In an era of diminishing public resources, community college departments need a budgetary system in which options are clearly spelled out, consequences projected, priorities delineated, and budget requests made that are functional and provide useful results. Unfortunately, few colleges and even fewer departments are developing and utilizing such…

A national survey of community college department chairpersons was conducted in 1978 to determine: (1) the purposes, procedures, criteria, and standards used to evaluate their administrative performance; (2) their opinions about the present and the desirable components of chairperson appraisal systems; and (3) how chairpersons from various…

Six division chairpersons at Central Virginia Community College participated in a study designed to develop a problem situation set which can be used to examine academic managers' preferred decision processes; to identify the existing preferred decision processes of chairpersons within the community college setting; and to ascertain how problem…

One of the most distinctive features of academic departments in community colleges is their multi-disciplinary nature. While the creation of multi-disciplinary departments usually results from pragmatic considerations, they do present some advantages over one-subject departments in that faculty are obliged to learn other disciplines and a system…

In a response to the Minnesota Conference on the Future of Doctoral Study in English, asserts that the English faculty in two-year colleges should not be omitted from discussions of graduate study in English. Offers several recommendations for graduate education in English, particularly in relation to the implications for instructors in two-year…

This paper provides information on the role of organizational development in the institutional planning process at Florida Junior College (FJC), using short statements on the functions and objectives of each of the major components within the planning process. First, an overview is provided of organizational development and its value in…

Teaching in the two-year college, which was once considered to be a stepping-stone to teaching at a four-year college or university, has become a unique profession in itself. In the years ahead, community colleges should be actively involved in cooperating in developing English curricula. Prospective teachers of English at two-year schools need to…

A study was undertaken to develop a profile of department and division chairs appointed during the 1995-96 academic year in Texas institutions of higher education. Survey results were used to determine chairs' perceptions of the transition process into their new roles and to find methods to facilitate that transition. Questionnaires were…

Prior to 1980, instructional support services were scattered in various divisions throughout Denver Auraria Community College (DACC), with little sense of mission and coordination. In 1980, the college developed a model for a coordinated instructional support division, based on the identification of the most important instructional and…

Examines reasons for university English departments' ignorance and apathy towards two-year college English departments, and ways two-year college teachers can attack them through faculty exchanges and graduate coursework. (RAE)

Based on the premise that an English teacher needs to be a scholar, this paper outlines the benefits of rhetorical theory for the teacher, and suggests an approach for teaching theory to part- and full-time composition faculty. The major benefits, for the teacher, of learning rhetorical theory include: (1) becoming more professional; (2) improving…

Based on studies comparing leadership in two rural community colleges undergoing change and examining the management of change at Maryland's Allegany College, this paper presents a conceptual framework and model for managing organizational change. First, a framework for understanding the community college chair's role in organizational change is…

In response to an unstable economy and diminishing resources, Lansing Community College, in Michigan, initiated a college-wide reorganization in July 1993 to improve institutional effectiveness and increase efficiency. This paper provides a description of the reorganization process and organizational structure before and after the change. First, a…

To study grading standards and consistency within the English department, 1600 freshmen at Rockland Community College were asked to complete a uniform exit essay at the end of English 101. After developing criteria for grading the papers, members of the department marked their own papers and one other set. Eight months later, 240 of the papers…

One of the most important responsibilities of community college academic leaders is to encourage and provide resources for professional development. A Teaching-Learning Center (TLC) can be a crucial resource for achieving that goal. Trends in faculty and student demographics, the expansion of technology, changes in college governance, and declines…