The College Fix

Unexpected departure after 1 year raises questions

The celebrated first African American female president of North Central College is leaving her position after one year with no explanation.

Anita Thomas will be leaving one year after she was unanimously chosen for the job by the college’s board of directors, according to a news release.

Her appointment as the “first woman and first person of color” to the Naperville, Illinois college attracted local and national media attention. In March, CBS News Chicago ran an article about Thomas’s leadership that hailed her as a “trailblazer.”

Thomas (pictured) went on a leave of absence in May, and will be leaving her position on July 30, according to a statement from the college’s media relations, provided to The College Fix.

“After taking some time off, Dr. Thomas will be continuing her career in higher education,” Board Chair Michael Naset said in a July 8 statement provided to The Fix.

“We wish to thank her for her service. Please join us in wishing her and her family well,” Naset said.

Her departure is “an unexpected move” that surprised the provost and vice president for academic affairs, who succeeds her in the role, and has raised questions on campus, according to an article on college’s student-run news site NCC Linked.

“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,” according to the report.

Several pages on the college’s websites that were about or included Thomas also appear to have been scrubbed prior to her July 30 departure, The Fix found.

A March 2023 article for Women’s History Month featuring Thomas and several other women leaders at the college appears to have been removed sometime after July 4, according to internet archives.

A “Meet the President” page featuring Thomas also appears to have been removed around the same time, The Fix found.

The news release about her hiring in 2023 also became inaccessible online sometime between July 8 and 10, according to web archives. However, The Fix found the webpage restored last week.

The college’s media team did not address The Fix’s questions by phone and email asking about Thomas’s departure and the articles mentioning her that appear to have been removed from its website prior to July 30.

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Abiodun Goke-Pariola, provost and vice president for academic affairs, was appointed as the new president for a “transitional period,” the college announced July 22.

“The College’s Board does not anticipate beginning a national presidential search before spring 2026 so there can be a focus on important priorities facing the College and higher education at this time,” the release states.

The Fix contacted the office of the president by phone and email over the past week, requesting a statement from Goke-Pariola about his feelings and plans going into the new position so suddenly, but did not receive a response.

In an interview with the student news site, Goke-Pariola said he was surprised to learn about Thomas’s departure.

“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,” Goke-Pariola said.

Thomas posted a statement on LinkedIn in June, writing, “I am physically well, but admittedly on an emotional rollercoaster 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,” according to NCC Linked.

The Fix could not find contact information for Thomas.

Prior to her role as president, Thomas was a professor of psychology and school counseling at Loyola University Chicago, a vice president at St. Catherine’s University in Minnesota, and a dean at the University of Indianapolis, according to her biography.

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IMAGE: North Central College/YouTube

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