Ron Thomas

Biography

I first came to higher education in the late 70s on the President's staff at Gulf Coast Community College where I worked in public relations and also taught a journalism course. After that, I accepted a faculty appointment to Central Florida Community College where I was assistant professor of communications and served a year as Faculty Senate President. Industry beckoned and I served as training director for a medical center and, later, for the Florida Department of Insurance. From 1993 to 2001, I was the chief instructional officer for the Florida State Fire College and, in partnership with the University of Florida, developed online interdisciplinary bachelor's and master's degrees in emergency services. My A.A. (business) is from Gulf Coast Community College, B.A. (communication arts) is from West Florida, my M.S. (communications) is from Florida State, and my Ed.D. in higher education administration is from Florida. I am also a fellow of Peabody College at Vanderbilt University and have done post-doctoral work at Harvard. Chief among my areas of scholarly interest is international terrorism on which I have written and lectured around the country and consulted for domestic and foreign governments. I spent several years as a reserve officer with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and am finishing the rewrite on a new textbook in the field. Other research interests include distance learning, total quality management, and community college presidents. On a personal level, I'm an avid tennis player and collector of books and art. I also enjoy historical travel with many trips to sites like Gettysburg (I'm a Civil War buff) and The Alamo (I'm a 6th-generation Texan).

EDUCAUSE Publications

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EDUCAUSE Presentations

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EDUCAUSE Involvement

  • EDUCAUSE Review Online Reviewers
    • Member: 2009 - 2010
  • ELI Challenges Project
    • Member: 2008 - 2009