Dan Hocoy, Ph.D., has been named president of Metropolitan Community College’s Longview campus in Lee’s Summit and the College’s Vice Chancellor of strategic initiatives. Hocoy, whose appointment was approved by the MCC Board of Trustees on April 23, will start his new position July 1.
He is joining MCC from State University of New York’s Erie Community College, where he serves as president. The SUNY community college in western New York state includes three campuses — rural, suburban and urban —and more than 22,000 students, about half of them credit-seeking. Hocoy is also a licensed clinical psychologist and has worked in psychiatric hospitals as well as private practice.
He has led Erie since July 2017. Prior to that, Hocoy was president of Antioch University in Seattle and associate vice chancellor for advancement for the nationwide five-campus Antioch University system. He was previously associate provost and a tenured professor at Saybrook University in California from 2010-2014.
MCC Chancellor Kimberly Beatty said she was impressed with Hocoy’s commitment to higher education and specifically the mission of community colleges. “His breadth and depth of experience with philanthropy, development and implementation of major projects, and his stellar leadership at previous community colleges, make him the perfect fit for the position and our Longview campus,” she said.
“Dr. Hocoy shared with me that this position was his dream job, and I believe that his passion and excitement for the role will lead to long-term success as the new Longview campus president and MCC’s vice chancellor for strategic initiatives.”
Hocoy said the dual role at MCC “combines, in my mind, the best of both worlds — overseeing strategic advancement of the entire College while still being around the energy of students. I know I will enjoy cultivating the relationships that will help MCC expand its reach, footprint and resources. At the same time, I love the fact that I will still get to be on campus with students, faculty and staff.”
Hocoy says he is also inspired by Chancellor Beatty’s “bold vision to grow MCC throughout the Greater Kansas City area.” He says he has witnessed her ability to get things done.
“I look forward to working with a leader committed to innovation, entrepreneurship and greater relevance for the College,” he added. “And to be living in the Kansas City region is certainly the cherry on top.”
During his tenure at Erie Community College, Hocoy completed a comprehensive re-brand, initiated several new private-public partnerships, and restored the college to good accreditation standing with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Hocoy was also able to bring fiscal stability to the institution with balanced budgets, new sources of non-tuition revenue and a historic high in college reserves. His “Students First” approach resulted in increased student persistence and retention as well as new student services.
As a non-native English speaker and the first in his family to go beyond high school, Hocoy says he regards community colleges as critical to social mobility and equity. Having been the beneficiary of public education from kindergarten to graduate school, he says he sees state education systems “as vital to empowering local communities as well as contributing to the workforce needs and economic competitiveness of the region.”
With a grandmother from Jamaica, mother from Malaysia and father from China, and having been an immigrant from Trinidad and Tobago to Canada, Hocoy has had a long-standing commitment to creating a campus environment that supports diversity, inclusive excellence and global perspectives.
Hocoy holds a B.Sc. (bachelor of science) from the University of Toronto and an M.A. and Ph.D. in psychology from Queen’s University in Canada. He is also a graduate of Harvard University’s Management and Leadership in Education executive program as well as the Harvard Seminar for New Presidents. He has written numerous articles and book chapters that intersect psychology, art, culture and higher education.
Utpal Goswami, Ph.D., former MCC-Longview president, left the College in December for a college presidency in California.