Employee retention is an ongoing challenge for higher education student affairs professionals, who account for the largest employee group across the higher education workforce. Job satisfaction and organizational commitment have previously been identified as correlated with college and university employees' decision to stay or vacate their…

This study explored the multifaceted journey of Black women ascending to senior-level leadership positions within Illinois community colleges. It aimed to uncover, understand, and provide actionable recommendations concerning the progression of these women into prominent roles, focusing on their unique identities, the impact of leadership support,…

Online courses are popular in community colleges among students of different backgrounds. However, compared to community college students who take face-to-face courses, those who take online courses earn lower grades and are less likely to receive a diploma or transfer to a four-year institution. Designing courses to facilitate social presence, as…

Informal mentoring relationships that develop out of frequent and meaningful interaction with faculty and staff are powerful tools that can help community college students persist and succeed in achieving not only their educational goals but their future economic mobility as well (Komosa-Hawkins, 2012; Phillippo, 2010; Zimmerman et al., 2002).…

This nonexperimental, longitudinal panel study was designed to test the predictive capacity of a grit intervention within a first-year seminar course that targeted academically underprepared students at a Mississippi community college. Extant pre- and post-grit scores for developmental students enrolled in the first-year seminar were analyzed for…

Objective: In Spring 2020 when COVID-19 hit, community colleges moved almost all classes online. This disruption impacts recent math reforms, including contextualization, raising concerns about sustained faculty and institutional leadership commitment. This study investigated how community college faculty teaching contextualized math courses…

This study used a qualitative phenomenological method to investigate the experiences of women chief technology officers in community colleges and their experiences that led to attainment of leadership roles in technology. Throughout the history of the United States, citizens have witnessed gender inequality in the workforce. The gender inequality…

The American Association of Community Colleges predicts that by 2025, over 880 of the nation's community colleges will be led by a new president. Simultaneously the average tenure of presidents is shrinking. At a time of high demand the pool of qualified candidates is shrinking which has led to this being termed a "leadership crisis" by…

Organizational structures, beliefs, and values in higher education are influenced by the deep-seated characteristics of patriarchy, dominance and racial and gender bias, upon which higher education was founded. These factors continue to impact the ascension of African American women to college presidencies. Current challenges facing community…

This narrative study tells the teaching and learning story of the recently retired Dr. Peggy LePage, a longtime member of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society with a career as a community college anatomy and biology professor spanning nearly three decades. Drawn from a lengthy narrative interview, this paper describes Dr. LePage's background…

First-generation minority students embark upon the community college campus in large numbers yet persistence to degree completion is waning, specifically for African Americans. The downward spiral has far-reaching implications in the job market, socioeconomic attainment, and community development. The purpose of this study was to examine the role…

Black males like other students face struggles persisting in college; however, in predominantly White colleges they must deal with issues of race and cultural differences. The purpose of this study was to explore how Charismatic Black males culturally navigate these types of social contexts. Using an exploratory qualitative design, three themes…

This comparative quantitative study explored differences in and predictors of adjunct instructors, administrators, and faculty's affective, continuance, and normative commitment to multi-campus community colleges. Extraneous independent factors included time worked at the college, highest level of education, and age. Attribute independent factors…

This interpretative phenomenological analysis examined what influenced10 women's decisions to become rural community college presidents in the western region of the US. The themes which emerged were how career history shaped decisions; the role groups played in women's decision to become presidents; the importance of rural roots and the…

The California Community Colleges serves 2.2 million students among its 115 colleges, and is a key driver in ensuring educational opportunity and success for all Californians. About 29% of University of California graduates and 51% of California State University graduates start their higher education at a community college. The system is also the…