There is a new chief in charge at Georgia Perimeter College, the five-campus, 50,000-student Atlanta-area community college district. Dr. Anthony S. Tricoli, the former president of West Hills College Coalinga, will take over at GPC on Oct. 1, replacing longtime president Jacqueline Belcher, who retired last year. Heavily involved in the American Association of Community Colleges, Belcher retired as one of the most visible Black community college presidents in the nation.
The appointment of Tricoli to lead GPC has raised eyebrows, especially because he’s coming from a rural California school, part of a two-campus district that only serves about 5,000 students. Although he’s coming from a Hispanic-Serving Institution, some have questioned whether Tricoli has the experience and ability to lead one of America’s largest and most diverse urban community college districts.
“How could you replace someone with Jacqueline’s background with an Anthony Tricoli? What’s going on?” asks Dr. Christine J. McPhail, director of Morgan State University’s Community College Leadership Doctoral Program and formerly president of California’s Cypress College.
“You just think about the complexity of the institution where he’s going now, in terms of the diversity, in terms of just the inner city dynamics that he’s going to be responsible for, and where he came from,” she says. “Dr. Tricoli could be an outstanding administrator, but then you put that person in that kind of situation … it doesn’t make sense.”
University System of Georgia Chief of Staff Rob Watts, however, says Tricoli’s blend of talents make him the right man for GPC. “Dr. Tricoli’s experience, leadership skills and track record in getting results make him a perfect match for Georgia Perimeter College. He is very attuned to diversity, developing partnerships and connecting with the community,” Watts says.
Nonetheless, Tricoli’s appointment is more significant than meets the eye, especially with fewer minorities claiming community college leadership posts, says Gretchen M. Bell, dean of the Learning Resources Center at Piedmont Community College. She notes that a minority president can encourage diversity and leadership aspirations by example and not just by policy.
According to Frances Squire, marketing director for the West Hills Community College District, Tricoli helped bring several accolades to the district during his tenure. In 2002, WHCC was named the most outstanding small community college in the nation at serving under-represented students by the MetLife Foundation. Squire says Tricoli excels at building community partnerships.
