An Appointment Under Scrutiny
Will the leadership experience of Georgia Perimeter College’s new president be enough for one of the country’s most diverse community college systems?
By David Pluviose
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 he 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.
