The president of Triton College announced Tuesday night that she is retiring at the end of the year.

Patricia Granados, who has been the president of Triton since 2001, made the announcement at a meeting of the Triton Board of Trustees. Granados will remain on the job until Dec. 31, 2014.

“It’s been a wonderful journey. We’ve done some wonderful things and I hope that we will continue together to do wonderful things, because there’s a lot of work to do,” Granados said Tuesday night at the Triton school board’s regular monthly meeting. “I have been blessed with support from the board and administrators along the way.”

Granados has worked for Triton for more than 30 years. Her first job was as an hourly employee when she was still an undergraduate. In 1984 she became the director of Nuevos Horizontes, Triton’s Community Center in Melrose Park which specializes in providing services to Spanish speakers.

This summer Triton plans to move Nuevos Horizontes on to its River Grove campus and sell its building in Melrose Park.

“Triton has been a huge part of my life, and even though I am choosing to slow down, because I do need to do that — I want to be able to travel — Triton will always be an important place for me, and I will do whatever I can to continue to support it in any way that I can,” Granados said.

The chairman of the Triton board, Mark Stephens, told his fellow board members that he will recommend hiring Granados as a consultant after she retires on Dec. 31.

“I’ve said many times that the best hire I ever voted on at this college was to hire Patty as president,” said Stephens after Granados spoke. “We have had our arguments; we’ve had some screaming matches. She peaks pretty loud for a little person, but never could anyone ever question her devotion to this school, her dedication.

“Pardon my language, she works her ass off and I am very proud to have been associated with her for all these years. We grew old together.”

Stephens said Granados still will have a lot to contribute after she retires.

“She has a vast amount of knowledge, obviously both institutionally as well as on the subject matter of higher education, extremely respected nationwide as an educator and one of the best people you’ll meet,” Stephens said. “She’s honest as the day is long.”