Patrick Cao, Editor-in-Chief,
Curtis Gaines III, Features Editor
As of Jan. 1 of 2020, Dr. Anthony Ross has taken the position of interim president at BCC due to the recent retirement of Dr. Michael D. Redmond.
Prior to his experience as interim vice president of student affairs at Bergen in the fall of 2019 and as the current interim president, Dr. Ross has a background of holding a few administrative positions. In previous years, Dr. Ross has acted as the interim president at Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley in Kansas City, Missouri, and served as the vice president of student affairs at California State University in Los Angeles.
As acting interim president, Dr. Ross has explained that he does not necessarily want to change the plans his predecessor had in store for BCC, but rather build off of them. In particular, he plans to continue work on the one-stop center, numerous renovations around campus and the “Reimagine Bergen” plan.
When asked about what he wants the student body to gain from their time at Bergen, he stated, “I want to give students the true experience. I want them to feel excited, happy and pleased with the education they have received over the years. I also want them to be involved in co-curricular activities, such as being a writer for the Torch, to keep them engaged and make them feel good about being here.”
As of now, the Board of Trustees, who initially offered the interim position to Dr. Ross, are still trying to find a suitable candidate to be the school’s full-time president. Dr. Ross comments that while he currently doesn’t intend to apply for the full-time position, he says “never say never.”
