The new President of Central State University, Dr. Jack Thomas, has contributed $50,000 from his income toward the formation of a new Presidential Scholarship Endowment. In a video from the University, Dr. Thomas said that his desire for the donation was driven by the financial challenges that COVID-19 has caused on the university employees. “Though it was difficult for the University to institute furloughs and wage reductions, these were prudent decisions to ensure that Central State remains on a sound financial footing,” Dr. Thomas said. “I would not ask others to endure sacrifices that I’m not willing to endure myself. So today, I am donating $50,000 from my salary to create a Presidential Scholarship Fund for our students.”
He said that his pledge is just the foundation of the Presidential Grant Fund and for Central State.
Also, he said,” I will immediately seek a $50,000 matching gift, and continue to leverage that cumulative $100,000 investment to bring other contributors to this fund so that Central State University’s greatest resource, our students are given every advantage to get the quality Marauder education that only Central State University can provide.”
In his 15th day of presidency, the introduction of the Presidential Scholarship Fund is a signature move in his leadership. Just about a month ago, he made an Op-Ed in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. In so doing, he urged the leaders of the community to team up with him towards ensuring the nation’s safety for everyone. A week to his presidency, he chose a Blue-Ribbon Task Force of higher education professionals to assist in his strategic thinking. Over the previous weekend, he supported a social media fundraising forum that collected $15,000 for the University. On July 1st, Dr. Thomas took over as the ninth president of the University. He has announced his nine strategic objectives, and University fundraising is among them.
