Employee retention is an ongoing challenge for higher education student affairs professionals, who account for the largest employee group across the higher education workforce. Job satisfaction and organizational commitment have previously been identified as correlated with college and university employees' decision to stay or vacate their…

Department chairs are tasked with a variety of responsibilities including informing institutional decisions, yet approximately 65% of department chairs have reported receiving no training, and two-thirds of those who received training believed it was not adequate. I conducted an external program evaluation of a department chair institute for…

The problem addressed in this study is the underrepresentation of professional staff in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at West Coast community colleges. Although DEI efforts have mainly focused on faculty, professional staff have been overlooked, potentially leading to decreased engagement and feelings of undervaluation. This…

Community colleges serve the largest percentage of under-represented, under-prepared, and under-resourced students yet they are often underfunded in state budgets. This article demonstrates challenges and opportunities for community college leaders in state and federal political advocacy from the perspective of a community college state system…

Higher education is experiencing leadership turnover and during these transitions colleges and universities are relying on interim leaders to fill this leadership gap. The purpose of this study was to identify ways to support interim leaders and leverage their experience into the development of professional growth opportunities at a large…

Community colleges remain a primary pathway into higher education for Black and Latine students. Black and Latine community enrollment acutely declined during COVID-19, largely reflecting the pandemic's disproportionate impact on these communities of color. While enrollment has since rebounded, it is also important for community college leaders to…

In this qualitative grounded theory study, I interviewed participants from and analyzed documents associated with three community/state colleges in Florida. Additionally, I have included the perspective of key informants from the state and/or the Florida College System. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to develop a…

This research examined the perceived data literacy skills of middle and senior-level administrators in a community college system in relation to leadership competencies. This study sought to determine if the independent variable, administrator type (manager, executive, or chief operating officer), relates to the perceived data literacy skills…

Drawing on findings from the author's recently published COVID-19 study (Strayhorn, 2022), the purpose of this article is to highlight some of the major lessons that HEI leaders learned while navigating the uncertainties of the global pandemic, especially in terms of fostering a strong sense of belonging. First, the author defines sense of…

This study utilizes interviews with five Hispanic presidents at Hispanic-serving community colleges in the United States to understand how presidents define and perceive their role in ensuring Hispanic servingness, that is, guaranteeing that the Hispanic population is being fully served, at Hispanic-Serving Institutes (HSIs). We employ Garcia and…

A major focus of policymakers in recent years has been community colleges, which have been viewed as potential engines for economic advancement and student success. I examined the leadership history of Roane State Community College, a two-year institution of higher learning serving a nine-county service area mostly in rural East Tennessee as…

The purpose of this research study was to generate a grounded theory based on the lived experience of community college leaders at Lake Washington Institute of Technology in Kirkland, Washington, when they were faced with the challenges of COVID-19. The study examined the lived experience of community college leaders addressing a significant,…

Despite the increasing entry of Latinas into higher education, this group continues to be underrepresented at the level of leadership. Previous studies have indicated Latinas that have achieved academic administrative leadership roles can play an important role in helping others to aspire to and attain such positions by offering guidance based on…

The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the need for urban community colleges to utilize an adaptive leadership approach to thrive during times of uncertainty. Adaptive leaders encourage team members to address problems through new ways of thinking to meet organizational goals. The community college sector, especially institutions in urban environments,…

The increasing prevalence of single-parent households, particularly among Black single mothers, presents unique challenges in higher education. Historically Black Community Colleges (HBCCs) serve a significant proportion of non-traditional students, including single parents. However, little research addresses how HBCC leadership can effectively…