Joab Thomas
Joab Thomas | |
|---|---|
| 15th The University of Alabama | |
| In office 1981–1988 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 14, 1933 Holt, Alabama |
| Died | March 3, 2014 (aged 81) Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
Joab Langston Thomas (February 14, 1933 – March 3, 2014) was an American university administrator and scientist, who served as president of
Early life and education
Thomas was born in Holt and grew up in Russellville, Alabama. His father, Ralph Cage Thomas, was the town's superintendent of education;[1] his mother, Chamintney Stovall Thomas, was a music teacher. He was educated at Harvard University where he earned bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in biological sciences with a concentration in botany.[2]
Academic career
He served as a professor of biology at
Thomas took the position of chancellor at North Carolina State University in 1976; he was the school's ninth chief executive. While in office, enrollment at the university grew by 25 percent and surpassed 20,000 for the first time. He oversaw the establishment of the School of Veterinary Medicine, the Center for Economic and Business Studies, the North Carolina Japan Center, and the Caldwell Fellows scholarship program.[3] Thomas resigned as chancellor in 1981.[4] A partial manuscript collection related to Joab Langston Thomas is housed in the NCSU Libraries Special Collections Research Center in
In 1981 Thomas returned to
He served as president of Pennsylvania State University from 1990 to 1995, where he oversaw the largest building program in the university's history and oversaw Penn State's entry into the Big 10 athletic conference.[3] The Thomas Building on Penn State's University Park campus is named in his honor, and houses parts of the Eberly College of Science, including the Department of Statistics.[8]
Other accomplishments
Thomas was a member of the academic honor societies Omicron Delta Kappa,
Death
Thomas died in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on March 3, 2014, from
References
- ^ The University of Alabama University Libraries. "Alabama Authors index, entry for Thomas, Chamintney Elizabeth". Retrieved 22 Oct 2016.
- ^ a b Alabama Department of Archives and History (14 March 2007). "Joab Langston Thomas". Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f "Former UA, Penn State President Joab Thomas Dies". Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ a b Historical State: History in Red and White. "Joab Langston Thomas: Ninth Chief Executive, 1976-1981". Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
- ^ Historical State: History in Red and White. "Joab L. Thomas speech and letter of commendation, 1981 MSS 00115". Archived from the original on 2010-07-08. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
- ^ "Thomas Hall". projects.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
- ^ "The Crimson White: Former UA president dies". 3 March 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ ""Penn State Gould Center Campus Maps: Thomas Building (from Internet Archive)"". Archived from the original on April 17, 2012. Retrieved 17 Apr 2012.
- ^ "Collectors of the UNC Herbarium: Joab Langston Thomas". Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ "University mourns loss of President Emeritus Joab Thomas | Penn State University".
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Other | |
