Real differences do exist among the generations in terms of attitudes, behaviors, expectations and motivations that have an impact at work and in the classroom, in spheres of activity like building teams, dealing with change, motivating and managing, and teaching. But community college leaders and other administrators and faculty can leverage…

First-time community college presidents are typically chosen from the senior ranks of two-year colleges' administrations, so they know what the job entails to some extent--at least from a close secondhand perspective. Leaders of community colleges who have taken the reins in the mid-2010s say that a close secondhand view only goes so far in…

Tarrant and Dallas counties are side-by-side blocks comprising 1,772 square miles. They are home to the region's big economic centers, Fort Worth and Dallas, respectively. If you look only at the Texas Federal Reserve Banks' data on regional economic growth, the picture here is rosy. But if you look below the surface, the story is different. It…

Since the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) launched the Voluntary Framework of Accountability (VFA) in 2011, accountability measures have sprung up in just about every corner of higher education. There is the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the National Governors Association's Complete to Compete program,…

Building relationships is the essence of the community college. Higher education administrators learned long ago that building rapport with businesses, state and local government, and constituents is the best way to represent the interests of the community. But that does not make it easy. Board members come and go and the shifting dynamics of…

November 2012 was an anxious time for California community colleges. Proposition 30 promised to stop the bleeding of funds from the state's 112 two-year career and technical institutions--if voters would pass it. That was a big if, especially in California, where voters are notoriously tax averse. When the measure passed with 54 percent of the…

Amy Morrison Goings was 40 years old in 2013 when she began her presidency at Lake Washington Institute of Technology. She didn't consider herself a representative of all Generation X community college presidents, but as a member of this tight-knit group, she does feel a need to share her insight into what's on the minds of that community.…

Lynette Brown-Snow, vice president of marketing and government relations for the Community College of Philadelphia, is one of several community college leaders across the country who have taken up one of the challenges proffered by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) in its 2012 report, "Reclaiming the American Dream:…

"The Road to Recovery: Projecting U.S. Job Growth and Higher Education Demand through 2020" (this issue, p26-29) presented six key indicators that highlighted the latest in education and employment needs for the success of the future jobs market. While the U.S. economy is growing, questions still remain: What skills do employers value…

Many have heard calls from national policy experts, the Obama administration, and influential foundations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Lumina Foundation for Education to increase the number of Americans with postsecondary credentials earned at community colleges by 5 million within 10 years. If community colleges choose to…

Trustees and presidents are in the midst of hiring the next generation of leaders for the nation's community colleges. Major leadership development initiatives are under way to address a projected shortage at the highest levels of college leadership--the result of impending presidential and senior executive officer retirements. In 2006, the…

Rough patches occur at both ends of the education pipeline, as students enter community colleges and move on to work or enrollment in four-year institutions. Career pathways--sequences of coherent, articulated, and rigorous career and academic courses that lead to an industry-recognized certificate or a college degree--are a promising approach to…

Nothing is more important to the success of community colleges than quality of leadership. It influences student outcomes, faculty success, and financial stability at all levels of the institution. With the impending retirements of so many baby boomer community college leaders, the leadership gap is an issue of increasing concern. In this article,…

The community college has carved out a well-deserved role in higher education as "democracy's college." The yoke of responsibility carried by community colleges today--and the scope of the challenges they can anticipate in the future--requires the dedication of visionary, skilled leaders who understand how to make good on the promise of…

Community colleges are experiencing tough times. As leaders watch the economy jump back to life and recognize this as a time of opportunity, they also realize that recovery in the public sector lags behind. Community colleges expecting to emerge from reduction stronger and better positioned will need to operate outside of a conventional business…