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NSCC NAMES DR. MICHAEL THOMSON AS SEVENTH PRESIDENT IN
COLLEGE’S HISTORY
ARCHBOLD, OHIO –
On February 2, the Northwest State Community College Board
of Trustees named Dr. Michael Thomson as their next
president, succeeding the successful tenure of President
Thomas Stuckey. Dr. Thomson, a first generation college
student, is a passionate leader dedicated to the community
college movement who believes strongly that every student
can succeed. Thomson also believes that community colleges
are the primary instrument for economic mobility by
providing educational opportunities meeting students where
they are and resulting in family sustaining wages.
Dr. Thomson stated that “it is an honor and privilege to
become the leader of a great institution like Northwest
State, and to build upon the excellent achievements of
President Thomas Stuckey.” In addition, Thomson thanked his
many mentors including President Alex Johnson, President
Emeritus Jerry-Sue Thornton and President Kenneth Ender.
Thomson said that “these great presidents invested in me and
helped me become the leader that I am today. I will pay
forward that investment to the team at Northwest State
Community College to be the best leaders they can be.”
Dr. Thomson most recently served as the president of
Cuyahoga Community College’s (Tri-C) Eastern Campus, leading
550 full and part time team members who serve more than
275,000 citizens and 6,000 students annually. His team’s
signature accomplishment, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel
Humanities Center, provides high-performing students a
civically-engaged leadership experience. Additionally, Dr.
Thomson assisted faculty in creating learning communities
that redesign the teaching experience, and leading the
Hospitality Management Center in completing their strategic
plan, most notably the food and music festival Cleveland
Eats.
Dr. Thomson began his Tri-C career in 2005 as dean of
academic affairs at Tri-C’s Western Campus, where his team
increased enrollments in the county’s western suburbs. In
2009, Thomson was selected for the prestigious American
Council on Education (ACE) fellowship. During his
fellowship, Dr. Thomson worked at the Ohio Board of Regents
and William Rainey Harper College in Chicago. After
returning to Tri-C, Dr. Thomson led multiple teams of
faculty, staff, students and community members to plan,
build and accredit Tri-C’s Westshore Campus, where he served
as inaugural campus president from 2011 to 2013. During his
13 year tenure at Tri-C, Dr. Thomson was honored with three
Tri-C President’s Awards, Cleveland YMCA’s Triangle Award,
and the national Phi Theta Kappa’s Shirley B. Gordon Award.
Prior to arriving at Tri-C, Dr. Thomson served Northern
Kentucky University (NKU) as a tenured associate professor
teaching political science classes, and serving the
University and community. His peers elected him to serve as
the faculty senate president, and then the faculty’s regent
serving on the NKU Board. His administrative positions at
NKU included department chair and director of academic
technology services. His signature accomplishments included
co-leading the University’s first capital campaign,
successfully raising over $1 million amongst faculty and
staff. He also created and directed the University’s Master
of Public Administration (MPA) program, the only accredited
MPA program serving government and not-for-profit entities
in the greater Cincinnati area.
Dr. Thomson holds master and doctoral degrees in political
science from the University of Kentucky, as well as a
bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University. The
son of a brewer and a bookkeeper, Dr. Thomson has one child
and four grandchildren.
Northwest State Community College is
an accredited two-year, state-assisted institution of higher
education that has served northwest Ohio since 1969.
Northwest State is committed to providing a quality,
affordable education with personal attention and small class
sizes. The College offers associate degrees with numerous
transfer options, short-term certificate programs, and
workforce training programs designed to meet the needs of
local businesses and industries. For more information, visit
NorthwestState.edu or call 419.267.5511.
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