Dr. Gregory Tomso began his term as St. Cloud State University’s 26th president on Jan. 5.
Tomso grew up in Chesapeake, Virgina, a suburb of Norfolk in the southeastern part of the state. His hometown is known for its proximity to beautiful beaches and the Chesapeake Bay, as well as the Navy’s robust shipbuilding industry.
His mother was the youngest of 11 children from a farming family in Kentucky and his father was a war refugee from Czechoslovakia during World War II. While his bicultural family didn’t have a history of college attendance, they made him a deal – if Tomso got good grades, he could go to any Virginia state school and they would help him pay for it.
Tomso was accepted into the University of Virgina, where he took an interest in the work being done in humanities, history and literary studies. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and history, with a concentration in American studies and a minor in German.
“My experiences shaped my understanding of a university and how transformational it can be,” Tomso said. “There are opportunities and relationships that every student can take advantage of.”
He became absorbed in rising fields like new historicism, cultural studies, and gender studies. He went on to attend Duke University for his doctorate, where he earned his Ph.D. in English with a specialization in American literature.
“The English department at Duke had a group of professors who were breaking new ground,” Tomso said. “It was an interdisciplinary, vibrant intellectual scene, and it was there that I really understood what it means to be a scholar and teacher.”
Path to SCSU
He began his professional journey in higher education in 2001 as an assistant professor of English at Ithaca College in central New York. Tomso began with a heavy teaching load, and the small college environment gave him the opportunity to hone his craft.
It also showed how students would influence him as a scholar and be the center of his mission. This became especially clear when many of his students had friends and family personally affected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York during his first semester of teaching.
In 2004 he made the leap to take a job at the University of West Florida, where he’d remain for two decades. The shift to working at a regional campus helped Tomso learn more about himself and his passions.
“My early teaching career had happened in a bubble, and I didn’t have exposure to a broad swath of people,” Tomso said. “I wanted to get to know the real America outside of an academic bubble. The move gave me the chance to meet with a diverse cross-section of society, and it changed me fundamentally.”
Tomso rose up the ranks to associate professor of English and later served as the department chair. He went on to lead the UWF Kugelman Honors Program before moving into his most recent role as Vice President for Academic Engagement and Student Affairs.
His time at the school gave him the chance to see how operations, logistics and personnel coexist, and his natural curiosity to optimize and try new ideas drew him to leadership positions.
He stepped into a challenge right away as a VP, where staff morale was low and there were existing tensions across divisions.
“I was able to bring a lot of unity and sense of common purpose, and that helped employees thrive,” Tomso said. “I’m also proud of what we did to make student success a common goal and improve enrollment and retention.”
When the national search for a new SCSU president began this fall, Tomso instantly gravitated towards the position.
“The real draw was the campus values,” he said. “SCSU embraced the kinds of values in belonging, inclusion and the success of every student that are really important to me.”
Plans for SCSU
Tomso was appointed as president by the Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities on Nov. 19.
He noted the hospitality he was drawn to during his interview in St. Cloud, including from the community, campus and system office.
“Everyone has been incredibly welcoming and energetic, and everyone shares a common spirit for SCSU,” Tomso said. “I’m really looking forward to getting to know people on campus, and I’m excited for the opportunity to settle into the community and continue to build friendships and relationships.”
Engaging with the community is top of mind for Tomso. Plans are already underway for a new community advisory board, which will bring together people invested in the mutual success of SCSU and the region.
Tomso’s vision for success also includes putting students at the center of every decision.
“We already have a strong commitment to student success, and I want to double down on those efforts,” Tomso said. “I want to be known as a campus where everyone who comes here to start a degree will have the opportunity and support to finish that degree.”
Now officially in office, Tomso is ready to build a new strategic plan by learning about SCSU through a simple practice – listening. He is committed to being present and making St. Cloud his home.
“If I need to be away to advocate and fundraise, I will do that, but I see my place as being on campus and involved in day-to-day operations as president,” Tomso said. “I plan to do all the things a senior leader needs to do to make us successful. As the Head Husky, I want to be available and seen.”
