The author believes her professional life can be divided into two parts--being a building-level school librarian and being retired, noting that few librarians she has met planned to enter the profession, and like them, she was an accidental librarian. Though trained to be a high school English teacher, she was offered a job after college as a…

This issue of "Research Library Issues" ("RLI") presents three articles by Stanley Wilder in which he explores a series of trends shaping the professional population of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member institutions. Wilder's articles serve as a powerful illumination of the demographic shifts taking place in the…

This paper contributes to understanding the power of participating in work-based doctoral research after a fulltime career. It explores ways in which active older people choose to participate in "creative dance" activities and how this may benefit them. It draws upon the first author's experiences in using her leadership, management,…

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…

This study explores the differences among California's counties and regions in their needs for new school-site administrators in the coming decade, as driven by a combination of projected administrator retirements and projected student enrollment changes. The projected need for new school-site administrators, based solely on these combined…

Retirement today is a complex and challenging process. People live longer after they retire and must adapt continuously to meet financial and personal needs. Retirees need a plan in preparation for retirement and in retirement so they can feel fulfilled, active, and productive, not to mention financially independent. This is particularly true of…

There will be an increase in the number of college and university presidencies becoming vacant due to retirements over the next several years. Since most of the incumbents, including provosts and presidents (the largest source for new presidents), are Baby Boomers, the pool of potential replacements is likely to include more candidates, such as…

This study examined how a group of community college presidents and board of trustee chairpersons from New York and Florida viewed the competencies, characteristics, and professional skills identified by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) (2005) as important for effective community college leadership. In addition, the presidents…

Nothing is more important to the success of community colleges than quality of leadership. It influences student outcomes, faculty success, and financial stability at all levels of the institution. With the impending retirements of so many baby boomer community college leaders, the leadership gap is an issue of increasing concern. In this article,…

Large school districts face a number of challenges due to their sheer size. One of these challenges involves staffing the role of the principal. With Baby Boomers reaching retirement age, large school districts, especially those experiencing growth, have to fill numerous leadership positions. In order to fill these positions efficiently and…

This dissertation is a biographical study of the life of a retired high school principal in Jamaica. Joan Miller Wint was born on May 10, 1946, in the small rural district of Success in Westmoreland, Jamaica. This study of Wint's life centers on school transformation and organizational change, exploring her leadership as a principal through the…

A study of 101 alumni of the Leadership Ashville Seniors program shows that middle class, well-educated retirees who had been professionals/managers want volunteer, leadership, and learning opportunities. Higher education can help develop roles that counter commonly believed age stereotypes. (SK)

This paper challenges the dominant view of leadership, the organizational-effectiveness approach, and proposes a different concept of leadership in the context of retirement. A premise is that the organizational-effectiveness approach is inadequate to the task of retirement organizations and may inhibit senior participation. Following an…