Individual trustees are often looking for different qualities in a community college president, and it can be challenging for a diverse group of stakeholders to agree on what they want. Boards that function most effectively work together to establish a clear set of criteria at the outset of the hiring process, and they share this list with…

Community colleges provide access to higher education and workforce development opportunities for a significant portion of the nation's population. This vital sector is facing unprecedented challenges related to declining public appropriations and enhanced external scrutiny. Relevant outcome measures for the sector have changed, and there is a…

College presidential transitions are inevitable. A successful transition, as measured by: (1) an effective and orderly transfer of executive authority and influence between the outgoing and incoming chief executives, along with; (2) the continued advancement of the college, can never be guaranteed. Conceiving, developing, and managing a deliberate…

The California Community College system is the largest system of higher education in the world, with 115 colleges organized into 73 districts, serving over 2 million students. By design, California's community college districts incorporate all of the state's territory. Virtually all Californians are within commuting distance of a community…

Community college presidents and board members come and go. But a major driver of the continued success of two-year colleges is how fruitfully the relationships between CEOs and their boards evolve over time--from the onboarding process when a president first takes the helm to the "outboarding" process that starts with them giving…

The California Community College system is the largest system of higher education in the world, with 114 colleges organized into 72 districts, serving over 2 million students. The colleges are publicly supported and locally oriented institutions that offer associate degrees, transfer education, and workforce development programs. They are part of…

Prevailing research tends to narrow the starting view of most authors, including those who write about community colleges and their governing boards in common terms of organizational structure, management style, roles and responsibilities, personality issues, and so forth. But this essay focuses more on one particular topic: the unique…

The National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP) was established to promote the community college role in the recruitment, preparation, retention, and renewal of teachers. NACCTEP is led by a 13-member executive board consisting of community college teacher education administrators and faculty members from across…

These are perilous times for community colleges. State and federal departments of education are pressing the nation's two-year career and technical colleges to be accountable while the colleges experience reductions in state funding and try to streamline services. That pressure is intensified by a growing national expectation that community…

The appointment of interim community college presidents, the topic of this study, is a little understood phenomenon. A growing shortage of community college presidents coupled with a lack of replacements suggests the appointment of interims will continue well into the future. This study, with a purpose of looking at the factors related to the…

The purpose of this research study was to enhance understanding of successful conflict management by community college Presidents through highlighting and describing conflict experiences with the faculty union or the board of trustees in a community college context. The following questions guided the research: (a) How do community college…

Maintaining balance in leadership can be difficult because balance is affected by the personality, strengths, and attitudes of the leader as well as the complicated environment within and outside the community college itself. This article explores what being a leader at the community college means, what the threats are to effective leadership, and…

Situated in the broader context of academic administration and senior executive university leadership, this study examined variables correlated with self-reported satisfaction and performance among community college and four-year university presidents in four densely populated north American states. The results of our analysis suggest that…

The purpose of this case study was to understand the experiences of two community college interim presidents, their characteristics, and how they led institutions following an abrupt presidential departure. There were two fundamental questions framing this study: 1. How do two interim community college presidents lead community colleges during a…

Fifty-nine community college presidents and chancellors in 16 states report on the damage caused by rogue trustees. While the damage to presidents, other trustees, and faculty and staff is alarming, the damage these trustees cause the college suggests that the rogue trustee may be the single most destructive force ever to plague an educational…