Incoming CSU president, board chair form blue-ribbon task force

Central State University’s board of trustees chairman and school’s incoming president recently created a blue-ribbon task force aimed at shaping and guiding the new administration, the school announced in a press release Thursday.

New university President Jack Thomas’ tenure will begin July 1, when he replaces Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, who has held the position for eight years.

Related: Central State names new president

The role of the task force, formed by Thomas and board chairman Mark Hatcher, is to gather and review information from various areas of the university and make recommendations based on the members’ higher education experience, the current climate and the university’s current position, according to the release.

The recommendations will help define future objectives for the university and guide Thomas’ administration through the college’s new strategic planning process, which will focus on effectiveness, efficiency and accountability, according to the university. CSU’s current six-year strategic plan will expire on June 30.

Previous coverage: Central State president to step down after 8 years in university’s top job

Task force members include:

  • Dr. Mortimer Neufville (task force chairman), president and CEO of the 1890 Universities Foundation
  • Alton Thompson, executive director of the Association of 1890 Research Directors
  • Alvin Goldfarb, former president and professor emeritus of Western Illinois University
  • Retia Walker, a former dean, vice president and vice chancellor at the University of Kentucky, Southern University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
  • Gloria Bonner, former dean of education and assistant to the president at Middle Tennessee State University
  • Robbie Melton, dean of graduate studies at Tennessee State University and former vice president of technology in the Tennessee University System
  • Taqua Lewis, high school senior counselor in the Jefferson County Board of Education of Birmingham, Ala.

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