During the American Association of Community Colleges' (AACC) Annual Business Meeting held in conjunction with the association's convention, the President and CEO presents a report on chief executive officer (CEO) leadership transitions. CEO leadership transitions, as defined by AACC, include retirements, CEO movement from one college to another,…

The rate of presidential turnover over the past decade has accelerated due to planned retirements, the onset of COVID-19, and the complexities and challenges (e.g., political and social) of providing institutional leadership in the context of higher education. This study focused specifically on Christian higher education, where the leadership…

Presidential tenures at colleges and universities in the United States have declined. Private, four-year institutions have witnessed a significant decrease in average appointments while more presidents, many influenced by personal job dissatisfaction, have chosen to retire or leave the industry rather than assuming a similar role at a more…

Community colleges are experiencing a retirement crisis. The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and the Association of Community College Trustees (2018) reported that as many as half of community college presidents presiding in 2016 were likely to retire by 2021. Many current community college vice presidents are not interested in…

The role of college president comes with many challenges, requiring deft maneuvering in many different contexts and considerable planning. While focused on the daily business at hand, however, a university leader may not invest in the requisite level of thinking, planning, and strategizing that is needed to leave the presidency when it comes time…

The lived experiences of eight Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) university presidents and chancellors in North America revealed the racism and discrimination these Asian academic executives faced and provided counternarratives to dismantle a White normative perspective. While these executive stories were meant to be understood as a…

Community college presidents often get advice about how to land a job or, once hired, how to be more effective leaders, but they do not hear as much about their role in preparing their institutions for life after their service. Three successful community college presidents share how they left a legacy at their respective community colleges by…

In 2015, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) conducted a survey of community college chief executive officers (CEOs) to collect their opinions on current issues, and gather information on their compensation. This report provides the results from this survey. The AACC CEO Survey was sent to 960 public community college presidents.…

The "New England Journal of Higher Education" ("NEJHE") Executive Editor John O. Harney had the chance to catch up with Lasell College President Michael Alexander about the small Newton, Massachusetts, college's plans to challenge the higher education business model. The interview is presented in this article.

The graying of community college leadership is an issue across the country. More than half of all community college presidents expect to retire in five years, according to data from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). Succession planning is yet another opportunity for colleges already navigating a variety of reforms to innovate.…

Private-college presidents often draw scrutiny for their hefty compensation packages, but most of them have a ready comeback: I could make a lot more money in the corporate world. While this statement is surely sometimes true, it is also true that some of the nation's top-paid presidents continue to receive perks that their corporate counterparts…

The nation is facing a shortage of qualified, highly skilled workers. Higher education is not exempt from this phenomenon. In fact, it may be more greatly impacted by the relative age of its workforce and the level of credentials needed to obtain faculty and high-level administrative positions within colleges and universities. As the majority of…

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

The California Community College system is the largest system of higher education in the nation, with 2.6 million students attending 112 colleges. Community colleges are integral to workforce development, economic recovery, and an accessible and affordable gateway for transfer to four-year universities. While community college student population…

The literature attests to a leadership crisis that is predicted to impact leadership pipelines in just about every industry imaginable, including community colleges. This impending crisis is thought to be a result of baby boomer retirements plus the lack of next generation workers equipped with the skills to replace them. Community colleges are…