Urban community colleges have been studied primarily from a case study perspective, often highlighted by doctoral students conducting research at their institutions. Little of this scholarship, however, has been translated into the base of literature, as less than 5% of the citations in the largest search engines are focused on urban community…

This chapter provides individual and institutional strategies for confronting the historical challenges facing community college faculty, especially the prestige model, mission ambiguity, and declining resources.

The more polarized American politics become, the more challenging it becomes for institutional leaders of all stripes to maintain a balanced approach and not get crosswise with anyone. Community college leaders are no exception to this reality--and they say succeeding in this environment requires an artful combination of underscoring the natural…

In this essay, we explore the consequences of the University of California's policies to address racial disparities and its support for social justice activism as influences on its commitment to academic freedom and other intellectual values. This is a story of the interaction between two essential public university missions -- one civic, the…

With an increasing number of institutions chasing a shrinking pool of prospective applicants, most schools are actively on the lookout for new recruitment strategies for reaching and converting potential students. A key component of the prospective student experience and an important factor in students' decision-making process, faculty are better…

Informed by our subjectivities and experiences at a Hispanic serving institution (HSI), as scholars from the margins of society--working-class, im/migrant Mexicana and Jewish--as mujeres and first-generation academics, playing it safe was not, and never will be, an option for us. In this article, we share our acts of resistance, informed by…

Equity-minded teaching entails intellectual and emotional labor that can create challenges and tensions for the instructors as well as the students. Equity-minded teaching requires problematizing disciplinary norms that center and uphold white, patriarchal, middle- and upper-class norms. This article discusses some of these challenges and tensions…

We survey full-time accounting faculty holding terminal degrees about professional certifications. In addition to asking faculty about professional certifications they hold, we gather data about faculty's experiences as well as their perceptions about the pursuit of professional certifications. We find significant results for the following items:…

The proportion of faculty who are appointed each year to tenure-line positions is declining at an alarming rate. Because faculty tenure is the only secure protection for academic freedom in teaching, research, and service, the declining percentage of tenured faculty means that academic freedom is increasingly at risk. Academic freedom is a…

Frederick M. Lawrence, secretary and CEO of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and distinguished lecturer at Georgetown University Law Center, articulates the concept of nonpartisan advocacy as a way of emphasizing that Phi Beta Kappa's values are to be found beyond the realm of partisan politics and offers possibilities for finding common ground in both…

Current research suggests that faculty development should address a cross-section of personal and professional needs of the faculty, as well as support the institution's mission. Using evidence to support faculty development can foster reflective practitioners and close the gap between teaching and research by creating "sustainable…

The increasing diversity of the student bodies of community colleges calls for faculty who are motivated and equipped to educate them. This diversity is a product of the common theme community colleges share in their missions that espouses providing access to education for all members of their local communities. The faculty search committee plays…

A typology of budget-driven program reviews is categorized by two variables: the locus of responsibility and the timing of the review. When a budget-driven program review is first implemented during a crisis, the range of financial and administrative options are high, yet buy-in and match to mission are low. When a budget-driven program review is…

The academic and athletic missions of colleges and universities are often portrayed in opposition. One illustration of this tension is the recent "Varsity Blues" admissions scandal, in which illicit athletic recruiting subverted equitable admissions processes. Other less newsworthy examples of tensions around collegiate athletics include…

Community colleges are a unique part of the American higher education system that promote access and opportunities for many students who might not otherwise attend a college or university. The purpose of this article is to address community colleges in three parts: their historical relevance, their organisational mission and structure and their…