In Memory of Thomas Neal, Jr. – President of California Coast University

California Coast University (CCU) is sad to announce the passing of our longtime President Thomas Neal, Jr.  Helping his father Tom Neal, Sr. to start the University back in 1973, Tom was an innovator in distance education promoting flexible educational programming, asynchronous learning, and a book rental program to help keep educational costs down for students. In addition, Tom had many accomplishments over the years in his role as Vice President and later President including seeking recognition for CCU, his role in leading the university, and most importantly supporting professionals who might not otherwise be able to reach their educational goals.

Back at the beginning, Tom worked closely with the State of California to obtain State Approval for CCU and to maintain good working relationships with the various state directors throughout the ensuing decades. He became an evaluator for the State of California and participated in over 20 institutional approval site visits. In 1980, Tom helped to obtain approval for veteran’s benefits and military funding for CCU students.

When Thomas Neal, Sr. retired in 1986, Tom Neal, Jr. became the second President of CCU. Since then, he continued to run CCU - taking the University from 100% correspondence to 100% online, to promote and support new program development, and to support technological innovations. He was especially proud of CCU’s many programs in business, criminal justice, psychology, and education and looked forward to new programs under consideration.

As CCU began to explore accreditation, Tom investigated Distance Education Accreditation Commission (formerly DETC) - attended various conferences, workshops, trainings, and got to know the DEAC leadership. He decided this was the right accreditor for CCU. He liked that DEAC was a leader in accrediting institutions who focused primarily on delivering educational programming through distance education. In 2005, CCU received initial accreditation through DEAC. Tom was immensely proud of this accomplishment as this was the realization of a long-held dream for Tom and his father. Through the years, Tom was active with DEAC – serving as President of the DEAC Business Standards Committee for several terms, working closely with colleagues at other institutions, and attending meetings and conferences.

Tom always said he was so proud that CCU played a part “to support the thousands of students and graduates through these many years who are reaching their educational goals and making a difference in their worlds.” He felt strongly that through education, people have an opportunity to help themselves, advance their careers, and provide greater security for their families. He believed that quality and affordable educational programs was key to these endeavors.

Outside of CCU, Tom enjoyed travel, restoring and showing vintage Packard automobiles, piloting his own plane, and supporting animal rights organizations. As a lifelong animal lover himself, he especially had a soft spot for supporting several “big cat” rescue organizations who provided sanctuary to animals who were used in illegal trade, circuses, and breeding programs.

CCU marked its 50th anniversary in 2023. Tom was proud of this accomplishment, and he looked forward to what the next 50 years would bring. He said the challenges in education come from “trying to anticipate and stay ahead of whatever is coming next and what students are looking to achieve.” As CCU moves forward without Tom, we will miss him terribly, but we are very proud of all his accomplishments and all he has done to support the adult learner.

Thank you, Tom, for everything and safe travels!