The purpose of this study is to provide an analysis of the books of John E. Roueche and identify major trends and best practices within those books used to meet challenges in the community college movement. The research study was guided by a qualitative methodology and used a phenomenology theory approach. Three research questions guided the study: The researcher will use the following questions to guide this phenomenology: (1) How did the books of John E. Roueche identify issues in higher education and place them at the forefront of emerging leaders? (2) How did the author identify best practices to address these issues? (3) How did the books of John E. Roueche influence other leaders to contribute works to inspire change necessary in higher education? The qualitative theory began with a document analysis of the books followed by interviews of the author and co-authors in order to complete the qualitative phenomenology study, which helped explain the community college movement and how best practices were identified and documented in these books. Three concepts and a core theme formed the emergent theory. Concept 1 was to ascertain who identified the issues which resulted in writing the books. Concept 2 became the pattern or recipe that was used for each book. Concept 3 established what it was like to write with John E. Roueche. A core theme underlying the study is that these books identified important issues facing community colleges and provided best practices to allow leaders to rise to the challenge. The study concludes with suggestions for future research. The findings of this study add to the body of knowledge in the field and may help current and future community college leaders better understand the challenges and opportunities related to issues they face both today and in the future. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]