John Garland to Step Down From Presidency of Central State University

John W. Garland, president of Central State University, has announced he will step down at the end of the academic year next June. Central State University is a historically black educational institution in Wilberforce, Ohio.

President Garland took the helm of Central State in September 1997. That year, there were 950 students on campus and 89 students in the first-year class. This year, total enrollments are 2,530 students and there are 724 members of the incoming class.

Garland is a Vietnam veteran who was wounded in combat. He is a graduate of Central State University and the law school at Ohio State University.

In announcing that he is stepping down, Garland said, “Now it’s time for me to take on new challenges. I am retiring from the Central State presidency. I am not retiring from life.”