Central Piedmont Community College will have a new president for the first time in more than two decades. Tony Zeiss, who led the college through a period of significant growth, announced his retirement yesterday.
Tony Zeiss says the decision to step down wasn’t easy. But, at 70, he says it’s just time.
"The majority of my life has been in higher education. I love this college and this community," he says, "it’s hard to step down, but, you know, to all things there is a season."
Since Zeiss became president of CPCC in 1992, enrollment has grown from around 50,000 to more than 70,000.
Those who’ve worked with him say Zeiss has been a strong advocate for the community college’s role in the local economy.
UNC Charlotte’s Bill Anderson, a former head of MeckEd and principal of Myers Park High School says, "Tony is a visionary and a futurist, and he worked very hard to make sure that CPCC would be able to provide the training necessary for those high-paying jobs of the future."
Under Zeiss, voters approved bonds which helped build five satellite campuses and improve the main one. All house training programs designed to meet employers’ current AND future needs, says Bob Morgan of the Charlotte Chamber.
"Nobody in this community has a closer ear to the ground to know what those needs are, and then to calibrate the programming offered by the college to prepare individuals to go take those jobs."
Zeiss plans to leave CPCC in July. He says he and his wife will stay in Charlotte and remain active in the community.
