Tarrant County College's southeast campus, located in Arlington, has welcomed a new president.

Dr. Bill Coppola replaces Dr. Judith J. Carrier, who retired after a 16-year stint as the school's founding president.

Prior to his appointment as the TCC southeast chief, Coppola was the executive director of academic partnerships and initiatives and the vice-president of instruction at Lone Star College in Kingwood, TX.

"This is the second time for my wife and I to live in this area, and we were very happy to move back," said Coppola. "Everyone here at TCC is so friendly, and I know I'm in a good situation."

Coppola said that shared characteristics between Lone Star College and TCC were among the motivating factors in his decision to pursue the position.

"TCC is a very attractive college, and the student body demographics are similar to the college I came from, so I knew it would be a good fit for me," he said.

"I also liked the fact that TCC, which has long been a great education system, has really moved in some positive new directions under the leadership of Chancellor Erma Johnson Hadley. She came in with a vision to open up the college to as many students as possible, students who at one time or another may not have thought of college as an option."

Coppola said that one area of focus for his administration will be the support and possible expansion of the dual credit programs with the Arlington and Mansfield school districts, as well as continued engagement of the business community.

"My predecessor, Dr. Carrier, really did a great job of entrenching this school with the Arlington community," he said. "I hope I can do as well as she did."

During his tenure at Lone Star College, Coppola played a key role in the planning and construction of several academic buildings and an off-campus satellite school. Coppola's other posts included service as a dean of math, science, and health care and computer information technology.

He began his education career with a 15-year tenure in the Dallas County Community College District, followed by posts with North Lake College and Maricopa Community College District in Arizona.

Honors include the Administrator Award of Distinction from Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges; the Innovator of the Year award from the League for Innovation, a community college advocacy organization; and an Excellence in Teaching Award from the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development.

By: Rhonda Aghamalian