This article examines the long-overlooked governmental body, the local community college governing board, through the lens of descriptive representation, to assess what variables are associated with minority representation. Higher education governing boards have long lacked diversity, let alone any type of proportional representation, but an…

Community college trustees play a variety of roles in governing their colleges, but there is little consistency in interpreting these actions. Defining the specific responsibilities of trustee involvement has increasingly developed into a priority for community college leaders. To what extent trustees should be involved in different…

Tarrant County College's Achieving the Dream transformation has not only changed the college but all who engaged in the initiative. In four years, through ATD TCC became a college with one purpose, one goal, and one focus--student success through data informed decision making. From TCC Chancellor Dr. Erma Johnson Hadley to campus administrators,…

Performance-based funding (PBF) models intend to increase efficiency and productivity of the institution, thereby influencing organizational change. This change may be structural, programmatic, or procedural, and it may affect institutional practice and/or policy. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the organizational…

A focus group consisting of board of trustee members, community college presidents, senior administrators, administrators, and faculty members from community colleges around the United States developed the top six critical issues facing community colleges with respect to instructional planning and services; planning, governance, and finance; and…

The survey on hot topics was added in 2007 to the annual survey of state directors of community colleges conducted by the University of Alabama Education Policy Center. The survey data provided an opportunity for examining the personal attitudes toward the hot topics and the associations between these attitudes and state contexts. This study finds…

Community colleges in America are now very visible and highly respected institutions of higher education. More than 1,000 community colleges in all 50 states now comprise nearly 25% of all colleges and universities in the U.S., with over 6.5 million students, or about 45% of all college students.State and local governance and coordination of…

A focus group (N = 36) consisting of board of trustee members, community college presidents, senior administrators, administrators, and faculty members from community colleges around the United States developed the top six critical issues faced with respect to instructional planning and services; planning, governance, and finance; and workforce…

Each year, many community college leaders find themselves, either methodically or haphazardly, making decisions about intercollegiate athletics. There have, however, been few empirical studies on how and why community colleges initiate, expand, or terminate athletic programs. Two studies investigating leaders' perceptions of intercollegiate…

Presents an ethical decision-making model that can help presidents and boards maneuver through difficult situations. Describes six steps: identifying the ethical dilemma; gathering facts, self-monitoring, and consulting; asking important questions; creating alternate courses of action; evaluating alternatives; and implementing a course of action…

Describes a study comparing the perceptions of community college deans and department chairs of the extent to which the recommendations put forth by the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges' Commission on the Future of Community Colleges had been implemented in Virginia. (MAB)

Describes a study of 300 community college governing board chairs' knowledge of and involvement with regional and discipline-specific accreditation processes. Indicates that, generally, chairs valued accreditation activities and felt that their boards were fully aware of and participated in those processes. (MAB)

Describes the role of the community college president as both a fund raiser and a development team leader. Argues that the development team (trustees, foundation board members, and resource development professionals) should work closely with the president to plan and implement strategies to secure external funds. (74 references.) (JDI)

Describes the impact of an open, participatory, consensus-based planning process with faculty and staff at Parkland College in Illinois. Indicates that the planning process has been enthusiastically endorsed by both faculty and staff and has resulted in an increase in the number of full-time teaching positions and a decrease in the number of…

Examines determinants of community college presidents' ability to influence organizational change, including methods of leadership succession, tolerance by college stakeholders, organizational history, and college power structure. Highlights the importance of presidents' relationships to governing boards, ability to maintain institutional…