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,…

California community colleges have been inconsistent in their efforts to meet the program review and planning accreditation standards established by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). To assist colleges in their effort to meet the accreditation standards and to improve educational quality, the ACCJC developed the…

A fundamental factor in the internal dynamics of a college is its culture. Central to understanding organizational culture is to minimize the occurrence and consequences of cultural conflict and help foster the development of shared goals. Modifying organizational culture is important. Without culture change, there is little hope of enduring…

Public undergraduate higher education institutions face a number of seemingly intractable problems. Among those problems are cost, accountability and access. The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award process is designed to help organization of any type address problems of organizational performance. This process has been used by manufacturing,…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify critically important factors that affect the meaningful assessment of student learning outcomes and study why these factors were critically important. A three-round Delphi process was used to solicit the opinions of individuals who were actively involved in student learning outcomes assessment…

Describes the use of the nominal group process, a consensus-reaching technique, to identify factors preventing community college chairpersons from exercising effective leadership. Four broad categories of obstacles to effective leadership were identified, at a workshop with 63 participating chairpersons. (JDS)

Recognizing the need for all college officials to make better use of their time, the president of Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College sent a two-item questionnaire to all 55 administrators and non-teaching professionals at the college. He asked them to list in priority order: (1) the three activities or problems that diverted their time from…

From 1970 until 1974, the Seattle Community College District was directed by a four-member executive committee, rather than by one chief executive officer. The history of this period is recounted, and advantages and disadvantages of the management system are identified. In sum, the system is satisfactory only in the short-run. (NHM)

Learning resource programs of 20 community colleges were studied to determine if differences in organization are accompanied by variations in the level of service provided. Organizational patterns for materials, catalogs, and staff were analyzed and compared with the institution's efforts to promote library services and evaluate the learning…

Describes the characteristics and responsibilities of an effective community college board of trustees. (DC)

Analyzes the similarities and differences between two outcomes-based assessment schemes: the institutional effectiveness model, which measures an institution's effectiveness at improving teaching and learning; and the performance funding model, which focuses on product, efficiency, and cost effectiveness of programs. Contains 15 references. (JDI)

Describes the development of institutional effectiveness indicators as well as a multi-step organizational planning process at Central Arizona College. Reviews five key areas targeted for analysis: organizational renewal and learning, leadership, governance, cultural transformation, and institutional efficiency. (JDI)

This booklet contains materials designed to assist local academic senate leaders in forming and leading stronger and more effective senates. Section I explains the sources and objectives of the booklet. Section II looks at the role of academic senates in California community colleges, while section III considers the characteristics of effective…

In their book, "In Search of Excellence," Thomas Peters and Robert Waterman identify eight attributes common among the best run companies in America. These attributes have special applicability for community colleges, given their uneasy present and uncertain future. Like successful companies, community colleges should: (1) foster an orientation…

Management by objectives (MBO), if properly applied to educational organizations, provides a rational means of achieving objectives with scarce resources. This article discusses the need for MBO, describes the process and some of its potential benefits and pitfalls. (Author/NHM)