Presidents of community colleges must place importance on the liberal arts in their colleges. They should promote an understanding of their relevance to all curricula.

As the twenty-first century progresses, educators face considerable turmoil from the economy, shrinking budgets, aging facilities, and high turnover and attrition among employees at all levels, all the while contending with increasing enrollments and a declining completion rate. These challenges don't even include the ever-growing number of…

A framework for understanding the human side of leadership, especially wounding and leadership struggles, is described with an emphasis on stories of community college presidents. Practical advice and recommendations are offered to better equip aspiring and practicing community college presidents for leadership challenges. A key message is that…

This chapter offers time-tested advice for new presidents, including how to build and maintain strong relationships with trustees, how to address the persistent concerns of student success and remediation, and how to access the college's economic condition as well as how to oversee and maintain strong funding channels.

A management team should consist of from three to seven members, including a chief negotiator, a labor attorney, a contract language specialist, and a recorder. The chief negotiator should establish and maintain a relationship among the members of the team in which the responsibilities of each is clearly limited and understood by all involved.…

Obtaining talented and properly trained college leaders is often a source of problems for community colleges. Emphasizes that community college leaders should not rely exclusively on graduate programs of education or professional training programs for leadership development. Discusses the historical factors contributing to community college…

This volume of New Directions for Community Colleges contains the following articles: (1) "Toward a Definition of Deaning," by Douglas Robillard, Jr.; (2) "The Dean as Chief Academic Officer," by John Stuart Erwin; (3) "The Dean and the Faculty," by Hans A. Andrews; (4) "The Dean and the President," by Hans J. Kuss; (5) "Aspects of Difficult…

Discusses the complex nature of college leadership especially in terms of community colleges. Claims that the central feature of leadership problems is a deep mismatch between the conceptions of individual leaders and key features of the organizations they lead. Concludes that civilization will not survive without civil leaders. (JS)

This chapter provides a list of essential reference texts for community college deans to turn to in times of crisis. Problem areas addressed are: faculty evaluation, sexual harassment, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), discipline and termination, copyright, student privacy, student discipline, and general legal procedures. (VWC)

Describes an upcoming significant transition in the leadership of Americas community colleges and some potential opportunities and challenges surrounding this leadership turnover. Discusses some rewards of community college leadership and some problems that they face. Identifies some skills that may be necessary for leadership in the twenty-first…

Provides a brief sample of degree and non-degree programs currently offered to administrators, staff and faculty in community college leadership. Includes listings on: (1) programs sponsored by national organizations and associations; (2) regional workshops and seminars; (3) community college programs; (4) continuing education programs by…

This document discusses how community colleges have become a vital and perhaps permanent aspect of the United States higher education system, and how it must maintain a competent leadership in order to maintain its integrity. It emphasizes the importance of effective leadership development within the community colleges as they continue to develop…

Describes the increasing difficulty of community colleges to attract and train new leaders, along with the intensifying trend of turmoil within institutional governance. The Community College Leadership Development Initiatives (CCLDI) group was formed to assist in the resolution of these problematic trends through the strengthening of college…

Evaluates a community college leadership development program provided by the Association of California Community College Administrators (ACCCA). A total of 129 participants answered questionnaires regarding the effectiveness of the program. Responses were then coded and analyzed in terms of apparent patterns or themes. Outlines some benefits of…

Discusses the role of the Office of Staff and Organization Development of Miami-Dada Junior College-North in coordinating the professional growth of their staff. (Editor/RK)