"This issue ... brings together various thoughtful perspectives on the nature of leading community colleges over the foreseeable future and suggestions for specific programmatic actions that community college themselves can take to provide the quantity, quality, specializations, and diversity of leaders that are needed."--Publisher.
School leadership is critical to the success for both teachers and students. Yet, the theory and practice the informs the current context of school leadership has been, for the most part, left to each nation and its educational authorities, institutions, and associations. Thus, over the last several decades, global collaboration has not occurred in a significant manner. The purpose of this book is to encourage such discussion, examination, debate, and collaboration of the issues, challenges, and successes found in school leadership from around the world. Specific topics found in the book include international professional learning for school leaders from Canada, China, Europe, and Turkey, offering both theory and practices from the field of school leadership.
Many challenges face community; technical, and junior colleges as they prepare for the 21st century. The more than 1,400 community colleges in the United States and Canada are led by approximately 14,000 academic deans and department heads, each of whom must balance the demands of the students, faculties, sponsors, community, and the college itself. As college enrollments increase, so do responsibilities, problems, and stress. Fur-ther stress will come to bear upon com-munity colleges in the next decade, when 40% of their academic leaders are expected to retire. There is justifiable concern about the identification, recruitment, and preparation of individuals to assume vacant leadership positions. Academic Leadership in Community Colleges provides the neces-sary touchstones and guidelines for per-sons within institutions preparing for new leadership. Written by professional educators, this book is based on a survey of 3,000 deans and department heads in community col-leges in the United States and Canada. The survey disclosed the broad variety of responsibilities, organizational structures, and developmental strategies exercised by academic leaders in community colleges from coast to coast. The research was conducted by the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and supported by the National Community College Chair Academy. Introductory chapters present compara-tive information about community col-leges: their various missions, instructional units, and demographic situations. Other chapters focus on the beliefs and values, tasks, skills, competition, and challenges that greet academic leaders. Readers will find useful strategies for confronting frequent problems and procedures for achieving greater college cohesion and efficiency.
In unstable times, effective leaders must not only be able to cope with the environment, they must also be able to shape it. Leaders in today's community colleges must fit that mold. Change leadership can be said to embody four essential characteristics that might be called the four "A's." These are Change leadership anticipates it is visionary and forward-looking and avoids reactionary thinking Change leadership constantly analyzes both the internal and external enviroment to gather reliable data upon which to make decisions; it engages in strategic and tactical planning to make the most of the moment Change leadership acts; with a vision and a plan, with accurate and current data, action is collaborative and inclusive Change leadership affirms; it is not enough to have a vision, a plan, and action. Once action is implemented, attention is given to reflection, to review, and to sustaining change. This volume focuses on change leadership at all levels. The authors bring unique perspectives--they are strong, recognized scholars in leadership studies as well as practitioners actively engaged in community college leadership. Both empirical studies and best practices are included to further our knowledge and understanding of effective leadership in the context of change. This is the 149th volume of the Jossey-Bass higher education quarterly report series New Directions for Community Colleges. Essential to the professional libraries of presidents, vice presidents, deans, and other leaders in today's open-door institutions, New Directions for Community Colleges provides expert guidance in meeting the challenges of their distinctive and expanding educational mission.
University-based community college leadership programs are meeting not only student needs but also the needs within their states. This report from the American Association of Community Colleges' (AACC's) Leading Forward initiative highlights strategies and practices of six new programs, formed since 2000, that are breaking tradition through their use of flexible scheduling, innovative delivery methods, and strong partnerships among universities, community colleges, and others concerned with developing community college leaders. The insights and lessons discussed in this report should assist both college leaders and policymakers as they continue to tackle the critical task of nurturing and developing strong and effective leaders. (Contains 6 tables and 3 figures.).
Praise for The American Community College "Since 1982, The American Community College by Cohen and Brawer has been the authoritative book on community colleges. Anyone who wants to understand these complex and dynamic institutions--how they are evolving, the contributions they make, the challenges they face, the students they serve, and the faculty and leaders who deliver the services and the curricula--will find The American Community College both essential reading and an important reference book." --George R. Boggs, president and CEO, American Association of Community Colleges "I have been a community college president for over forty-one years and a graduate professor for three decades. This book has been an inspiration to generations of students, faculty members, and administrators. It has become the classic of the field because it has great 'take-home' value to us all." --Joseph N. Hankin, president, Westchester Community College "In this latest edition of The American Community College, the authors continue to manifest their unique, highly knowledgeable perspective about the community college. This book is must-reading for all who desire to understand one of the most important educational institutions in the twenty-first century." --Barbara K. Townsend, professor and director, Center for Community College Research, College of Education, University of Missouri-Columbia "Cohen and Brawer's classic work is the touchstone for a comprehensive overview of the American community college. This is a seminal book for graduate students as well as seasoned professionals for understanding this uniquely American institution." --Charles R. Dassance, president, Central Florida Community College
The contributions of community colleges to society are well-documented. Yet, today’s community colleges are at a cross road. Decreases in funding support, a push for college completion, attention on developmental course work, and a host of other demands create a dynamic context for community college operations. Who leads these colleges matters as they face these demands and how they lead influences outcomes. Pending leadership retirements provide a prime opportunity for thinking about community college leadership in new ways. Entering this environment are prospective and aspiring leaders who are often not adequately prepared for the complexities of managing in a paradoxical organization. The era of accountability puts a fine point on the need for leaders to pay heed to the policy making process and to requirements dictated by state legislative bodies and accreditation bodies. Foundations and grant funders serve as instigators for changes in community colleges, as well and also support research into ways to link employer needs to college curricular changes. This book argues that neo-leaders are required to lead transformational change for today and tomorrow’s community colleges. No longer can we rely on single leaders atop a hierarchy. Talent throughout the institution must be tapped. The authors argue that networked leadership is needed. For networked leadership, we begin to advance thinking about the role of networks and connections among leaders throughout the college and beyond the college’s walls. This volume outlines underlying values critical for neo-leaders and offers questions leaders at various levels can use to jumpstart the type of courageous conversations needed on campus. The tools presented in this book provide current and aspiring leaders with resources to prepare for successfully leading the way and developing new leaders to shape the future. Our community colleges and their students require nothing less.
Liberal arts education is one of the founding missions of community colleges. However, it has drifted toward vocational training to such an extent that the dominant narrative of the 21st-century community college portrays a job (re)training center more than an educational institution. This volume offers a timely, much-needed, and persuasive argument for the importance of a liberal arts education, particularly in the humanities, for all students attending a public, comprehensive community college. The Landscape of the Liberal Arts What Happened to the Liberal Arts? Two-Year Humanities A President’s View on the Importance of the Liberal Arts in Community Colleges Why Community College Students Need Great Books Discovering History at the Community College Why Community Colleges Need the Academic Study of Religion How Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts Programs Prepare Students for Workforce and Life A 21st-Century Humanities for the Community College Sources on Liberal Arts in the Community College This is the 163rd volume of this Jossey-Bass higher education quarterly report series, an essential guide for presidents, vice presidents, deans, and other leaders in today's open-door institutions, this quarterly provides expert guidance in meeting the challenges of their distinctive and expanding educational mission.
