Jack Thomas was the 11th President of Western Illinois University (WIU).He was named to the position January 18, 2011, and took office July 1.He succeededAlvin Goldfarb upon Goldfarb's retirement. On June 14, 2019, he announced that he would be resigning from his position as president, effective June 30. Upon Thomas's resignation, incoming provost Martin Abraham succeeded him as the University's acting president while the Board of Trustees conducted a national search for a new president.
Prior to his appointment as university president, Thomas held the post ofprovost and academic vice president at WIU, beginning in 2008.Before joining WIU, he held the positions of senior vice provost for academic affairs and interim dean at Middle Tennessee State University; as well as academic posts at University of Maryland Eastern Shore and South Carolina State University.
Thomas earned his Ph.D. in English Literature and Criticism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1990; his M.Ed. in English Education from Virginia State University in 1984; and his B.A. in English from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University in 1983.
Thomas and his wife, Linda, have two sons, Patrick and Darius.