Dr. Peter Grant Jordan New DCC President

POUGHKEEPSIE – Dr. Peter Grant Jordan has been appointed by the State University of New York Board of Trustees to serve as DCC’s new president, effective August 2, 2021. He will succeed Dr. Pamela R. Edington, who retired in July 2020.

Jordan’s appointment is the culmination of a comprehensive national search process to recruit, in the words of the chair of the DCC Board of Trustees, Michael Dupree, “a leader who will listen to all our key campus constituencies and build a vision of what that will look like. Then, to also create it.

“Dr. Jordan has been at the forefront of anticipating such changes in his last role,” said Dupree. “We are fortunate to have his experience at this challenging but potentially transformative juncture.”

Jordan currently serves as president of Tarrant County College-South Campus in Texas. He has a passion for the mission of community colleges, as well as being committed to access, diversity, academic quality, planning, innovation and student success.

“My family and I are grateful for the opportunity I have been given to serve as Dutchess Community College’s next president,” said Jordan. “I thank the Presidential Search Committee, the DCC Board of Trustees, and Chancellor Malatras for embracing my candidacy and recommending my appointment to the SUNY Board of Trustees. I am honored and humbled by this appointment and appreciate the confidence the SUNY Board’s action demonstrates in my leadership. I don’t take this appointment lightly.”

Jordan went on to note how much he is looking forward to engaging with the College community. “DCC’s impact on the region is widely celebrated,” said Jordan. “I am eager to collaborate with college trustees, campus, SUNY and regional stakeholders to develop a shared vision and strategic plans to guide the College’s promising future. With DCC’s committed faculty, staff and leadership, I look forward to our building on current academic innovation to advance equity, foster an even more robust and “student-ready” experience, and address the educational, civic, cultural, economic, and workforce development needs of the region.”

Prior to joining Tarrant, Jordan held positions of vice president for institutional effectiveness and vice president of enrollment management and student development at LaGuardia Community College. During his career, he has served in a range of capacities, including interim vice chancellor for student affairs at CUNY; vice president of enrollment and student affairs at Vaughn College (College of Aeronautics); dean of student enrollment, New York Institute of Technology; dean of university admissions, Polytechnic Institute of New York University; assistant and associate dean of university admissions at Adelphi University; associate director and acting director of admissions at Eugene Lang College/New School for Social Research; and assistant and associate director of admissions at Adelphi University.

Jordan holds an Ed.D. in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania; a M.S. in Operations Management from Tandon School of Engineering/New York University (formerly Polytechnic University), and a B.A. in English and History from Colby College.