He served as the seventh president of the Central State University and the first president-in-residence at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
[1] Garland earned a Purple Heart for wounds he received while serving as an infantry squad leader in Vietnam.
[2] Garland began his career in higher education in 1988 as general counsel for the University of the District of Columbia.
In 1993 he was appointed to the position of executive assistant to the president of University of Virginia and eventually became associate vice provost for intellectual property.
In June 2022, the Central State University Board of Trustees adopted a Resolution naming the John W. Garland College of Engineering, Science, Technology, and Agriculture to honor Garland's successful efforts in obtaining 1890 Land Grant Status for the University.