Cal Poly Humboldt students are currently enrolling for their spring classes and for the second time since he resigned his presidency to retreat into a tenured professor position, Tom Jackson Jr. is not listed on the schedule as teaching any courses.
Jackson, who brought his tumultuous and controversial five-year tenure as the university’s president to a close over the summer, is now one of the university’s highest paid professors under a retreat clause written into the contract he signed when making a lateral move to leave his presidency at Black Hills State University in South Dakota to helm what was then Humboldt State University. But what exactly Jackson, who lists no teaching experience on his resume, will be doing in his new role has remained largely unclear, with the press release announcing his resignation saying only that he would be retreating to a “tenured professorship working with the College of Professional Studies and the College of Extended Education and Global Engagement.”
The Journal first enquired about Jackson’s new role in July and was told the university was “still working through the final details” and didn’t have information to share “just yet.” After a follow up inquiry in October, a university spokesperson said details are still being worked out.
“Dr. Jackson will be supporting College of Extended Education and Global Engagement’s work in the global engagement space,” university spokesperson Aileen Yoo said in an email to the Journal. “He will help strengthen Cal Poly Humboldt’s International Service Learning Program and also collaborate with international universities to build relationships that can result in meaningful student experiences abroad.”
The Journal then asked if Jackson’s new position would include teaching or be an administrative role, and if the university could provide some examples of the kind of work Jackson is envisioned to be doing. In response, Yoo said CPH did not have answers to those questions.
“The university doesn’t have additional information because those details haven’t been determined,” she said.
Jackson’s right to retreat to a tenured faculty position was laid out in his employment contract and a subsequent letter from Provost Jenn Capps based on consultation with faculty leaders, specifying that he would be a professor with tenure in an interdisciplinary position in the School of Education and Leadership studies.
“This distinction is made to acknowledge your extensive multidisciplinary skills and expertise in educational administration and leadership, business management and aviation,” the letter states, adding that should he retreat — voluntarily or involuntarily — he would move to a “solely instructional faculty position” paying the maximum salary for instructional faculty. According to Cal Poly Humboldt’s salary scale, that appears to be approximately $173,000 annually.
In 2022, Jackson announced the launch of the university’s international service learning program in his then-regular column in the Times-Standard, saying, “In essence, it is about learning how to collaborate with others beyond our borders through a course that then takes you on location.” The following spring, the university announced a group of 11 students, along with staff and administrators (including Jackson), had taken a week-long trip to Cebu in the Philippines, where they participated in cultural exchange and academic workshops. At the time, the university noted it was offering additional service learning “experiences” in Mexico and Spain, though it does not appear any are being offered this term.
A story about Jackson’s retirement in the fall 2024 edition of Humboldt, CPH’s magazine, says international education has been a point of emphasis throughout his career.
“He believes international competency will someday be considered as important as digital competency for college graduates and frequently speaks of Humboldt’s potential for creating a ‘model global community,’” the story says. “Successes in this area include implementing the International Service Learning Program, with current offerings in both the Philippines and Mexico. In addition, the university recently signed an expansive new agreement to cooperate on research and more with Charles Darwin University in Australia, Blue Lake Rancheria and College of the Redwoods.”
Jackson’s tenure leading Cal Poly Humboldt was transformative and controversial. He led the university’s bid to become California’s third polytechnic institution and the ensuing transition, which came with a historic state investment of $458 million to build new infrastructure and programs. But Jackson has also drawn ire on campus and off, with his comments regarding Title IX investigations on campus, the university’s undercutting a local nonprofit’s attempted purchase of a property to build senior housing and administrators’ decision to evict houseless students from sleeping in their cars on campus all drawing criticism. Most recently and perhaps most consequently, Jackson’s administration’s decision to bring in police to clear a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Siemens Hall in April led to a vote of no confidence in his leadership and calls for his resignation.
Meanwhile, university enrollment — projected to balloon with the transformation into a polytechnic institution — has remained stagnant and missed targets set by the California State University system, which will trigger funding cuts beginning next year, with the university already facing a projected budget deficit of $8.3 million.
This article appears in Community Connection.
