One major challenge that institutions face when launching transformation efforts is that they operate in "silos," meaning that they have separate departments--for example, student services, financial aid, and advising--that operate independently with little communication or coordination. Many successful transformation efforts include a…

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between community college department chairs and their adjunct faculty. Methods: This was a descriptive phenomenological qualitative study that used individual semi-structured interviews of 14 department chairs from a purposive sample drawn from a midwestern community college.…

Using a case study design, this research explores how two department chairs, Jan and Tammy, in community colleges implement AB 705, an assessment policy impacting California ESL programs. AB 705 seeks to centralize previous multiple measures legislation in California by requiring the use of high school data in community college course placement.…

Community college presidents play a critical role in making decisions that shape the organizational cultures and policies of their institutions. This study explored the perceptions of 15 public community college presidents in Texas. Using focus groups and grounded theory methods, this research applied analytical frameworks focused on human…

Nationally, the pathway model -- commonly defined as "a highly structured, coherent education experience that is built around and through an area of study" -- has emerged as the preferred structural approach to deliver the curriculum at community colleges. The pathway model provides a new hope to community colleges to create a solution…

Purpose: This conceptual piece applies what we know about student success to introduce a faculty model of success called the Faculty Pathway to Excellence. The model elevates faculty voices in the conversation of student success in community colleges. Method: We collected qualitative data from interviews with faculty at two community colleges and…

Growing concerns over student debt have led to a series of sweeping policy proposals from higher education associations, think tanks, and policymakers over the last decade to align state and federal higher education financing policy. The existing framework, in which states primarily subsidize institutions and the federal government primarily…

Community colleges located in urban areas face unique challenges and opportunities. How leaders in these institutions respond to this unique setting requires an understanding of the skills that might be required to adeptly work in these environments. Drawing upon survey research from the past 20 years, a research-team developed instrument was…

Purpose: Unless higher education institutions ensure that first-rate academic programme offerings are supported with the provision of high-quality services, student satisfaction, retention, enrolment and ultimately, viability of the institutions will be adversely affected (Canic and McCarthy, 2000). The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the…

In 2017, there were 941 public community colleges enrolling 7 million credit students and 5 million noncredit students accounting for 41% of all undergraduates enrolled in higher education (American Association of Community Colleges, 2019). While enrollment has increased, the complexity of the mission of two-year colleges has also increased. Part…

Community colleges have a history of being capable of adapting to change, and the current world of competing budget priorities, fast-changing technology, and postsecondary competition challenges these colleges as never before. The result is a need for strong leadership across all levels of administration, especially at the department chair level…

While faculty trust in administrators has been studied in K-12 schools and four-year higher education institutions (HEIs), we know little about how community college faculty view of trust. Therefore, we examine trust between community college faculty and their administrators using a multicomponent definition to determine which factors of trust are…

Much has been written about the university department chair, but little is known about whether the community college chair position is different. The profile and job perceptions of community college department chairs, and how the job of the community college chair compare to the university chair profile illustrated in the literature remains…

This study contributes to the limited research on the implementation of pathways in a community college. While most of the literature to date focuses on providing guidance on the structural changes necessary for implementation, this study focuses on the social and cultural aspects of implementation. Using case study research design, a team of…

The United States Department of Labor predicts the demand in healthcare sector careers to soar as patient demographics continue to change with the aging population of adults (Henderson, 2012). To meet this demand, community colleges will continue to play a vital role in the education of healthcare occupations, as nearly 60% of all healthcare…