is taking confidence in Davis, who’s had a significant impact on Memphis’ community as a pastor over the past two decades, Commercial Appeal reports.
The first-time president has also served on the board of multiple national and regional nonprofits, assisting foster care and low-income students as well as women with breast cancer. On the academic side, Davis has served as an assistant professor at a Memphis seminary school for the past 15 years and is currently pursuing a doctorate in higher education leadership.
John Fry – Temple University (Penn.)
The Board of Trustees at Temple University, fraught with unstable leadership over the past three years, has unanimously selected John Fry as its next leader.
The R1 Philadelphia university chose an established president. Fry has led nearby Drexel University since 2010, elevating its international academic footprint by forging research partnerships across China, Turkey, Israel, Brazil, Chile, India and South Korea, according to a university press release.
Fry also spurred workforce development initiatives by facilitating successful collaborations with the private sector. Drexel acquired St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in 2019, establishing a live training ground and job opportunities for medical students.
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The president-elect has gained a reputation for spurring donors into action. Drexel completed a record-high $800 million fundraising campaign in 2022 thanks to contributions from over 42,000 alumni and 4,000 “friends of the university,” according to Temple.
Garrett Thompson – Logan University (Mo.)
Logan University, a chiropractic university, has selected its eighth president in Garrett Thompson, who currently heads Sonoran University of Health Sciences in Arizona. He will be stepping in following the retirement of its sitting president, Clay McDonald, in March 2025, according to a press wire.
Retiring
Tim Crowley – Northern Maine Community College
Northern Maine Community College President Tim Crowley is calling it a well-worn career after announcing his plans to retire in August, Mainebiz reports.
Crowley joined the institution in 1985 as dean of students before it was recognized as a state community college. Since he took the helm in 2002, the veteran leader expanded Northern Maine’s academic offerings to include associate degrees and developed specialties in nursing, early childhood education, business administration and others. The school now offers more than 30 degrees.
Stepping down
Anita Thomas – North Central College
The first woman and person of color to lead North Central College is out after just one year on the job. While the college’s board of trustees officially announced Anita Thomas’ departure, few details are available on the abrupt exit, The Chicago Tribune and WBBM News Radio report.
Tom Jackson Jr. – California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt
Tom Jackson Jr. of California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt is stepping down in August following a tumultuous spring semester that saw incendiary campus protests related to the Israel-Hamas war. Twenty-five students were arrested after demonstrators took over a campus building and resisted detainment, The New York Times reports. Protestors renamed the building, which contained the president’s office, “Intifada Hall.”
The recent events overshadow Jackson’s accomplishments, such as increasing applicants and elevating the university’s financial prospects, EdSource reports.
Jackson finishes his tenure with Cal Poly Humboldt after five years.
