Only two years ago University System of Georgia officials said that GPC was $16.5 million in debt. At the same time Rob Watts the new president reported the college was $25 million in debt. There are various reports that circulated at the time that offered conflicting numbers so I am still not sure how much the school was supposedly in debt. But the former president Dr. Anthony Tricloi was blamed for the debt and removed. T
Dr. Tricoli said at the time and still maintains the budget was not upside down, that he had received information from the college’s budget staff that the college was actually $4 million in the black. Dr. Tricoli was never granted a hearing by the USG to plead his case which is also very unusual under the circumstances. At a hearing they would have been able to ask questions and try and figure out how all this debt accumulated. At the very least a hearing seems needed to fill in the blanks and prevent another debt in the future.
(good place to include a Quote from you)
The college had never finished in the red during any of the years that Dr. Anthony Tricoli led that institution from 2006-2012. There are no reports that indicate otherwise or that the budgeting department had ever notified him of any concern before.
The USG’s own audit revealed that the college’s budget people he should have been able to trust were either extremely incompetent or possibly had some ulterior motives. The USG’s own audit also revealed that the Human Resource Department (under the direction of Jim Rasmus) “miscalculated $6.5 million in employee fringe benefits.”
But even with this egregious error the college was still in the black because reports also seem to indicate that Dr. Tricloi had established a rainy day fund of around $19 million into the college reserves according to the open records documents from that time where this was referenced.
Note: Jim Rasmus is still employed at the college.
As I mentioned in my previous article Rob Watts had the most to gain by removing Anthony Tricoli simply because he felt he was in line to replace him. I have heard unconfirmed reports
was out to get Dr. Tricoli from the first day of his arrival at GPC because he (Watts) wanted to GPC’s President from as far back in the mid-1980’s when he was removed as the college’s budget vice president by the former president of GPC Dr. Jacquline Belcher and sent to Siberia (the USG’s main headquarters). And now Rob Watts occupies Dr. Tricoli’s former office and has taken his job, and spending the millions that Dr. Tricoli saved.
FACTOID: The State Attorney General never investigated the “GPC Budget Issue.”
FACTOID: The USG refuse to give Dr. Tricoli a hearing before the Board despite two requests he made to Chancellor Huckaby.
Can you spell CORRUPTION!!!!
