JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dr. Nathaniel Glover will be stepping down as president of Edward Waters College in May 2018, he confirmed to News4Jax on Thursday.
Glover said it was a decision he made a while ago, but just went public with it this week.
"I feel the time has come," he said.
Glover said he will still be involved with the college and wants to help others become leaders.
Glover has served eight years as EWC president. He was asked to serve in the role of interim president in May 2010 and was appointed by the Board of Trustees to serve as the college's 29th president in February 2011.
Glover said he is proud of the partnership that he and EWC have with the city of Jacksonville and Mayor Lenny Curry, who requested more than $8.5 million that will be invested in the college this year. Glover said that money will be used to renovate dorms, help recruit and keep students and build the school a football stadium.
"We will also have a track around it where citizens in the community can come and walk around the track for health -- in a safe environment," Glover said.
READ: President of EWC announces retirement, acquires $8.5 million as part of his legacy
Thinking of the the community's safety has always been on top of Glover's list.
Glover previously served in the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for 37 years and was elected the first African-American sheriff in Jacksonville in over 100 years.
From his two terms as sheriff from 1995 to 2003, Glover is often best remembered for his leadership role during one of the area's most horrific cases -- the death of 8-year-old Maddie Clifton.
"While everybody will probably remember me as an historical sheriff in this state, the first in Jacksonville, Florida, I think that all of that was simply to prepare me to come back to EWC to be the best president that I could be," Glover said.
Glover has lived in Jacksonville throughout his life. He graduated from EWC with a Bachelor of Science in Social Science before receiving his Master of Education from the University of North Florida. He is a graduate of the 130th Session of the FBI National Academy. In 1995, EWC presented Glover with an Honorary Doctorate of Law.
Now that the college has made physical enhancements and has built on academically, Glover said, his successor will need to work on the school's financial stability and bolster the base support system.
He told News4Jax that a team has already begun looking for his replacement.
According to the EWC National Alumni Association's website, a presidential search discussion session with the AGB Search Firm will be held Oct. 3 at Milne Auditorium. All EWC alumni are invited to attend and share their thoughts and opinions.