According to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), one of the biggest

challenges community colleges currently face is the high turnover in community college

leadership (Weisman & Vaughan, 2001). Projections about the imminent shortage of well

prepared Community College Presidents are well documented in the literature (Shults, 2001;

Weisman and Vaughan, 2002). The Career and Lifestyle Survey (CLS) in 2002 warned that

presidential retirements were projected to come at faster pace than before with more than 79

percent of the current presidents expected to retire by 2012 (Weisman and Vaughan, 2002).

With most presidents being 56 years of age or older at that time, the anticipated retirement wave

was destined to be upon us today (Shults, 2001). In the 2006 CLS study, Weisman reports 84%

of CEOs stated that they will retire within ten years. Participants n the 2006 (CLS) survey

reported an average age of 58 for current presidents (Weisman & Vaughan, 2007). As the

leadership at community colleges changes, current employees will be asked to step up into

leadership roles. According to Shults (2001), many of the administrators reporting to the

presidents and potentially filling their roles in the future are also nearing retirement age. In fact,

Shults (2001) found that chief academic and student affairs executive officers average 54 and 52

years of age respectively. In addition, approximately 88% of the presidents who participated in

the 2006 CLS survey were White, 6% were African American, 4% were Hispanic or Latino, 1%

Asian or Pacific Islander, and less than 1% for American Indian, Alaska Native and Other

(Weisman & Vaughan, 2007). Although the percentage of minorities CEOs has slightly risen,

from 10 % in 1986 to about 20 % in 2004, the need to increase the number of leaders from

diverse backgrounds is critical because there are not enough minorities, or traditional candidates,

in the established pipeline to fill those leadership positions (Dembicki, 2006). The imminent and

far-reaching challenges impacting the availability of community college leaders create an

opportunity to promote more diverse leadership aspirants with “new energy, and new ideas’’

(Boggs, 2003, p. 16).

The Changing Role of the President:

While we are experiencing a leadership gap, the roles of community college presidents are

changing and the expectations placed on them are growing more complex (Hockaday & Puyear,

2000). Therefore, it is possible that the skills and characteristics of current or past presidents may

not necessarily reflect the qualities that trustees will expect and seek from future presidential

candidates (Plinske and Packard, 2010). Eddy (2010) finds that presidents now take on a wide

array of responsibilities that are new to community college presidents and she claims the

demands are growing as the mission of the community college changes from the traditional

mission of transfer education, career technical education, and community service to one that also

includes basic skills, contract education, and other programs for adults. (Eddy, 2010). These

changes in the president’s responsibilities demonstrate that a great deal still remains to be done

to ensure strong pools of diverse administrators, possessing the required skills and experiences,

will promote to executive level positions (Amey, Van DerLinden, & Brown, 2002). The

expected change in the availability of well prepared executives in Community Colleges,

according to Boggs (2003), will present both opportunities and challenges. For example, Shults

(2001) reported “many presidents feel inadequate to deal with these duties of their jobs, such as

fundraising, financial management, and working effectively with their governing board” (p.1). A

recent study by Weisman and Vaughan (2007) confirmed the tremendous number of community

college executives retiring within the next 10 years and affirmed a probable increase in

opportunities for those administrators who seek higher leadership positions. At the same, the data

illustrate the serious need to provide adequate preparation to future educational leaders to fill the

leadership void in executive level positions at community colleges (Shults, 2001). According to

the literature, the critical skills required of a community college president are acquired through

professional experiences, professional development, doctoral studies, and mentoring (Amey &

VanDerLinden, 2002; Duree, 2007; McNair, 2010). Furthermore, because “the dynamic nature

of community college leadership, the complex skills required of community college presidents,

and the regional differences in community college systems, there is no one set of experiences

that lead to the acquisition of skills required of today’s community college presidents” (McNair,

Duree, and Ebbers, 2011, p 4).

Competencies for Presidents

The changing nature of the community college presidency and the corresponding

evolution of the knowledge and aptitude required to successfully perform the duties of the

position, underscore the need to identify leadership competencies and review their effectiveness.

The American Association of Community Colleges (2005) identified Organizational Strategy,

Resource Management, Communication, Collaboration, Community College Advocacy and

Professionalism among the critical competencies for leaders in community colleges. According

to the AACC (2005) organizational strategy is employed successfully when a college leader

improves the quality of the institution, promotes student success, maintains the health of the

organization, and strives to meet the college mission. Competent resource management is

defined as leadership supports faculty, staff, and students; implements good processes, and

maintains physical and financial assets to “equitably and ethically fulfill the mission, vision, and

goals of the community college” (AACC, 2005 page#). To ensure proficient communication, the

exceptional leader demonstrates appropriate listening, speaking, and writing skills and values

open and honest dialogue to further student success (AACC, 2005). Expert collaboration is

exercised as the “effective community college leader develops and maintains responsive,

cooperative, mutually beneficial, and ethical internal and external relationships that nurture

diversity, promote the success of all students, and sustain the community college mission”

(AACC, 2005). “An effective community college leader understands, commits to, and advocates

for the mission, vision, and goals of the community college” to provide capable community

college advocacy (AACC, 2005). To maintain professionalism, the “effective community

college leader works ethically to set high standards for self and others, continuously improve self

and surroundings, demonstrate accountability to and for the institution, and ensure the long-term

viability of the college and community” (AACC, 2005).

As noted in the McNair (2011) article, it is only after becoming a president that a person

truly knows what is essential to be successful in the position. A recent study surveyed current

community college presidents to determine what they felt was lacking from their preparation for

the presidency and, considering the competencies from above, may serve to inform potential

candidates to the presidency as well as those involved in the presidential search process

regarding potential areas for further professional preparation (McNair, Duree, and Ebbers, 2011).

According to the authors, recognizing those things that community college presidents might have

done differently in preparing for the presidency can illuminate some of the gaps in preparation

described by respondents and suggest ways of integrating the AACC leadership competencies

into future professional development and doctoral program experiences. Such efforts may result

in recommendations that could help prepare potential candidates for leadership opportunities.

(McNair, Duree, and Ebbers, 2011). In the article, If I Knew Then What I know Now: Using the

Leadership Competencies Developed by the American Association of Community Colleges to

Prepare Community College Presidents, current college presidents are asked to comment on

what they wished they had done differently in preparation for the presidency (McNair, Duree,

and Ebbers, 2011). The surveys conducted in the 2006 CLS found that the six core competencies

(above) as well as timing, organizational fit, and additional preparation in other areas were

critical to effective preparation for the presidency. The president’s comments regarding resource

management provided over 100 comments which identified finance, collective bargaining,

grants, fundraising, construction engineering, conflict resolution, and bonding skills as areas

where they could have used more training (McNair, et. al, 20110). Current presidents reflected

on collaboration providing 46 comments related mostly concerned with constituent groups

relations, board members, building relationships with and among cabinet members,

It is about creating the conditions for excellence and mentoring people, not directing them.Community College AdvocacyUnder the competency domain of community college advocacy, respondents offered 22 comments related to representing “the community college in the local community, in the broader educational community, [and] at various levels of government” (American Association of Community College, 2005, p. 5). Most of the comments focused on a desire for better skills related to legislative advocacy, a greater familiarity “with legislative and political processes,” and “a greater understanding of the political environment so I could do a better job of advocating for the college.” At the same time, one respondent observed, “More prior legislative experience would have been helpful but some things can only be learned through trial and error on the job.”

ProfessionalismThe 14 comments under the domain of professionalism focused on two specific areas: “Understand and endorse the history, philosophy, and culture of the community college” self-care, balance, adaptability, flexibility, and humor” (p. 5). Comments about the history and culture of the community college varied from “[I wish I had] attended community college as a student” to “[I wish I had] spent more time on the community college literature (theories and practice) . . . prior to assuming the CEO post” and “[because I came from the university setting] there is a sense of ‘history’ of the [community college] sector that I have had to catch up on.” In terms of managing stress through self-care and balance, eight respondents suggested that they wished they had “started earlier on a daily exercise routine,” “learned to balance the professional and personal aspects of life,” and “managed [their] . . . priorities/time” more effectively.

Organizational Strategy and Communication

The number of comments dealing with organizational strategy and communication was smaller than the number of comments related to any of the other domains. This suggests, perhaps, that the respondents felt better prepared in the areas of strategy and communication than in the other competency areas. Because many presidents have previously served as college vice presidents (Frankland, 2010; Weisman & Vaughan, 2002, 2007), they have likely worked across multiple departments and units within the college, a task requiring skills in communication and managing the organization. Narrative comments provided by the respondents in this study are revealing and offer specific suggestions for those aspiring to executive-level leadership, in particular a college presidency. For example, of the 12 comments offered under the domain of organizational strategy, one notes, “I wish I had more skill in hiring and coaching senior staff members, using data to inform decisions systematically, managing the finances of the college, and managing my own priorities/time.” Reflecting on the question of what might have been done differently to prepare for the presidency, another respondent offered this insight:I would have spent more time learning how to create meaningful and doablestrategic plans. Most strategic plans are not well understood by the broad collegebody. With better understanding and buy-in by the college body as a whole, acollege can be much more effective in setting and achieving its visions andmission. Others thought that learning more about finance, enrollment management, organizational dynamics, planning, and assessment would have been helpful in preparing for the presidency.

In the area of communication, seven respondents offered advice that can help community college leaders throughout the organization. One person wrote “My biggest lesson is to let issues come to me rather than forcing an issue to the forefront at the college. Change, including solutions to difficult problems, can emerge with gentle guidance rather than urgent effort.” Another respondent felt confident that his or her preparation prior to assuming the presidency was appropriate, yet this respondent also noted that “ . . . once in the position, I wish I had employed better communication skills in the early years provide information about the organization widely and to listen more closely to employees who came to me with problems.”

Timing and Organizational FitAlthough most of the comments offered in response to the final question in Duree’s survey related to the AACC competency domains, some comments did not. For example, respondents noted the point in their careers when they became president, often suggesting that they could have attained a presidency earlier on in their careers had they had greater confidence in themselves—a confidence discovered only after becoming president. This can be seen in the comment of a respondent who indicated that “I wish I would have sought a community college presidency well before I did. I was prepared but did not have faith in my ability.” Another respondent wrote that “I wish I had become a college president earlier . . . I realize now that I was more than prepared ten years ago . . . I wish I would have had the confidence to step out and do it.” Further examples include the comment of a respondent who wished he or she had “assumed the presidency of a smaller institution earlier in my career” and the observation of another who noted that “[I wish I had started] my search for my first presidency earlier in my career.”

Seven comments stressed the importance of institutional fit, indicating a desire tohave “better researched the institution, service area, board, and local politics” before assuming the presidency. Another respondent commented that it would have been helpful to “better understand that it might not be possible to fully use my skills in a multi-college district that experiences micro-management from the top.”

PreparationIn considering what they might have done differently to prepare for the presidency,many respondents described specific activities they believed would have been beneficial.Consistent with prior research (Amey & VanDerLinden, 2002), respondents noted theimportance of mentoring, on-the-job experience, networking, and professional developmentprograms, including doctoral studies, in helping to prepare presidents. Of the97 comments related to preparation, 45 focused on different professional developmentactivities the respondents perceived as missing from their experiences. Twenty respondentsindicated that they wished they had completed their doctoral studies prior tobecoming president. For example, one observed “I wish I had completed all of mydoctoral work before assuming the presidency. It has been very difficult completingthe degree at the same time as being an effective leader to my institution.” Anothernoted, “I wish that I had completed my [doctorate] before entering this position as ithangs over my head and I don’t really have time now.” Only two of the commentsmentioned a desire to have completed a doctoral program specifically focused on communitycollege leadership, while one additional respondent indicated a desire to have“completed an educational administration [doctoral] program.” Three others offeredmore general comments about the content of graduate programs, but it is unclear whetherthese comments refer to doctoral studies or other graduate programs.Downloaded from crw.sagepub.com at UNIV CALIFORNIA DAVIS on November 13, 201116 Community College Review 39(1)In addition, 18 comments concerning professional development activities were relatedto formalized leadership academies and institutes. This suggests that the respondentswere aware of different opportunities available to them, though it is uncertain whetheror not they knew of these opportunities prior to becoming president. The responsesinclude observations such as the following:•• “I wish I had the opportunity to attend the League for Innovation’s ExecutiveLeadership Institute.”•• “[I wish I had] completed the AACC training prior to becoming a new presidentrather than after!”•• “I wish I had participated in a formal training program for aspiring communitycollege presidents. I did not intend to seek a presidency when the opportunitypresented itself . . . I felt ill-prepared to step into that role without some formaltraining.”Four respondents offered additional comments regarding professional development,including a need for programming that addresses classroom theory and senior leadership,as well as a need for programs that are designed for the president’s spouse or partner.Nearly one-third (31) of the comments about preparation focused on professionalor “on-the-job” experiences that were perceived as important for aspiring presidents.

Fifteen respondents discussed administrative preparation, focusing on the need to servein a variety of administrative roles as a way of developing the skills required to bepresident. Examples include the following:•• “[I wish I could have spent] more time in sub-presidential level leadershiproles,” “served longer in other administrative positions.”•• “I wish I could have served as an academic dean for a year or two.”•• “I ‘skipped’ the Division/Department chair/Dean level, moving directly to Deanof Instruction/CAO from a faculty position. I might do that differently if I hadto do it over again.”In addition to administrative positions, 14 respondents wished they had had moreexperience teaching in a community college, and two expressed a desire for more experiencewith student services.Twenty respondents indicated that they wished they had worked with a mentor, developeda network, or participated in job-shadowing or internship experiences. Respondents’comments suggest that mentors could have been helpful in avoiding some mistakes or inproviding very specific assistance in such areas as writing and publishing, working withlegislators, and learning to raise funds. Four respondents thought that a job-shadowingexperience would have provided opportunities to “observe actual activities,” “see whatthe real challenges would be,” and engage in “more candid conversations with ‘sitting’presidents to learn more about the ‘realities’ of the position and the impact it has on . . .one’s life and family relationships.” Five additional responses focused on a desire to havebuilt professional networks both prior to and after assuming the presidency; such networksDownloaded from crw.sagepub.com at UNIV CALIFORNIA DAVIS on November 13, 2011McNair et al. 17can create formal groups “to discuss current problems/issues . . . [as well as the] currentliterature addressing . . . [those] issues . . . ” They can also “assist you with identifyingoptions or solutions as you start to face challenges in a new CEO role.”No RegretsNot all presidents had regrets about their level of preparation; 60 presidents indicatedthat they would not change a thing and that they felt well prepared for the presidency.Some presidents reflected on their path to the presidency, indicating that skills learnedthrough a combination of professional experiences and graduate studies helped preparethem for their current roles:•• “Experience is the best lesson. You learn what to do and what not to do.My 6.5 years of experience as a Vice President of Academic Services in asingle-college campus setting provided lots of experience . . . I interacted withthe President, members of the board, personnel contracts and discipline issues;I would not have had this direct experience in a multi-campus district.”•• “I’m satisfied with my preparation. It’s early in my presidential career, butI feel that my long experience as a vice president gave me most of the toolsI need in my current position.”•• “I feel that I was well prepared to become a president, partially because of mygraduate studies but more because of the wide variety of positions I had alreadyheld in the community college setting, from faculty to student servicesadministration.”•• “I was very lucky: I had the opportunity to make many presidential-type

mistakes many times before my first presidency and learned from the mistakesand successes.”Others identified professional development activities, mentoring, and serving asinterim president as key experiences in career development. As one respondent noted“I have been blessed with great mentors and a variety of experiences in multiple settings.I think that this is the best preparation for the job.” Others also commented on the importanceof observing other leaders, learning from their mistakes and their successes, andone noted with some humor that “Lots of things that hit you as president just have tobe learned on the job. If some of the situations I have encountered were put into a trainingprogram, no one would believe they could ever happen!”Implications for PracticeThe responses to the question “What do you wish you had done differently to preparefor community college leadership, knowing what you know now?” offer additionalperspectives into the skills required for executive leadership in community colleges.The comments discussed here support previous research (Amey & VanDerLinden, 2002;Duree, 2007; McNair, 2010; Sanders, 2009) suggesting that skills are not developed inDownloaded from crw.sagepub.com at UNIV CALIFORNIA DAVIS on November 13, 201118 Community College Review 39(1)one single way, but through varied mechanisms, including professional experiences,professional development, doctoral studies, and mentoring. Given that there is no onestrategy for developing leadership skills, it may be unclear to aspiring leaders how theymight best acquire and develop the skills needed for executive leadership; similarly,faculty members from leadership development programs may be curious about waysof linking program outcomes to leadership skills.In this section we therefore consider our findings to draw conclusions about the AACCcompetencies in terms of their value to community college leaders, how the competenciesmight be used to support the professional preparation of aspiring presidents, andhow practitioners and university faculty members might use the competencies to addressthe anticipated shortage of community college leaders. This information can be especiallyhelpful to those considering a college presidency and to current presidents seekingto build leadership capacity within their colleges. Finally, doctoral program facultymembers can use these recommendations to guide curriculum development in waysthat meet current and future leadership needs.Value to Community College LeadersAs noted previously, there appears to be a clear and convincing case that the AACCleadership competencies appropriately describe the skills needed for effective leadershipin the twenty-first century (Duree, 2007; Eddy, 2010; Hassan et al., 2010; McNair, 2010).Although only six in number, the AACC competency domains represent a complex setof skills that are acquired and developed through multiple avenues, including professionalexperience, internal and external professional development, and mentoring. And eventhough the competency domains encompass a wide range of skills, our findings suggestthat additional skills in fundraising, construction project oversight, and bond managementare essential. Furthermore, respondents’ comments describe a complex set of skillsrequired for leading a community college and remind us that it may not be realistic toexpect one person (i.e., the college president) to excel in all of the competencies. “Movementtoward shared power or empowerment is a logical course of action as organizations

place greater reliance on the collective or collaborative capabilities of their members toinnovate and respond in turbulent or dynamic environments” (Hickman, 2010, p. 513).College presidents, then, can use the AACC competencies as a framework for buildinga leadership team through the recruitment, hiring, evaluation, and ongoing developmentof executive-level administrators, thus ensuring that the team, rather than a single individual,possesses the competencies essential for community college leadership.

Mentoring, Professional Development, and Doctoral StudiesRespondents indicated that mentoring related to specific aspects of the community collegepresidency would have helped them better prepare for the role. Comments regardingmentoring relationships included the suggestion that presidential aspirants have theopportunity to talk openly with a president to truly understand all that is required onceDownloaded from crw.sagepub.com at UNIV CALIFORNIA DAVIS on November 13, 2011McNair et al. 19one has assumed this role. Aspiring leaders can also design targeted mentoring activitiesusing the AACC competencies. This would likely involve working with the mentor toidentify current strengths and areas that need further development in order to be a successfulcommunity college president. For example, given the narrative comments suggestingthat many respondents felt unprepared for the challenges of working with a board, mentoringactivities that focus on building relationships with board members, understanding thenature of the president-board relationship, and working effectively with a board couldsupport the development of competencies in several domains, including collaboration,organizational strategy, professionalism, and community college advocacy.In addition to mentoring, respondents noted the importance of formal professionaldevelopment programs. This is in line with the conclusions of Ebbers, Conover, andSamuels (2010), who described the importance of “Grow Your Own Leaders (GYOL)programs, as well as statewide and national leadership development programs” (p. 60).State and national programs, such as those offered by AACC, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation,the Future Leaders Institute, the American Council on Education, and higher educationinstitutes (e.g., the Harvard Institutes for Higher Education), offer aspiring leaders manyopportunities to develop their skills and network with other professionals—key areasidentified by respondents. And although some respondents indicated that they had attendedthese types of professional development activities, many noted that it would have beenhelpful to participate in one (or more) of these programs prior to becoming president. Hulland Keim (2007) found that awareness of these programs was high, but participation waslow. They offered suggestions for increasing participation, including lowering the cost,modifying the content, and creating more regional opportunities to minimize travelexpenses. Respondents in the study conducted by Hull and Keim also “suggested thatleadership development providers should take advantage of technology and develop onlineofferings that would provide opportunities for place-bound administrators” (p. 695).Emerging technology, such as webinars, may make it possible to expand opportunitiesfor aspiring leaders at a time when college budgets are shrinking; online professionaldevelopment activities can greatly reduce travel costs while still providing opportunitiesto network with other aspiring leaders and strengthen leadership competencies.Given that practitioners recognize the importance of the AACC competencies and

that the respondents in this study identified a need for additional preparation in relationto the competencies, stronger connections between professional development activitiesand the competencies can be of great benefit to presidential aspirants and help bridgethe gap, reported by Eddy (2010), between the competencies and professional development.If professional development programs were designed using the AACC competencies,potential participants could more easily identify which programs best meet theirneeds. A self-assessment of one’s skills using the AACC competencies, followed by ananalysis of the learning outcomes of professional development programs, could helpoptimize the match between the program and the goals of aspiring leaders.Comments from respondents also indicate that many wished they had completedtheir doctoral studies prior to becoming a community college president. Several respondentsnoted the importance of a doctorate in community college leadership for betterDownloaded from crw.sagepub.com at UNIV CALIFORNIA DAVIS on November 13, 201120 Community College Review 39(1)understanding the mission of the community college, its history, and its role in highereducation—all of which are elements within the AACC competency domain of communitycollege advocacy. Duvall (2003) has suggested that doctoral programs focus onpreparing leaders to work in a variety of settings and across multiple regions; using theAACC leadership competencies to design doctoral program learning outcomes is oneway to help meet this goal. Doctoral program faculty members may consider mappingtheir course work to the competencies; that is, course learning outcomes and activitiescan be reviewed in conjunction with the competencies to identify how the course supportsthe development of a specific competency. Although one course may not addressall of the leadership competencies, course mapping can identify gaps in the course aswell as the overall program. Faculty members can then develop additional learningexperiences to fill these gaps, thus creating intentional connections between curriculum,the leadership competencies, and skills needed to lead community colleges.Job Shadowing and Internship ExperiencesOur findings point out the importance of creating opportunities to “try out” the presidencybefore applying for or assuming the role. Respondents noted that some experiences, suchas cultivating and sustaining positive relationships with the board of trustees, are a fundamentalpart of the college presidency but are often not learned in other professionalpositions. One respondent noted that some of the issues presidents face are so uniquethat people unfamiliar with the community college presidency would not believe themto be true. Respondents also noted the increasing importance of fund raising, yet fundraising responsibilities are generally the purview of the president and, again, often learnedonly after one has assumed the role of president.From these responses it might be easy to conclude that the only way to learn howto be a president is to serve as president. Internships or job-shadowing experiences thatallow aspiring leaders to work directly with current presidents offer one solution to thisdilemma. Such experiences could then lead to the discovery of specific competenciesthat may need to be developed prior to assuming a presidency. Aspiring presidents maywant to construct job-shadowing experiences with presidents in different types of settingsto explore how the role of the president changes in response to the college contextand culture. Current presidents can identify potential presidents and create job-shadowingexperiences for them with presidential colleagues; this may give those who are uncertain

about pursuing the presidency the information they need to adequately prepare for theposition. Presidents can also create experiences that emulate internships by assigningaspiring leaders such tasks as managing a bond project, overseeing a major constructioninitiative, participating in collective bargaining, and working with the board. Thosedeveloping local grow-your-own leadership development programs may consider integratingjob shadowing or internship experiences into the program curriculum. In additionto helping those potential leaders identify the competencies they need to develop, thiscould also help aspiring leaders better understand the scope of the presidency. Duvall(2003) described the importance of internship experiences in doctoral programs, notingDownloaded from crw.sagepub.com at UNIV CALIFORNIA DAVIS on November 13, 2011McNair et al. 21that they allow students to build on their prior experiences and learning “through guidedpractical experience” (p. 67). Doctoral programs that do not have an internship componentmay want to consider adding one, perhaps even early in a student’s educationalexperience, thus allowing aspiring presidents to identify the competencies they canimprove through their doctoral studies. Using the AACC leadership competencies todesign learning outcomes for the internship or job-shadowing experiences—whethercompleted through a self-directed experience, a grow-your-own leadership program,or doctoral studies—will help ensure that aspiring presidents develop the broad set ofskills needed to lead today’s community colleges.Addressing Anticipated Administrative ShortagesAs previously noted, imminent retirements of current community college presidentsare expected to create administrative shortages throughout the United States (Shults,2001; Weisman & Vaughan, 2002, 2007). Because community college presidents haveoften served as provosts or vice presidents (Amey & VanderLinden, 2002; Duree,2007; Weisman & Vaughan, 2007), we might consider looking to the vice presidentsto fill the leadership gap. However, many vice presidents also anticipate retirement(Shults, 2001), thus creating even more vacancies in executive-level leadership. Toaddress these vacancies, Scott-Skillman (2007) encouraged current community collegeleaders to begin succession planning within their own organizations; without suchplanning, she asserts that “the effectiveness of the institution will clearly be at stake.The quality of education and student support programs will be in jeopardy and theintegrity of the institution may be compromised” (College Effectiveness at Stake section,para. 1). She did not offer a “one-size-fits-all” model of succession planning;instead she encouraged college leaders to develop a succession plan based on the needsof the college. She provided a set of questions for leaders to consider as they begindeveloping a succession plan; included in her list of questions is “What core competenciesare needed in the next generation of leaders?” Using the AACC leadership competenciesas a starting point can support educational leaders as they consider the future oftheir colleges and the communities they serve.In the absence of a formal succession plan, the president plays a pivotal role in identifyingfuture leaders to fill administrative vacancies. As many respondents noted, it isonly after becoming president that one better understands all that is required to be successfulin the position. We can infer from our findings that once future leaders are identified,current presidents are vital to helping them develop the types of skills needed forexecutive-level leadership. Current presidents can apply their understanding of the

presidency as they serve as mentors, facilitate the development of locally-based leadershipdevelopment programs, support those who want to continue their graduate studies,and provide the resources needed by aspiring presidents to attend external professionaldevelopment programs. Current presidents can also integrate the AACC leadershipcompetencies into the hiring, selection, and evaluation of administrators with an eye tothe immediate and long-term needs of the college.Downloaded from crw.sagepub.com at UNIV CALIFORNIA DAVIS on November 13, 201122 Community College Review 39(1)SummaryThe AACC leadership competencies were developed to help prepare the new leadersneeded to fill anticipated vacancies created as current presidents retire. In addition, thecompetencies identify essential skills needed for successful leadership while allowing“emerging leaders to chart [their own] personal leadership development” programs(American Association of Community College, 2005, p. 1). Furthermore, the competenciesoffer guidance for curriculum development and inform “human resources departmentswith direction for staff recruitment, hiring, rewards, and professional development”(p. 1). Our findings support the use of the competencies in the development of futureleaders and suggest that leadership development is a very personal journey. Consequently,it is difficult to prescribe a specific set of activities that will meet all needs. Preciselybecause the journey is personal, a unifying framework, such as the AACC competencies,can help ensure that, regardless of the path followed and activities undertaken, aspiringleaders can be confident that they will gain the skills needed for successful leadership.Areas for Further StudyThe AACC leadership competencies offer one framework to identify essential skillsneeded to lead community colleges. Current presidents have an obligation to their collegesto identify and develop leaders who can fill administrative vacancies at all levelsof the college. Similarly, aspiring presidents have an obligation to identify the skills theyneed to develop prior to assuming a presidency. The AACC competencies for communitycollege leaders can be used to design leadership succession plans and professionaldevelopment activities that support the acquisition and continuous growth of essentialleadership skills. Studying local leadership succession plans and “grow-your-own-leaders”programs can reveal promising practices that will allow programs to develop across theUnited States.An examination of the ways in which presidents do or do not integrate the ACCCleadership competencies into the selection, hiring, and evaluation of educational leadersmay also offer insight into how the competencies move from theory to practice. Suchan examination may indicate how desired competencies shift in relation to local demandsor national trends; these studies could also inform national conversations related to thecontinuous reexamination of the competencies so that they remain relevant for communitycollege leaders. In addition, our findings suggest the importance of studying thedevelopment of an assessment model for current and aspiring presidents that will helpthem identify their relative strengths and weaknesses (in terms of the competencies) andplan professional development activities accordingly.Because the leadership competencies were also developed to inform doctoral studies,an analysis of how community college leadership program faculty members integratethe competencies into program curricula could identify promising practices in doctoral

education. This analysis could subsequently lead to a common framework for doctoralstudies, thus ensuring that graduates of community college leadership programs possessa skill set that allows them to serve in a variety of settings.Downloaded from crw.sagepub.com at UNIV CALIFORNIA DAVIS on November 13, 2011McNair et al. 23In addition, the respondents in this study offered many comments concerning theimportance of mentoring. To better understand mentoring experiences, further researchcould examine the mentoring relationship from the perspective of mentor and protégé.It may also be helpful to identify any differences in the ways men and women mentoror are mentored, in the ways they seek out mentoring relationships, and in the waysthey use a mentor to develop essential skills for executive leadership.Finally, several respondents also indicated that they had no regrets about their preparationfor the presidency. Investigating their professional preparation, the paths theyfollowed to the presidency, and the experiences that supported their development couldilluminate common themes that would help aspiring presidents, and those preparingfuture presidents, identify specific activities that best develop the skills needed for collegeleadership.

GURE

The number of female CEOs has flattened off at 29%. Weisman, I M. (2007).

Weisman, Iris M.; Vaughn, George B. The Community College Presidency: 2006. American Association of Community Colleges. One Dupont Circle NW Suite 410, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-728-0200; Fax: 202-833-2467; Web site: http://www.aacc.nche.edu., by 2001

, perhaps indicating a need for aspiring presidents to develop stronger skills in budgeting and finance. corresponds with the findings of an earlier study” (Townsend & Bassoppo-Moyer, 1997)

Opprtunities and challenges:

The competencies listed in the domainsof organizational strategy, resource management, communication, and collaboration receivedthe highest ratings, while those in the domains of community college advocacy and professionalismwere rated important or very important by somewhat fewer respondents. Inaddition, respondents were asked to evaluate their level of preparation for the presidencyin relation to the competencies. The rankings concerning actual preparation in thesecompetency areas were lower than those concerning the importance of the competencies,thus suggesting a gap between how well the respondents felt they were prepared in thecompetency areas and how well they felt they should have been prepared.

Duree, C. A. (2007). The challenges of the community college presidency in thenew millennium: Pathways, preparation, competencies, and leadership programs needed tosurvive (Doctoral dissertation, Iowa State University, 2007). Dissertation Abstracts International,68, no. 11A, 4625.

types of experiences can help one to prepare for the presidency, including on-the-job training,participation in professional development programs for aspiring leaders, completing adoctorate in educational leadership, and working with a mentor (Amey & VanDerLinden,2002; Duree, 2007; McNair, 2010). However, because of the dynamic nature of communitycollege leadership, the complex skills required of community college presidents, and theregional differences in community college systems, there is no one set of experiences thatlead to the acquisition of skills required of today’s community college presidents.If I Knew Then WhatI Know Now: Using theLeadership CompetenciesDeveloped by the AmericanAssociation of CommunityColleges to PrepareCommunity College PresidentsDelores E. McNair1,Christopher A. Duree2,and Larry Ebbers3

The Changing Presidency:The results of the more recent 2006 CLS show most presidents were White (88%), male (71%), and most were 58 years old or older (57% ), showing an older average age than past surveys

Weisman, I M. (2007). The 2006 survey, however, showed only a 1% increase, bringing the 2006 percentage offemale presidents to 29%.

Future community college presidents cannot be mirror images of theirpredecessors. Vaughn (1989) noted that traditionally, community college presidents‘duties were to ensure that institutions were managed efficiently and were responsible forcreating a campus climate which allowed students and employees the opportunity toachieve their full potential as members of the college community.Additionally, these traditional leaders interpreted and communicated the college missionto the students, employees, trustees, legislators, and the community at-large.The results from a recent survey of 120 community college presidents andchancellors (Green, 2008) elucidates the change in focus of community college presidentsand found them addressing enrollments, campus employment, and budgets.

For many decades, the community college arena has been faced with manyobstacles such as, budget cuts, increased in tuition, and low graduation of students.These obstacles will change the roles and responsibilities of administrators by becomingproactive leaders, as well as managers (Cohen & Brawer, 1996). Watba and Farmer(2006) also discussed issues challenging community deans and presidents in the 21stcentury. These challenges include the advancement of technology, changingdemographics, industries needing more trained workers, and job placement

If I Knew Then WhatI Know Now: Using theLeadership CompetenciesDeveloped by the AmericanAssociation of CommunityColleges to PrepareCommunity College PresidentsDelores E. McNair1,Christopher A. Duree2,and Larry Ebbers3

Skills and Preparation:

In 1997, Pierce and Pederson offered a description of the community college presidentthat remains appropriate:A community college president is not simply a problem-solver. The president isalso expected to meet a governing board’s need for impartial and expert counsel;inspire faculty and staff in matters pertaining to curriculum and instruction; serveas a model of ethical behavior; and provide, as conditions warrant, vision for theentire community. (p. 13)

In the American association of community college’s report, The Community College Presidency: 2006 , we find the most traveled pathway to the presidency is through the academic pipeline. The study finds that In 2006, 55% of the participating presidents held academic positions before becoming college presidents. The study also reaffirmed that the principle path to the presidency is through academic affairs.

Pierce, D. R. and Pedersen, R. P. (1997), The Community College Presidency: Qualities for Success. New Directions for Community Colleges, 1997: 13–20. doi: 10.1002/cc.9802

More than half of current presidents (54%) have a formal mentoring relationship with a potential community college leader. This survey also showed 80% of the governing boards completed an evaluation of the president within the past two years. Weisman, I M. (2007).

Presidents are spending an increasing amount of time on the external responsibilities of the presidency; and (10) Nearly all presidents (97%) sit on a corporate, nonprofit, or national advisory board or panel Weisman, I M. (2007).

Amey and VanDerLinden(2002)

Highest DegreeIn 1984, 76% of the presidents responding to the surveyhad earned a doctoral degree. The percentage increasedto a high of 89% in 1996. The percentage of presidentswith an earned doctorate seems to have leveled off duringthe past decade, however. For example, 88% of thepresidents responding to the 2006 survey have theearned doctorate; this was the same percentage reportedin 2001. (See Table 1.)TABLE 1 President's Highest Degree Earned: 2006Position Before Assuming the First PresidencyCommunity college professionals, graduate students,and others want to know which (See Table 2.) Because current presidentsplay an important role in recommending future presidents,it is worthy of note that the chief academic officeris typically the president’s chief confidant on campus

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

The Presidents were asked to estimate the amount of time theyspend performing the duties associated with the president’soffice, and how they allocate time for specific tasks eachweek. On average, presidents continue to spend about 57hours per week performing work-related activities, whichinclude participating in an average of four evening orweekend activities.For greater precision, the presidents were asked to estimatethe percentage of time that they spent on 11 differentactivities, which are presented in three major categories:Internal Activities (administrative tasks, collegemeetings, and informal meetings and interactions);External Relations (community activities, fundraisingactivities, and legislative activities); and ProfessionalDevelopment and Other Activities (professional meetings,professional reading, teaching, and other).Slightly more than half of the presidents’ time (53%) isdevoted to internal operations, and approximately onethird (34%) of the presidents’ time is spent with communityand other external relations. These figures indicatea slight shift away from internal activities (56% in2001) and toward external relations (31% in 2001). Inaddition, presidents spend almost one fifth (19%) oftheir time on professional development and other activities.Table 3, based on 484 survey responses, providesmore detailed information on these findings.

Trust Recognizing that trust is an important issue to establish and maintain healthy organizations in higher education is both critical due to current challenges facing the sector and a prerequisite to discussion about implications from this study. Recognizing the level of trust in institutions and understanding the five aspects of trust will help deans, university leaders, and faculty members consider why there may be a difference in perceptions of trust. In assessing the trust levels in their organization the leadership can identify discrepancies as a starting point to improve climate and relations at the institution. Long term efforts may lead to solving any issues identified from using the inventory and result in institutional strategies to promote trust and positive interpersonal relationships. Smith, P., & Shoho, A. (2007). Higher Education Trust, Rank and Race: A Conceptual and Empirical Analysis. Innovative Higher Education, 32(3), 125-138.

Diversity:

Stephenson (2001) concluded women community college leaders will have the task of moving the community colleges in the 21st century, assuring the institution willserve its community and prepare those individuals with the skills and knowledge tobecome productive citizens. As more women are enrolled in community collegeleadership programs and more women are becoming administrators, it is imperatively thatthey identify their leadership behaviors that will assist them in developing effectiveleadership skills.

According to the author’s analysis there is not yet equity in the leadership ranks of community colleges and there continue to be few role models for minority students in the positions of leadership. Latinas in higher education administration still confront “stereotypical perceptions” and must continuously ‘‘prove their ability’’ as they are often required to confront cultural myths and defend their cultural uniqueness. The study found that Latinas must overcome perceptions that their positions were not earned based on competence or merit. The researchers also found that present day leadership development opportunities may not adequately address minority women’s perspectives or the fact that the higher education system remains dominated by older white males. The study also revealed that there is not a network of support for Latinas as there is for males.

How does this work a) connect, b) corroborate, c) conflict, or d) extend previous work in this area?

According to the author, women of color in higher education leadership roles have not been studied to a great extent. As a result, this study and the findings will contribute to “a limited body” of knowledge that currently exists. This study recognizes that equity has not been achieved for women of color in community colleges and that Latinas have traditionally been excluded from participation in higher education leadership roles in community colleges. This study seeks to further the dialogue regarding Latina participation in the role of college president and connect the data to actual experiences that may increase understanding of the variables that serve as barriers to Latinas seeking presidencies. The article also identified policies and practices that may effectively build a more inclusive culture in community colleges.

Implications:

Because community college leadership positions are still primarily dominated by White males, more work needs to be done to ensure equity is achieved for Latinas in higher education. Biased perceptions, gender and racial discrimination, limited role models, and exclusion from networking opportunities remain barriers to Latinas who posses similar educational preparation to their male counterparts. As nearly half of the Latinas had participated in the National Community College Hispanic Council fellows program, this speaks to the success of the approach and should inform future professional development programs. While the author also noted that discrimination and/or barriers existed for these women, the Latinas proved resilient, assertive and proactive in reaching their professional goals. The perspective gained from this study supports the implementation of inclusive and affirming practices in leadership

development. If enacted, this will bring new approaches, styles, and insights to the profession that will enrich the college and the community college system. MUNOZ

And while he asserted that community college leadership positionsare increasingly filled by women, thus moving toward greater genderdiversity, he noted a need to strengthen efforts to expand ethnicdiversity. He went on to identify critical personal traits needed for21st century community college leaders including high ethical standards,integrity, fairness, and openness to new ideas. He stressedthe importance of relationships noting that ‘‘leaders must find ways

to involve people in their decisions’’ (Boggs, 2003, p. 20) Boggs, G. R. (2003), Leadership Context for the Twenty-First Century. New Directions for Community Colleges, 2003: 15–25. doi: 10.1002/cc.118

The study found that family encouragement and support, values established in childhood advocacy on behalf of others, memorable events motivating social justice action in adolescence or young adulthood, and leadership positions in student clubs or groups had a significant impact on the Latina president’s decisions regarding their career. Mentors, who encouraged expanding skills, risk taking, and provided performance assessments, helped to strengthen their preparation for the presidency. Personal intrinsic motivation, a desire to improve social conditions, a commitment to student success along with a firm belief in the mission of community colleges guided their career choices.

By being fully prepared, obtaining the necessary academic credentials, serving as proactive change agents, and gaining credibility, they facilitated their own success. Muñoz, M. (2010). In Their Own Words and by the Numbers: A Mixed-Methods Study of Latina Community College Presidents. Community College Journal Of Research & Practice, 34(1/2), 153-174.

Latinas proved resilient, assertive and proactive in reaching their professional goals. The perspective gained from this study supports the implementation of inclusive and affirming practices in leadership development. If enacted, this will bring new approaches, styles, and insights to the profession that will enrich the college and the community college system. Muñoz, M. (2010). In Their Own Words and by the Numbers: A Mixed-Methods Study of Latina Community College Presidents. Community College Journal Of Research & Practice, 34(1/2), 153-174.

; furthermore,he suggested that leaders need specific knowledge and skillsto be successful and that these skills can be acquired through professionaldevelopment activities and mentoring experiences.Delores E. McNair …Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 34: 199–217, 2010Copyright # Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

ISSN: 1066-8926 print=1521-0413 onlineDOI: 10.1080/10668920903388206

Cejda, B. D., & Leist, J. (2006). Challenges Facing Community Colleges: Perceptions of Chief Academic Officers in Nine States. Community College Journal Of Research & Practice, 30(3), 253-274. doi:10.1080/10668920500322343

Accordingly,this study explores the characteristics, competencies, and professional experiences thattrustees believe are critical for future community college presidents to possess. Plinske and Packard

Plinske, K. & Packard, W. (2010). Trustees’ perceptions of the desired qualifications for the nextgeneration for community college presidents. Community College Review, 37(4), 291-312.

She also described community colleges as the “nexus ofeducational partnerships forming . . . seamless educational pathways” (p. 3) from elementaryschool through higher education and, in some cases, offering applied bachelor’sdegrees. Thus, today’s community college leaders need skills in balancing the multiplepriorities of the local community, students, business partners, and legislators; in addition,community college leaders need to understand the nuances of faculty governance and,Downloaded from crw.sagepub.com at UNIV CALIFORNIA DAVIS on November 13, 20118 Community College Review 39(1)in many states, collective bargaining. Eddy concluded that “Contemporary communitycollege leaders thus require skill sets and life experiences that differ from those neededin the past and that allow them to successfully navigate 21st-century challenges” (p. 5).

Community College TeachingAlthough teaching takes up approximately 1% of thetime reported by all presidents, not all presidents currentlyteach. Only 46 (8%) of the 545 presidents whoresponded to the survey indicated that they currentlyteach at a community college at least once per year.However, the authors suspect that the percentage

involved in teaching may be higher because presidentsare frequently asked to teach courses or serve as guestlecturers in graduate programs in higher education.Therefore, the percentage of presidents who visit theclassroom in a faculty capacity each year is likely to behigher than reported.In addition, in terms of having experience in the classroom,the vast majority of presidents (86%) have taughtin a community college at some point in their careers.Slightly less than half (48%) of the presidents statedthat they had previously taught full-time, and 49%stated that they had previously taught part-time. (Notethat these choices were not mutually exclusive; therefore,some presidents have taught both part-time andfull-time.)PREPARING FUTURE LEADERSMore than half of the current presidents (54%) stated thatthey have a formal mentoring relationship with a potentialfuture leader, which is up slightly from the responses ofthe presidents in 2001 (50%).TABLE 3 Percentage of Time Spent onPresidential Tasks: 2006A substantial percentage of current presidents (43%)stated that they sponsor a GYOL program on their campus.

TABLE 4 Presidential Involvement in GYOLCOMMUNITY AND BUSINESS RELATIONSThe presidents provided information on their participationon various types of boards, their contact with selectedcommunity constituents, and their participation in voluntaryactivities. These questions were first asked in 2001.Board MembershipThere was a decrease in the percentage of presidents whosit on the board of a corporation or business, from 49% in2001 to 37% in 2006. As in 2001, the majority of presidentswho serve on these kinds of boards do so withoutpay. Approximately 30% of all presidents responded thatthey serve in an unpaid position on a corporate board,and nearly 11% said that they were paid for their service.There is much greater presidential participation on boardsof community-based or nonprofit organizations than oncorporate boards. In fact, almost all presidents (94%) siton nonprofit boards.

Contact With Community LeadersThe presidents were asked how frequently they meet with

high-ranking business and industry officials, as well as withlocal K–12 school officials in their service area. Currentpresidents meet more frequently with business and industryleaders now than they did five years ago. More specifically,there was a substantial increase in presidents whoreport that they meet with these officials at least once aweek, from 27% in 2001 to 47% in 2006. Another 40%of the presidents stated that they meet with these leaders atleast once a month.

Fifty-five percent of the presidentssaid they meet with school officials at least once permonth, and 13% said they meet with these officials at leastonce a week. Table 6 provides a complete comparison ofthe 2001 and 2006 responses.Presidents continue to establish and maintain relationswith key government officials. Approximately 97% of the2006 presidents reported that they had conversations withtheir state representatives and state senators at least twiceper year

In addition, 93% of the presidents reported thatthey had visited the state legislature to advocate for or topromote their community college during the most recentlegislative session.

The majority of presidents (66%)reported having conversations with their college’s memberof the U.S. House of Representatives 2 to 10 timesper year, and slightly less than half (about 49%) hadconversations with their U.S. senator 2 to 10 timesper year.

Volunteer WorkAnother aspect of community relations is volunteer work,and community college presidents participate in a widerange of community service and volunteer activities.Approximately 91% of all presidents in 2006 stated thatthey had participated in community service or volunteerwork in the past year, up from 85% in 2001.

CONCLUDING REMARKSAttaining the Presidency

• Academic administration remains the most common

pathway to the presidency. Academic administrationis a powerful qualifier not only because it provides abackground in curriculum, instruction, and facultyleadership, but because academic administrationencompasses a wide variety of other responsibilities aswell: strategic planning, human and financial resourcemanagement, collaboration within and among departmentsand institutions, and institutional and studentadvocacy. Those presidential hopefuls who are not inthe academic pipeline should develop their skills inthe breadth of leadership competencies that will makethem competitive with academic administrators.• Having an earned doctorate should no longer be consideredan optional qualification. Over the past 3years, of those hired into their first presidency, morethan 87% had earned a doctorate or a professionaldegree (e.g., JD or MD).

Fulfilling the Presidency• The presidency has a strong external relations component,and the data indicate that the external aspect ofthe position is increasing. Slightly less than 31% of thepresidents’ time was spent on external relations in2001, compared with 34% in 2006. Community collegepresidents seek and establish relationships withelected officials on the local, state, and federal level.They lobby their legislature to advocate for their communitycollege. They meet with business, government,and other community leaders; participate in fundraisingactivities; and participate in community activities.• Service is an inexorable part of the presidency. Nearlyevery president—97% of the survey respondents—sitson at least one corporate, nonprofit, or national advi-TABLE 7 Contact With Government Officals: 2006In addition, approximately 91% of allpresidents in 2006 stated that they had participated incommunity service or volunteer work in the past year.• Presidents recognize and contribute to their role asdevelopers of future leaders. The number of “growyour own leaders” programs sponsored by presidentsand the extent to which presidents participate in theseprograms, as well as the percentage of presidents whoserve as mentors to future leaders, underscore thecommitment of current presidents to the future ofcommunity colleges nationwide.• Presidents spend more time with high-ranking business

and industry officials than they do with localK–12 school officials. Business and industry areunique constituents in that they may request specifictraining for their current employees (serving as primarycustomers) and that they hire community collegegraduates (making the employers secondary customersof community college education services). Local K–12school systems, however, may be better understood aspartners of collaborative education initiatives such as2+2 programs, as well as suppliers of primary customersin the form of graduates and dropouts.Although relationships with business and industry maylead to more teaching or training opportunities forcommunity colleges, relationships with the K–12schools should not be undervalued. Community colleges,as community citizens, have an obligation to collaboratewith K–12 schools in any efforts that mayimprove the education level of their citizenry.Leaving the Presidency• Leaving a presidency is not the same as leaving thepresidency. In fact, mobility seems to be on the rise,with an increasing number of presidents having two ormore presidencies.• That the percentage of presidents who plan to retirewithin the next 10 years has increased is not unexpected.The average age of presidents was 58 years in 2006,making current presidents the oldest of any group ofrespondents since the CLS was first conducted in 1984(when the average age was less than 52 years).REFERENCESVaughan, G. B. (1986). The community college presidency.New York: American Council on Education/Macmillan.Vaughan, G. B., Mellander, G. A., Blois, B., & Pierce,D.R. (1994). The community college presidency: Currentstatus and future outlook. Washington, DC: AmericanAssociation of Community Colleges.Vaughan, G. B., Weisman, I. M., & Puyear, D.E.(1998). The community college presidency at the millennium.Washington, DC: American Association ofCommunity Colleges.Weisman, I. M., & Vaughan, G. B. (2002). The communitycollege presidency 2001. Washington, DC: AmericanAssociation of Community Colleges.© 2007 American Association of Community Colleges. Photocopying for nonprofit educational purposes is permitted. t

The development of effective leadership practices for future presidents and deansat community colleges is vital for the continued success of the two year institution. In2003, the Kellogg Foundation funded a grant to the American Community College ofAssociation (AACC) to address the national issue, as it relates to leadership within3community college arena, through a four-day summit referred to as “Leading Forward.”The American Community College Association summarized Vincent’s (2004) report AQualitative Analysis of Community College Leadership Forward Summits. The reportconsisted of a summary of 150 expert opinions about leadership within the communitycollege system. The report addressed the following questions:1. What are the key knowledge, skills, and values of an effective communitycollege leader?2. What is leadership development and what are the most effective ways fordeveloping leaders?3. Upon a review of existing leadership program offering, how well are thecurrent programs meeting the needs?4. How can a national framework be built that is comprehensive, provides realchoice and distinctions between leadership development programs/curriculaand is used to individuals, institutions, and employers? (Vincent, 2004, p.4).The study identified effective leadership characteristics and leadershipdevelopment and addressed organizational strategy, management, interpersonal,communication, and professionalism. The result of the study was concluded as ACompetency Framework for Community College Leaders. If future community collegeleaders are going to address the many challenges and demands such as increase inenrollment, advance in technology, lack of finance, and globalization, they mustunderstand the following:4_ Leadership can be learned. While it can be enhanced immeasurably bynatural aptitude and experience, supporting leaders with exposure totheory, concepts, and cases guided by other practical information andlearning methodologies is essential._ Many members of the community college can lead. The competencieswill shift in importance depending upon the level of the leader. Forexample, it is more critical that a president be able to communicateeffectively with the board than for a staff assistant to do so. Both,however, can benefit from mastery of the communication competency.

_ Effective leadership is a combination of effective management and vision.Ideally acquisition of management skills will precede vision. In reality thetwo skills sets often develop in tandem and are presented together in thiscompetency framework._ Learning leadership is a life-long process, the movement of which isinfluenced by personal and career maturity as well as other developmentprocesses.

_ The leadership gap can be addressed through a variety of strategies such ascollege grow-your own –programs, AACC council and universityprograms, state system programs, residential institutes, coaching,mentoring and on line and blended approaches. Important considerationthat apply to all forms of delivery include sustain current leaders and5developing new ones (Competency Framework for Community CollegeLeaders).

Presidential Skills, Competencies and EthicsWhat are the skills and competencies new presidents need? Smith (2009) definespersonal attributes are the character traits, aptitudes, skills, values and attitudes of anindividual. A study conducted by Pope and Miller (2005) researched the skills requiredfor and roles assumed by community college presidents. Participants were first asked toidentify skills or roles relevant to a president. Secondly, the participants were asked toidentify the extent to which leadership in a faculty senate might provide the necessaryexperience with the skills and/or roles of a community college president.More than 80% of the responding faculty leaders perceived three skills to beimportant for a community college president: education values, oral communicationskills, and problem-analysis skills. Contrastingly, responding presidents perceived eightskills to be important: stress tolerance, problem analysis, personal motivation,organizational ability, written communication, educational values, oral communication,and judgment. The four skills which emerged from the responses in terms of relevanceand importance were problem analysis, education values, oral communication, andpersonal motivation.Also, in linking other less mentioned competencies (fit-nesses) for futurepresidents, a study by Fujita (1990) found that within the scope of how presidents wereevaluated included their ―appearance, image or impact‖ (p. 2). In a study by Bumpas(1998) titled Factors That Affect The Selection Of Community College Presidents, acandidates personal appearance and being a ―good fit‖ (p. 129) were found as a3232proficiency a would-be president needs to possess. With regarding to good fit, Bumpas(1998) noted:A college presidency varies in complexity due to the conditions at the institution.One must remember that every board, college, and system irrespective of missionand similarities is different. Fit is hard to define. It is between the individual andthe institution. (pp. 129-130)Public speaking ability and communications skills were mentioned as anecessities for community college presidents in previous research literature (Brown,Martinez, & Daniel, 2002; Gatto, 2009; Gregg, 2004; Heffner, 2009; Tubbs & Moss,2003; Wallin, 2006). Previous research literature strongly suggest that community collegepresidents have good listening skills (ACC, 2005) Communitycollege presidents of the future need unique behaviors and traits; due to the complexity ofsituations they will face (Goff, 2003).

When studying managerial traits that were admired by subordinates, Goff (2003)stated, ―According to our research, the majority of us admire leaders who are honest,competent, forward-looking, and inspiring‖ (p. 16). Hockaday and Puyear (2000)identified nine traits of effective community college leaders to have vision, integrity,confidence, courage, technical knowledge, ability to collaborate, persistence, goodjudgment, and desire to lead.The importance of integrity (honesty) for leaders was found in literature fromseveral researchers (Bennis, 1999; Gregg, 2004; Hilderbrant, 1987; Hockaday & Puyear,2000; Jensen et al., 2000; Kouzes & Posner, 2007; Vaughn, 1986). In the review ofliterature, one of the most frequently occurring recommendations for community college3333presidents was that they be of good moral character Bass & Steidlmeier,1998; Cohen & Brawer, 2003; Plinske, 2009).Warren Bennis (1999) identified the following essential attributes of leadership:technical competence, conceptual skill, a proven track record, people skills, taste,character, and good judgment. ―Character is the key to exceptional leadership…researchat Harvard University indicates that 85% of a leader‘s performance depends on personalcharacter‖ (p. 3). Character is described as drive, competence, and integrity. Most leaderswill possess the first two, drive and competence, but lack the integrity that it takes to havea moral guiding compass. ―Such leaders rarely last, for the simple reason that without allthree ingredients – drive, competence, and moral compass – it is difficult to engage othersand sustain meaningful results (p. 6).Also, 95% of respondents to the National Leadership Index report felt thathonesty and integrity were extremely important traits for leaders (National LeadershipIndex, 2005). The importance of values as an attribute for future presidents is discussedby Fulton-Calkins and Millings (2005), as they suggest the importance of values forleaders when they write:Leadership is based on a solid foundation of values; if the foundation is takenaway, there is no base for leadership. Thus, the leader must not only be aware ofpersonal values, but also must clearly present those values to others within theorganization. How? The obvious answer is living them daily. (p. 238)Additionally, Quinn (2004) argues that values form the ―fundamental state‖ of leaderbehavior (p. 87). Boggs (2003) noted that future community college leaders needed to behonest and have high ethical standards, and be fair and equitable.3434Avolio (2004) finds ―Leaders exhibit ethical behaviors when they are doing whatis morally right, just, and good, and when they help to elevate followers' moral awarenessand moral self-actualization. Indeed, ethical leadership encompasses more than thefostering of ethical behaviors‖ (p. 2). Integrity is also a very important attribute for newcommunity college presidents. Vaughn (1986), found integrity was the topped rankedpersonal attribute for presidents to possess. The ability to listen and interpret data werealso skills and abilities future presidents need. Goldstein (2006) notes that ―Leaders haveto be in touch, have good analytical skills, be good listeners, and have a sense of theimpact they have on the people around them‖ (p. 17). The American Association of

community Colleges (AACC, 2005) unanimously approved a document entitledCompetencies for Community College Leaders. See Table 3.As the AACC Competencies mentions, the success of students should be aconcern or competency for presidents. Budig (2002) notes an important competency forpresidents, and one that cannot be feigned, is that community college presidentsgenuinely like students. Wallin (2004) recognizes that there is no clear set of trainingcompetencies for future presidents to learn from. Also mentioned in the AACCCompetencies for leaders, is that they understand the environment and future trends. Oneof those trends is that community college presidents understand, appreciate, and apply theappropriate business practices to the community college environment (Levin, 2002,2005).

McNair, D. (2011). If I Knew Then What I Know Now: Using the Leadership Competencies Developed by the American Association of Community Colleges to Prepare Community College Presidents. Community College Review, 39(1), 3.

Role of the Board:

The ultimate authority for selecting a community college president resides with theboard of trustees (Association of Community College Trustees, 2009). Communitycolleges are governed by a board, and, depending on the state where the college islocated, trustees are either locally elected, locally appointed, state elected, or stateappointed (Vaughan, 2006). Regardless of its structure, one of the most important rolesof a community college board of trustees is to recruit, select, and hire a new president(Boggs, 2006). In this role, trustees are responsible for appointing a search committee,determining the characteristics and qualifications of an ideal candidate, overseeingadvertisement of the position and recruitment of candidates, reviewing applicants,interviewing finalists, and, finally, appointing a new president (Association of CommunityCollege Trustees, 2007).

3535Table 3AACC Leadership Competencies ]

Hassan, A., Dellow, D., & Jackson, R. (January 01, 2010). The AACC Leadership Competencies: Parallel Views from the Top. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 34, 1-2.

Competency DefinitionOrganizational Strategy An effective community college leader strategically improvesthe quality of the institution, protects the long-term health ofthe organization, promotes the success of all students, andsustains the community college mission, based on knowledgeof the organization, its environment, and future trends.Resource Management An effective community college leader equitably and ethicallysustains people, processes, and information as well asphysical and financial assets to fulfill the mission, vision, andgoals of the community college.Communication An effective community college leader uses clear listening,speaking, and writing skills to engage in honest, opendialogue at all levels of the college and its surroundingcommunity, to promote the success of all students, and tosustain the community college mission.Collaboration An effective community college leader develops andmaintains responsive, cooperative, beneficial, and ethicalinternal and external relationships that nurture diversity,promote the success of all students.Community College An effective community college leader understands, commitsAdvocacy to, and advocates for the mission, vision, and goals of thecommunity college.Professionalism An effective community college leader works ethically to sethigh standards for self and others, continuously improves selfand surroundings, demonstrates accountability to and for theinstitution.Note: Modified from the American Association of Community Colleges. (2009).

Competencies for community college leaders. Retrieved September 14, 2009, fromhttp://www.ccleadership.org/resource_center/competencies.htm3636

The Changing Roles of Community College PresidentsFuture community college presidents cannot be mirror images of theirpredecessors. Vaughn (1989) noted that traditionally, community college presidents‘duties were to ensure that institutions were managed efficiently and were responsible for

creating a campus climate which allowed students and employees the opportunity toachieve their full potential as members of the college community.Additionally, these traditional leaders interpreted and communicated the college missionto the students, employees, trustees, legislators, and the community at-large.The results from a recent survey of 120 community college presidents andchancellors (Green, 2008) elucidates the change in focus of community college presidentsand found them addressing enrollments, campus employment, and budgets. With regardto enrollments and budgets, Mullin and Phillippe (2009) observed;By fall 2009, the economic recession that started almost two years previously hada dramatic and unforeseen impact on community colleges. In particular, thesechanged economic circumstances had been broadly viewed as spurring majorenrollment increase across the country. These enrollment increases were coupledwith widespread funding reductions. (p. 4)Hockaday and Puyear (2000) argue that ―the issues that upcoming community collegeleaders will have to address will be different and more complex than those faced bycommunity college leaders in the past‖ (p. 1). In fact, the role of the community collegepresident has changed substantially in the first ten years of the current century. TheAmerican Council on Education (ACE) recommends that a college presidency combinesat least two full-time jobs (ACE, 2007). One of jobs involves dealing with on-campusconstituencies; and the other job is dealing with external challenges including legislative,3737government, community groups, media, and potential donors (ACE, 2007). Clearly, ―ournations community colleges are entering their second century with a rekindled sense ofpurpose, a renewed understanding of their core values, and a heightened resolve topreserve the open door to higher education,‖ (Thomas, 2002, p. 9).In 2001, the American Association of Community Colleges administered aleadership survey to community college presidents. Christopher Shults (2001) providedan executive summary of the leadership survey done by the American Association ofCommunity Colleges. He summarized the survey by stating, ―Presidents believe that theskills they need in the future will remain constant but that there will be more emphasis onthe ability to be flexible, to understand technology, and to seek business-and industrypartnerships‖ (p. 1).President as FundraiserThe American Association of Community Colleges (AACC, 2008) noted the riseof effective fundraising by community college presidents as pre-eminent commitment.The article stressed that ―to be skilled in the art and science of fundraising is animperative for the modern community college president‖ (p. 30). Clearly, this is in sharpcontrast to the results from a 1986 Career and Lifestyle Survey (CLS), which includedresponses from 591 community college presidents where it was concluded that presidentsspent ―too much time with people outside of the college, such as politicians, communityleaders, managers of businesses, in getting dollars, and in projecting the image of thecollege‖ (Vaughn, 1986, p. 57). Phelan (2005) concludes that ―To be effectivefundraisers, community college presidents must have a basic understanding of giving3838

options as well as familiarity with instruments for giving, such as charitable remaindertrusts, charitable gift annuities, gifts insurance, stock, and/or real property‖ (p. 94 ).President as Lobbyist. Phelan (2005) believes that ―today‘s community collegepresidents should be skilled in building significant relationships with legislators‖ (p. 89).Phelan notes, that ―because most community colleges cannot afford to hire a lobbyist, thepresident becomes the de facto lobbyist‖ (p. 89). Phelan states;the president should also have at command a telephone tree of selectedcommunity members to be called on at a moment‘s notice to write letters, maketelephone calls, and send e-mails to legislators about vital funding legislation. Tobe sure, this practice will require significant time and effort to orchestrate, but thisis the price of admission to the legislative table. (p. 89)Phelan concludes that Community college presidents can learn these lobbying, orpolitical skills through prescribed training, and by working with former legislator andlobbyist.President as Communicator. Schmitz (2008) in a study on leadership preparationand career pathways of community college presidents‘ states:The importance placed on communication is consistent with the presidents‘ ratingof communication-related challenges such as faculty relations, board relations,and community involvement, which were rated as challenging or very challengingby more than 50% of the presidents. The high rating of the importance of a strongskill set in the communication domain is an excellent sign that community collegepresidents recognize its value not only for themselves but for future leaders aswell. (p. 120)A potential president without a communication style capable of reaching all constituentsmay not be as successful in that function of the office. The need for community collegepresidents to have an effective communications style and one that supports the mission of3939the college appears to be supported in research literature (Desjardins & Huff, 2001;Brown, Martinez, & Daniel, 2002; Roueche, Baker & Rose, 1989).Whenever change takes place, it is the president‘s job to communicate the changeacross the campus and to the community. Phelan (2005) statesemployees generally understand the volatile nature of higher education finances.What employees do not understand and clearly do not appreciate is being kept inthe dark or left out of the situation. Presidents should be mindful of this andaddress college employees immediately. (p. 95)As community college presidents are forced to make changes in fiscal policy andpractices in response to the shifting budget streams, it is important that they are aware―some of these changes may cause negative fallout among campus constituents‖ (Phelan,2005, p. 95). Eddy (2003) found that community college presidents are the directionalnavigators for their campuses. He noted that inherently, leadership on all campuses isnested via the organizational hierarchy. An implication of the findings of Eddy‘s study isthat leaders need to consider the filtering element of institutional culture when they frameissues for campus sense-making. Eddy asserts:on a campus with high levels of faculty involvement, it is critical to communicatechange in a more involved way and to obtain buy-in from faculty leaders. If

presidents have a particular version of the messages regarding change that theywish to be the core of the shared campus meaning, care must be given as to howothers interpret the message. (p. 51)

The data clearly indicate a consensus between presidents fromFlorida and New York on the AACC competencies with little variationbetween these competencies in terms of their importance. Thisfinding is particularly interesting since there are dimensions of thepresidents’ jobs in these two states that are quite different. For example,in Florida, there is no local funding, so little time has to be spentwooing local county legislators for support and funding. In NewYork, presidents spend considerable time gaining budget supportfrom local county leaders for budgets and capital projects. Soalthough the job responsibilities are similar, there are some additionalpolitical considerations in which New York presidents must engage.Nonetheless, there is a general set of competencies which is importantacross two state systems and contexts. This lends credence toAACC’s attempt to identify a set of competencies that would havewide applicability.These results also indicate that trustee board chairpersons in bothstates have high expectations of their community college leaders andagree about what they expect from their leaders. This is importantbecause their understanding of the critical community college leadercompetencies is vital for their informed support of successful leadershipof the colleges, succession planning, and leadership developmentprograms (Nasworthy, 2002).It is comforting to know that the presidents and trustee boardchairpersons seem to agree on the relative importance of the AACCcompetencies, and this overlapping perspective supports an institutionalalignment critical for the success of their respective colleges.The commonality among presidents and board chairpersons isextremely important for community college leadership, because theteam—the president and board of trustees—plays a significant rolein establishing, refining, interpreting, and communicating the188 A. M. Hassan et al.Downloaded by [University of California Davis] at 14:13 20 November 2011college’s mission and future (Nasworthy, 2002). Together, they createthe synergy and cohesion in the college and represent the confluenceof information much more so than any single individual (Hughes &Beatty, 2005). However, it must also be acknowledged that therecan be agreement about the importance of competencies by theleadership team and differing opinions about how effectively thepresident is actually demonstrating the competencies.Finally, an important conclusion to draw from these data as theyrelate to developing leaders is that various leadership experiencescontribute differently to the development of key community college

leadership competencies; some are apparently more relevant to certaincompetencies than others. Although this information is based on retrospectiveaccounts and is therefore subject to some bias, the presidents’reports are noteworthy in that their conclusions are drawn from actualpersonal experiences related to their position as community collegepresidents. It is clear that on-the-job experience was perceived to bea major factor in the leadership development of the presidents in thisstudy. One interesting finding, however, is that community collegeadvocacy, although appearing to be developed through on-the-jobexperience, may be honed in more specialized learning contexts likeworkshops and networking. Although advocacy of the community collegeis often suggested for campus constituencies, it is the presidentwho has the primary responsibility of advocating for the college withdifferent external groups. It is possible that where on-the-job experienceat lower levels of administration fosters development of the otherfive major competencies, coming up through the professional ranksof a community college does not expose one to the degree or level ofadvocacy that is expected or demanded of the president.IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICEThere are two implications for practice that this study provides forcommunity college administrators, senior leaders, boards of trustees,hiring committees, and leadership development programmers whomust address the challenge of succession planning in communitycollege leadership. First, the strong support of the competencies bypresidents and trustees would suggest the use of the validated AACCCompetencies for Community College Leaders as a template forhiring future community college leaders. Second, the results of theleadership development survey in this study would suggest strategiesfor identifying candidates for leadership (What experiences have theyhad?) and strategies for designing or improving ‘‘Grow Your Own’’AACC Leadership Competencies 189Downloaded by [University of California Davis] at 14:13 20 November 2011leadership development programs (How can we facilitate the on-thejobexperiences of faculty=staff so they learn more about the leadershipcompetencies perceived to be so important to the success ofcommunity college leadership?)AACC COMPETENCIES FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGELEADERS AS A TEMPLATE FOR HIRING FUTURECOMMUNITY COLLEGE LEADERSThe consistent agreement between community college presidents andchairpersons regarding the relevance of all six AACC competenciessupports the use of these competencies as a guide for the selectionof the next generation of community college leaders. The use of sucha competency model has precedence; Hughes, Ginnet, and Curphy(2006) have shown that a clearly defined competency model and astructured interview process (with questions linked to the model)

improve the likelihood of hiring effective leaders. This process isparticularly critical since the ‘‘war for talent’’ is great, requiring communitycolleges to rise to the challenge in managing a certain andworrisome future (Shults, 2001).So how can a community college hiring committee select the rightperson to lead from within the college? How can it determine howmany of these competencies the candidates possess? And even moreimportantly, how can it reliably know how well these competenciesare developed in each candidate?Based on our findings, the AACC competency model is a usefultemplate for structuring the screening, interviewing, and selectionprocesses for future community college leaders. The competencyframework can be used to standardize written submissions from thecandidates and develop a structured interview with questions thatare behaviorally linked to the community college leader competencies.To ensure that the candidates truly have the right stuff, a broadset of questions can be used to evaluate how fully these candidateshave developed all of the desired competencies. Thus, some of thestructured interview questions might include the following:1. Describe your job assignments in terms of the ways theychallenged and developed your leadership and managementskills. Describe the most challenging situation that you as a professionalhave personally faced at a college or university. Whatdid you do, and what was the outcome of your behavior? Tell ushow you think that you have learned from your progression in190

Hassan, A., Dellow, D., & Jackson, R. (January 01, 2010). The AACC Leadership Competencies: Parallel Views from the Top. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 34, 1-2.

Role of the Board of Trustees in the Selection of Community College PresidentsBoggs (2006) states that regardless of its structure, one of the most importantroles of a community college board of trustees is to recruit, select, and hire a newpresident. Campbell (2007) concurs when he writes:4040Choosing the person with whom to entrust with the future of the college is adaunting task. The president is responsible for the success of students, the moraleof the faculty, the fiscal stability of the college, and compliance with accreditationstandards. Selecting a new president may be the most important job a board oftrustees has. (p. 67)Community colleges are governed by a board, and depending upon the statewhere the college is located, trustees are locally-elected, locally-appointed, state-elected,

or state-appointed (Vaughn, 2006). The ultimate authority for hiring a community collegepresident resides with the board of trustees (Hildebrant, 1987). In this role, trustees areresponsible for appointing a search committee, determining the characteristics andqualifications of an ideal candidate, overseeing advertisement of the position andrecruitment of candidates, reviewing applicants, interviewing finalists, and finally,appointing a new president (Plinske, 2009). Ingram (1997) found the boards of trusteeswere responsible for setting and clarifying the mission and purpose of the college,appointing the chief executive, supporting the chief executive, and monitoring the chiefexecutive‘s performance.

While the responsibilities of boards of trustees in the presidential search processare clearly outlined, the criteria that trustees use to make hiring decisions are not asapparent. Most presidential openings are advertised with a published position statementthat includes the desired characteristics and minimum qualifications of applicants, withstatements including generic descriptions that are vague and are subject to a number ofdifferent interpretations by the members of the board of trustees. While presidentialsearches often involve a selection committee with representations from various campus4141and constituency groups, the authority for the final selection resides with the board oftrustees.

directly explore boardmembers’ perceptions about hiring criteria. As one president responded in a study ofpresidents’ perceptions of factors affecting the selection process, “Who cares whatthe president thinks. It’s the board that counts; I want to know what they think”(Bumpas, 1998, p. 177). Furthermore, the roles of community college presidents arechanging, and the expectations placed on the (Plinske and Packard)

The board and the president must get along and have a good relationship. Carver(1990) rightly said that ―no single relationship is as important as that between the boardand its chief executive officer‖ (p. 109). Donahue (2003) supports the contention asfollows:

According to Plinske and Packard (YEAR and PAGE 298-203) Board members identified numerous competencies that they consider important for community College Presidents. The authors categorized the competencies as general competencies, communication skills, and leadership skills. The general skills, in the order ranked by participants, are listed below:

1. Ability to establish trust2. Understanding of accounting and finance3. Understanding of community college funding4. Understanding of the different communities in the college district

5. Understanding of legal issues facing community 6. Understanding of marketing7. Understanding of multiculturalism8. Understanding of negotiations and contracts 9. Understanding of technology10. Understanding of the challenges and opportunities 11. Understanding of the community college system in general 12. Understanding of the mission of community 13. Understanding of unions and labor laws

In addition, participants in the study by Plinske and Packard (297?) recognized the following personal attributes, in order of importance, as being essential for future community college presidents to hold:

1. Passionate about education—is a champion of community colleges 2. Dependable—follows through on commitments3. Energetic—has a high energy level and is in good 4. Calm under pressure—ability to juggle multiple challenges 5. Charismatic—is well liked and respected 6. Community involvement—membership in Rotary Club or Kiwanis7. Organized—ability to manage time and resources effectively8. Presence—looks the part of a president9. Renaissance person—well rounded and well versed in multiple areas10. Self-aware—has a sense of who he or she is as a person11. Self-motivated—willing to take on challenges12. Tactful—can provide constructive criticism diplomatically13. Well balanced—has a balanced personal and professional life4. Friendly—good sense of humor15. Family person—is married

According to the authors, many of the items listed above have been identified in the literature. For example, items identifying attributes such as being passionate about education, charismatic, and organized have been identified by (Cook, 2004; Hammons & Keller, 1990; Hood, 1997; Turner, 2005). In addition, characteristics and attributes such as “like a president” and being dependable, calm under pressure, self-aware, well balanced, energetic, married, and involved in the community have not received great attention in studies about the community college presidency (Cook, 2004; Desjardins & Huff, 2001; Hammons & Keller, 1990; Hockaday &Plinske and Packard 299, Puyear, 2000; Townsend & Bassoppo-Moyo, 1997; Turner, 2005; Wallin, 2002).

In this study, the eight communication skills identified as important for future community college presidents are listed below. These appear in the order they were prioritized by the participants:

1. Articulate2. Good listener3. Media savvy4. Networking5. People-person6. Politically savvy7. Public speaking8. Student

In the review of the literature (see Figure 1), the most frequently occurring recommendation for community college presidents was to possess strong communication skills (Brown, Martinez, & Daniel, 2002; Desjardins & Huff, 2001; Hammons & Keller, 1990; Hood, 1997; Olson-Nikunen, 2004; Powell, 2004; Turner, 2005). The items thatemerged in this study help to further clarify and refine the specific competencies thatare contained within the overall theme of communication skills. Trustees in this studyreached consensus on the importance of eight communication skills, and they agreedthat it is critically important for future community college presidents to be articulateand good listeners, as defined by achieving the highest possible median score (7.0).The 12 leadership skills considered important for future community college presidentsto exhibit are listed below in order of importance as ranked by the participants:Downloaded from crw.sagepub.com at UNIV CALIFORNIA DAVIS on November 18, 2011300 Community College Review 37(4)1. Good moral character—honest, has integrity, is trustworthy (Mdn = 7.0;IQR = 0.0);2. Team-player—understands the value of a team, able to recruit and assemblean effective team (Mdn = 7.0; IQR = 1.0);3. Vision—recognizes where the college is today, articulates where the collegeshould be in the future, and generates buy-in for that vision (Mdn = 7.0;IQR = 1.0);4. Leads by example—is able to motivate employees and bring out the best inthem (Mdn = 6.5; IQR = 1.0);5. Innovative—flexible and open to change (Mdn = 6.0; IQR = 0.0);6. Persuasive—generates buy-in for decisions, particularly by using facts anddata (Mdn = 6.0; IQR = 0.0);7. Risk-taker—is comfortable taking measured risks (Mdn = 6.0; IQR = 0.0);8. Sense of confidence and humility—leads without always having to be inthe limelight (Mdn = 6.0; IQR = 0.0);9. Thick-skinned—have a personality that can withstand not always beingliked for the decisions he or she makes (Mdn = 6.0; IQR = 0.75);10. Ability to build consensus—knows how to listen to all sides and helppeople collate different ideas and reach a good conclusion (Mdn = 6.0;IQR = 1.0);11. Confronts challenges—faces issues head on and does not pretend they donot exist (Mdn = 6.0; IQR = 1.0);12. Structured and logical—can outline the steps necessary to realize a vision;able to delegate effectively (Mdn = 6.0; IQR = 1.0).

Just as the importance of strong communication skills for community college presidentsis mentioned frequently in the literature, many studies also discuss the importanceof possessing strong leadership skills (Cook, 2004; Desjardins & Huff, 2001;Hockaday & Puyear, 2000; Hood, 1997; Olson-Nikunen, 2004; Turner, 2005). Theitems that emerged in this study help to further define the specific skills containedwithin the overall theme of leadership. Trustees in this study reached consensus on theimportance of 12 leadership competencies, and they agreed that it is critically importantfor future community college presidents to have good moral character, to be ateam-player, and to have the ability to articulate a vision.Professional Experiences Importantfor Future Community College PresidentsParticipants in the study identified 17 professional experiences and 3 educationalbackgrounds that they considered to be important for future community college presidentsto possess. These professional experiences are listed below in order of importanceas ranked by the participants:Downloaded from crw.sagepub.com at UNIV CALIFORNIA DAVIS on November 18, 2011Plinske and Packard 3011. Experience in senior management/administration in any field (Mdn = 6.0;IQR = 0.5);2. Demonstrates professional commitment—has not simply spent a year ortwo in previous positions (Mdn = 6.0; IQR = 1.0);3. Experience working in a political environment—experience working withrepresentatives and regulators (Mdn = 6.0; IQR = 1.0);4. Employment at institutions with a good reputation (Mdn = 6.0; IQR = 2.0);5. Experience as a senior administrator specifically at a community college(Mdn = 5.5; IQR = 1.0);6. Experience at a community college (Mdn = 5.5; IQR = 1.0);7. Experience with outcome-based accountability initiatives (i.e., AcademicQuality Improvement Program; Mdn = 5.5; IQR = 1.0);8. Having been mentored by or having experience working for a wellrespectedleader (Mdn = 5.0; IQR = 0.75);9. Experience at any higher education institution (Mdn = 5.0; IQR = 1.0);10. Experience serving on a board (Mdn = 5.0; IQR = 1.0);11. Experience teaching at the community college level (full-time or part-time;Mdn = 5.0; IQR = 1.0);12. Fundraising experience (Mdn = 5.0; IQR = 1.0);13. Is well respected in the community college professional community—participates in national organizations, has published papers (Mdn = 5.0;IQR = 1.5);14. Experience at an organization that is unionized (Mdn = 5.0; IQR = 2.0);15. Experience teaching (at any level; full-time or part-time; Mdn = 5.0; IQR = 2.0);16. Employment in the state or region (Mdn = 4.0; IQR = 2.0);17. Experience in a senior management position specifically in the business/private sector (Mdn = 4.0; IQR = 2.0).Many of the professional experiences that emerged from this study as important forfuture community college presidents are supported in the literature. Specifically, the

majority of competencies on which consensus was reached regarding their degree ofimportance have been previously identified in other studies. However, trustees in thisstudy agreed on the importance of two additional professional experiences that werenot specifically identified in the literature review (see Figure 1): professional commitment,and experience at organizations with a good reputation. Furthermore, trustees inthis study identified as important three other professional experiences that had notemerged as important factors in previous studies: employment in the state or region,administrative experience specifically in the business/private sector, or experience atan organization that is unionized. However, the trustees in this study did not reachconsensus on the degree to which these experiences were important.The educational backgrounds identified in this study are listed below in order ofimportance, as ranked by the participants:Downloaded from crw.sagepub.com at UNIV CALIFORNIA DAVIS on November 18, 2011302 Community College Review 37(4)1. Master’s degree required (Mdn = 7.0; IQR = 0.0);2. Doctorate required (Mdn = 6.0; IQR = 1.25);3. Has a liberal arts background (Mdn = 4.0; IQR = 1.0).1Trustees reached consensus that a master’s degree is critically important for a communitycollege president. Although a doctorate was not considered critically important,its median importance rating of 6.0 indicates that many trustees still highly valuea doctoral degree. This finding is supported by the literature in that 88% of currentcommunity college presidents in 2006 held an earned doctorate (Weisman & Vaughan,2007). Although a doctorate is not an absolute requirement, it still is extremely commonamong community college presidents.Items of Critical ImportanceOf the 68 total characteristics, competencies, and professional experiences identified asimportant for community college presidents to possess in the future, nine emerged ascritically important in that they achieved the highest possible median score of 7.0:1. passionate about education—is a champion of community colleges;2. good moral character—honest, has integrity, trustworthy;3. articulate—ability to communicate in written and oral form clearly andprofessionally;4. master’s degree required;5. dependable—follows through on commitments; arrives on time or early forappointments and meetings;6. good listener—makes people feel like what they are saying is important; isable to read body language effectively;7. has the ability to establish trust;8. team-player—understands the value of a team, able to recruit and assemblean effective team; and9. vision—recognizes where the college is today, articulates where the collegeshould be in the future, and generates buy-in for that vision.Findings of InterestItems of Critical Importance With Greatest ConsensusFour of the items that emerged as critically important for future community collegepresidents also achieved the greatest possible degree of consensus among participants,

as indicated by an IQR = 0.0.Good moral character. Importance ratings for this item ranged from 5 to 7, and 26 of35 trustees rated the importance of this item as a 7, indicating critical importance.Downloaded from crw.sagepub.com at UNIV CALIFORNIA DAVIS on November 18, 2011Plinske and Packard 303During the interviews in the first phase of the study, many trustees offered “integrity”as their first response to the question, “What characteristics are critical for future communitycollege presidents to exhibit?” Trustees provided a number of descriptions of“good moral character.” As one trustee plainly stated, “I want someone who is fair andhonest” (Anonymous, personal communication, January 28, 2008). Another describedgood moral character as “When you can look them straight in the eye and just feel thatyou’re getting the pure, unvarnished truth, whatever the issue might be” (Anonymous,personal communication, February 1, 2008). In addition, several trustees commentedon why they believed good moral character was critically important, particularly as itrelated to building trust. As one trustee explained, “If one has the integrity, the honesty,and really the heart and soul of the community college interest at the top of whatyou are trying to do, the majority of people will believe in that person” (Anonymous,personal communication, February 11, 2008).Passionate about education. Importance ratings for this item ranged from 5 to 7; 27of the 35 trustees rated the importance of this item as a 7, indicating critical importance.A number of trustees indicated that “a deep commitment to education” iscritical for future community college presidents and that the “person must be achampion of the community college.” One trustee elaborated that “they have to bethe spokesperson, they have to be the cheerleader . . . a real champion of the communitycollege is what we want to see, not someone who just takes it as a bureaucraticjob” (Anonymous, personal communication, February 11, 2008). Anothertrustee explained, “I don’t care how much you know until I know how much youcare,” and further clarified that “how much you know will help you get the job; howmuch you care will help you keep the job” (Anonymous, personal communication,March 10, 2008).Articulate. Importance ratings for this item ranged from 6 to 7; 26 of the 35 trusteesrated the importance of this item as a 7, indicating critical importance. During theinterviews in the first phase of the study, many trustees offered “communicationskills” as their first response to the question, “What competencies are critical forfuture community college presidents to demonstrate?” One trustee explained that“being a good communicator is the most important thing” (Anonymous, personalcommunication, February 8, 2008), and another clarified that a critical competencyfor a president is the “ability to communicate, both written and verbal” (Anonymous,personal communication, February 9, 2008).Master’s degree required. Although many trustees specifically mentioned that theydo not believe a doctorate is critically important for future community college presidents,the majority of trustees believed that a master’s degree is critically important.Importance ratings for this item ranged from 3 to 7; 26 of the 35 trustees rated theimportance of this item as a 7, indicating critical importance. One trustee who specificallycommented that a president does not need a doctorate to “run an institution”clarified her belief by adding, “I do feel that the person has to have a minimum of a

master’s degree” (Anonymous, personal communication, January 30, 2008).

DOI: 10.1177/0091552109356980Community College Review 2010 37: 291 originally published online 13 January 2010Kathleen Plinske and Walter J. Packardof Community College Presidents

ConclusionThe research shows that upcoming retirementsamong community college leaders and those in theleadership pipeline pose a critical challenge to communitycolleges. The skills community collegeleaders will need in the future have been identified,however, and professional development activitiesexist to help teach those skills. By using theresources available to them and developing newstrategies, community colleges can ensure that qualifiedleaders are ready to fill senior faculty positions,administrative positions, and the presidency.In addition, other more specific competencies that have not been studied in the literature surfaced in this study, including an understanding ofthe different communities in the college’s district and their respective needs, an understanding of legal issues facing community colleges, an understanding of marketing, an understanding of the specific college at which a presidential candidate applies, and an understanding of unions and labor laws.

The understanding and ability to address these issues in the presidential search process may possibly assist aspiring presidents prepare professionally for the position as well as assist community college trustees as they consider potential presidents.

Plinske, K., & Packard, W. J. (2010). Trustees’ perceptions of the desired qualifications for the next generation of community college presidents. Community College Review, 37, 291-312.

Implications for PracticeThe responses to the question “What do you wish you had done differently to preparefor community college leadership, knowing what you know now?” offer additionalperspectives into the skills required for executive leadership in community colleges.The comments discussed here support previous research (Amey & VanDerLinden, 2002;Duree, 2007; McNair, 2010; Sanders, 2009) suggesting that skills are not developed in18 Community College Review 39(1)one single way, but through varied mechanisms, including professional experiences,professional development, doctoral studies, and mentoring. Given that there is no onestrategy for developing leadership skills, it may be unclear to aspiring leaders how theymight best acquire and develop the skills needed for executive leadership; similarly,faculty members from leadership development programs may be curious about waysof linking program outcomes to leadership skills.

In this section we therefore consider our findings to draw conclusions about the AACCcompetencies in terms of their value to community college leaders, how the competenciesmight be used to support the professional preparation of aspiring presidents, andhow practitioners and university faculty members might use the competencies to addressthe anticipated shortage of community college leaders. This information can be especiallyhelpful to those considering a college presidency and to current presidents seekingto build leadership capacity within their colleges. Finally, doctoral program facultymembers can use these recommendations to guide curriculum development in waysthat meet current and future leadership needs.

In spite of the gains made by women in higher education andthe increase of Hispanic students found entering post secondaryeducation, equity in the representation of Latinas in higher educationat the administrative ranks has not yet been achieved. Althoughdemographics have to reflect a more diverse student population,the highest levels of leadership continue to be occupied by WhiteLatina Community College Leaders 171males. Systemic challenges that persist for women include stereotypicalperceptions, gender and racial discrimination, limited role models,and exclusion from networking opportunities.The presidents in this study were as academically prepared or moreso than their male counterparts. The same was true for their participationlevel in community boards and service activities. It was significantthat almost half of the presidents had participated in theNational Community College Hispanic Council (NCCHC, 2006)fellows program prior to their appointment. Given the success ofNCCHC in influencing the placement of graduates in senior levelpositions, this has implications for other professional developmentprograms.

The Critical Impactof Impending Retirements onCommunity College LeadershipBy Christopher ShultsAACC-RB-01-5

Minority PresidentsFIGURE 2 Percentage of Community College PresidentsWho Were Female or Minority: 1986 and 19984 • AACC/Leadership Series, No. 1Chief AdministratorsInformation related to senior-level administratorsindicates there is a “graying” of people in thosepositions as well. A 2000 Michigan State University(MSU) study that examined career paths of

community college administrators (Amey,VanDerLinden, and Brown 2001) replicated a 1984study of administrators’ career paths (Moore,Twombly, and Martorana 1985). These two studiesasked many of the same questions, which permitstrend comparisons. The 1984 study identified foursenior administrative positions as among the mostcommon for progression to the presidency. The2000 study identified two additional “leadershippipeline” positions: business-and-industry liaisonand occupational/vocational education leader. Bothof these positions are geared toward nontraditionaleducation, an area increasingly important tocommunity colleges and an area in which currentpresidents believe future leaders will need to beproficient.Chief Student Affairs OfficerChief Business OfficerChief Academic Officer70

Presidential SkillsAlthough there is no specific blueprint for collegeleadership, certain skills have been identified asimportant for effective presidents, including theability to bring a college together in the governingprocess; the ability to mediate; having a good commandof technology; maintaining a high level oftolerance for ambiguity; understanding and appreciatingmulticulturalism; and the ability to buildcoalitions (Vaughan and Weisman 1998). InAACC’s 2001 online survey, community collegepresidents indicated their belief that future presidentswill need an even more entrepreneurial spirit,a greater command of technology, and a moreadaptive approach than presidents need today.Although many presidents receive leadershiptraining before moving into a presidency, they arenot prepared for all aspects of the job. The AACCsurvey asked presidents to identify aspects of thejob for which they had not been prepared. Themost frequent response was that they had not fullyunderstood the overwhelming nature of the job.

Presidents also reported being unprepared for thelevel of politics involved, fundraising, budgeting,

and the amount of relationship building they wereexpected to accomplish. Other studies of community college leadershiphave looked not at skills but at the traits a presidentmust have to be effective. Community CollegeLeadership in the New Millennium, a paper commissionedas part of the AACC New Expeditionsproject, examined this issue and identified importanttraits for community college presidents,including the ability to develop a vision of wherethe college should go, integrity, confidence andcourage, technical knowledge, a collaborative spirit,persistence, good judgment, and a desire to lead.The authors point out that these traits need not beinherent but can be learned or developed(Hockaday and Puyear 2000).Professional DevelopmentIn order to gain the skills and traits important toeffective leaders, those in the community collegeleadership pipeline must have access to appropriateprofessional development. AACC’s 2001 online surveyasked current CEOs to identify the professionaldevelopment activities that were most influential intheir attaining their current position. Presidentsreported a variety of activities as having been influential,including formal degree programs such ascommunity college or higher education leadership/administration programs. While advanced degreesconferred in general higher education administrationincreased by 13 percent from 1982–83 to 1996–97,there was a decrease of 78 percent in the number ofopportunity to network. Many reported that theywere not able to attend as many professional developmentactivities as they would like.The 1984 and 2000 career pathway surveysexamined the participation rate of senior administratorsin a variety of external and internal professionaldevelopment activities. Participation inexternal activities such as leadership programs, fellowships,and internships was below 20 percent inboth 1984 and 2000 (Moore, Twombly, andMartorana 1985; Amey, VanDerLinden, and Brown2001). Conference participation, which was notexamined in 1984, received a 68 percent participationrate in the 2000 survey. Participation in

internal activities was significantly higher thanparticipation in external activities. In 2000, 97percent of senior administrators had been involvedwith institutional task forces, committees, orcommissions; 91 percent had been involved within-service staff development programs; and 86percent had had a formal written performancereview (Amey, VanDerLinden, and Brown 2001).This is a slight increase over the same factorsexamined in 1984, which indicates that theemphasis on internal promotion and leadershippreparation has grown.0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45No Formal MentorNot ValuableNot Very ValuableSomewhat ValuableValuableVery ValuableFIGURE 12 Presidents’ Perceived Value of a MentorReferencesAmerican Association of Community Colleges. 2001. “AACC Survey on Leadership.” Unpublished survey.Washington, D.C.: American Association of Community Colleges.American Association of Community Colleges and Association of Community College Trustees. 1999.Pocket Profile of Community Colleges: Trends and Statistics. 3d ed. Washington, D.C.: Community CollegePress, American Association of Community Colleges.———. 2000. The Knowledge Net: A Report of the New Expeditions Project.Washington, D.C.: CommunityCollege Press, American Association of Community Colleges.Amey, M. J., K. VanDerLinden, and D. F. Brown. 2001. “Career Mobility and Administrative Issues: ATwenty-Year Comparison of the Changing Face of Community Colleges.” Paper presented at the conference“A Century of Community Colleges in America: Challenges Past, Present, and Future,” 26February, Denton, Tex.Association of Community College Trustees. 2001. “Trusteeship Policy Governance Center.” Internet:www.acct.org. Accessed 25 June.Hockaday, J., and D. E. Puyear. 2000. Community College Leadership in the New Millennium. NewExpeditions Issues Paper Series, no. 8. Washington, D.C.: Community College Press, AmericanAssociation of Community Colleges.McPhail, C. 2001. Interview by Christopher Shults, 9 August.

Moore, K., S. Twombly, and S. Martorana. 1985. Today’s Academic Leaders: A National Study ofAdministrators in Community and Junior Colleges. University Park, Pa.: Center for the Study of HigherEducation, Pennsylvania State University.National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). 1997. Instructional Faculty and Staff in Higher EducationInstitutions: Fall 1987 and Fall 1992.Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.———. 2001a. Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Completions Survey. WashingtonD.C.: U.S. Department of Education.———. 2001b. National Study of Postsecondary Faculty: Data Analysis System.Washington D.C.: U.S.Department of Education.Ross, M., and M. F. Green. 2000. The American College President.Washington, D.C.: American Councilon Education.Vaughan, G. B., and I. M. Weisman. 1998. The Community College Presidency at the Millennium.Washington, D.C.: Community College Press, American Association of Community Colleges.

For many decades, the community college arena has been faced with manyobstacles such as, budget cuts, increased in tuition, and low graduation of students.These obstacles will change the roles and responsibilities of administrators by becomingproactive leaders, as well as managers (Cohen & Brawer, 1996). Watba and Farmer(2006) also discussed issues challenging community deans and presidents in the 21stcentury. These challenges include the advancement of technology, changingdemographics, industries needing more trained workers, and job placement With so manychallenges and demands facing community colleges, a “new generation of leaders at alladministrative levels” (Amey & VanDerLinden, 2002, p. 574) will be needed for thecontinuing success of two year institutions (Amey & Twombly, 1992 (as cited in Amey,Van DerLinden, & Brown, 2002); Hockaday & Puyear, 2000).. Nevertheless, Shults(2001) reported “many presidents feel inadequate to deal with these duties of their jobs,such as fundraising, financial management, and working effectively with their governingboard” (p.1). Not only is the community college arena dealing with these challenges anddemands, Shults also proclaimed the community college systems will experience ashortage of leaders in this decade due to the massive number of retires. According to theAmerican Association of Community

Leadership can be learned. While it can be enhanced immeasurably bynatural aptitude and experience, supporting leaders with exposure totheory, concepts, and cases guided by other practical information andlearning methodologies is essential._ Many members of the community college can lead. The competencieswill shift in importance depending upon the level of the leader. For

example, it is more critical that a president be able to communicateeffectively with the board than for a staff assistant to do so. Both,however, can benefit from mastery of the communication competency._ Effective leadership is a combination of effective management and vision.Ideally acquisition of management skills will precede vision. In reality thetwo skills sets often develop in tandem and are presented together in thiscompetency framework._ Learning leadership is a life-long process, the movement of which isinfluenced by personal and career maturity as well as other developmentprocesses._ The leadership gap can be addressed through a variety of strategies such ascollege grow-your own –programs, AACC council and universityprograms, state system programs, residential institutes, coaching,mentoring and on line and blended approaches. Important considerationthat apply to all forms of delivery include sustain current leaders and5developing new ones (Competency Framework for Community CollegeLeaders).

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