Community College Leadership Commons^™

The Community College Baccalaureate: A Mixed Methods Study Of Implementation And Best Practices, Stan E. Essink

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Community colleges have a number of missions ranging from developmental education through academic transfer. They are obligated to provide higher education opportunities in a manner that is affordable, accessible, and adaptable to the changing needs of their constituents. As the mission of community colleges continues to evolve, several states have interpreted this mission to include baccalaureate programming.

This study employed a mixed methods approach to understanding the best practices of implementing and offering bachelor’s degrees through community colleges. The objectives of the research were to determine the influences affecting implementation of bachelor’s degrees, to examine resulting institutional change, and to …

Factors Community College Faculty Consider Important To Academic Leadership, Juston C. Pate, Lance R. Angell

Kentucky Journal of Higher Education Policy and Practice

Although many of the pressures leaders face come from external sources, the expertise of the faculty should not be ignored when preparing community college leaders. The current study analyzed survey data from community college faculty across the state of Kentucky to determine which attributes they considered important to academic leadership. The faculty members who responded to an online survey regarded most highly factors pertaining to communication, character, decision-making, teamwork, work ethic, and personal relationships.

Influences On Student Attitudes: An Examination Of Ten Selected Influence Areas That Impact Community College Students’ Attitudes Towards Postsecondary Education And Student Outcomes, Luke A. Stobel

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to examine different selected influence areas that may have an impact on a community college student’s attitudes towards their education. The study was first examined in relation to existing research regarding influences that can affect, positively or negatively, a student’s attitude towards education, the courses and type of institution that they select, and ultimately in their decision to pursue higher education in general. Ten different selected influence areas were chosen and aspects of each area were examined to provide insight into influences that may impact student attitudes towards education and ultimately student outcomes. Some …

Southeastern United States Community College Chief Financial Officers' Observations Of Their Institution's Implementation And Importance Of Economic Development Activities In Their Communities, Matthew Lyon

Theses and Dissertations

The overall purpose for this study was to get a first-hand look of how chief financial officers in community colleges throughout the southeastern United States observed the level of implementation of a certain economic development activity in their respective community colleges, and to determine their perceived levels of importance of those economic development activities or strategies regardless of whether or not their community college engaged in those activities. The study also examined any relationship between the level of implementation and relative importance of an economic development activity in the CFO's respective community college based on the institutional characteristics of state, …

A Study To Determine Whether A Relationship Exists Between Attending A Public, Two-Year Community College In The United States With Or Without Campus Housing And The Retention Of First-Year Students, John F. Yaun

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Student retention is a growing and common concern among community college administrators across the United States given the low retention rates at two-year institutions. With little change in the retention rates of first-year students at community colleges, administrators are searching for successful strategies and models within these heterogeneous educational environments to address the costs and consequences associated with low retention rates at two-year institutions.

The purpose of this study was to determine what relationship existed, if any, between attending a public, two-year community college in the United States with or without campus housing and the retention of first-year students. This …

The Philosopher's Stone: How Basic Skills Programs Fare In Troubled Financial Times, Thomas P. Ray

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This mixed methods study examined the relative position of basic skills programs with transfer and career technical programs in a large suburban community college in California during the three-year period of budget reductions from 2009-2010 through 2011-2012. The budget line dedicated to part-time or non-contract instruction was analyzed along with supporting documents such as planning committee minutes and program review data. Knowledge of the budget data and the reduction strategies employed helped to establish a picture of the state of basic skills and the institution’s disposition toward them. The budget data proved to be an inadequate tool to measure investment …

A Study Of Prior Learning Assessment In Degree Completion, Jean Marie Chappell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of prior learning assessment (PLA) in postsecondary degree completion for adult community college students at Mountwest Community and Technical College (MCTC). The study group consisted of 339 MCTC graduates, who applied PLA credits toward degree completion between the academic year 2006 and 2011. A comparison group was comprised of 321 MCTC graduates from the same time period, who did not apply PLA toward degree completion. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis found statistically significant relationships between time to degree completion and the application of PLA from military credits and institutional …

Data Gathering And Decision Making Among Community College Faculty Union Leaders, Mary K. O'Sullivan

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify how faculty union leaders gather data and incorporate past experience to prioritize decisions for new contract negotiations in Illinois community colleges. The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 legalized collective bargaining in the United States, but state laws further regulate collective bargaining and make such agreements enforceable under state law. The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act (IELRA) requires educational employers to bargain in good faith with the employees’ exclusive representative.

Specifically, this qualitative case-study research sought to identify the strategies undertaken by community college faculty union leaders to prepare for, and prioritize …

Exploring Successful Strategies For Integrating Academic Assessment And Strategic Planning In The Community College, Roberetta Young

Dissertations

This study is an exploration of the strategies employed by community colleges to facilitate the integration of their assessment and strategic plans. Because the strategic and assessment plans are major documents that guide the success of the institution, they are submitted frequently as evidence of meeting the accreditation requirement for institutional effectiveness. If the colleges’ success is based on the effectiveness and efficiency of their plans, then the assessment plan needs to be linked and integrated with the institutions strategic plan. The intent of this research study is to identify how community colleges integrate assessment and strategic plans to improve …

Cao Perspectives: The Role Of General Education Objectives In Career And Technical Programs In The United States And Europe, Jennifer Ballard Schanker

Dissertations

Globalization is changing the way students prepare for careers in the United States and Europe as competition for highly skilled workers is increasing among companies, regions, and nations. Success in this environment requires skills beyond the ability to perform job-related tasks. Skills of this nature are described as “liberal arts,” “basic” or “soft” skills or more broadly, “general education.” This international comparative study examines the processes used to identify, embed, and assess outcomes related to general education within career and technical programs in selected institutions in Europe and the Midwestern United States through the perceptions of their Chief Academic Officers …

Successful African American Community College Students Perceptions On Sense Of Belonging In Three California Community College Districts, Nicole Yvette Wise

Doctoral Dissertations

Roach (2009) indicates that "only 31 percent of public community college students go on to complete either an associate or bachelor's degree in six years" according to U.S. Education Department data (p. 14). In California the gap is even wider and the statistics more scarce for students of color. Whereas only 15 percent of African American students compared, to 26 percent of white students, complete their degree in six years of enrolling in a California Community College (Roach, 2009, p. 14). College retention as it pertains to success is a challenging issue in the United States, and the California Community …

Synchronicity Of The Community College Mission And The Role And Responsibilities Of Academic Advisors, Zalika A. Brown

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to identify how the role and responsibilities of academic advisors support the mission of community colleges; to explore how academic advising is viewed by community college administrators and academic advisors; and to explore how academic advisors play a vital role in retaining students until they have completed their program of choice.

There is a strong link between the community college mission and the job functions performed by academic advisors; however, there is a lack of knowledge and understanding about how academic advisors can play a vital role in achieving the goals established by the …

Identifying And Addressing Issues Faced By New Community College Presidents, Anthony Raymond Miksa

Dissertations

The American community college system is in the midst of a leadership crisis. Community college presidents are retiring at an alarming rate. Further exacerbating the leadership crisis is the lack of qualified candidates to replace the retiring presidents. Senior administrators at community colleges who are the natural choice to replace the retirees are also retiring or choosing not to pursue a presidency. The overarching purpose driving this research was to identify the challenges encountered by new community college presidents, seek to comprehend the information gathering method utilized by new presidents to identify challenges, and finally, to present the strategies the …

The Relationship Of Stress Levels To Wellness Practices Among Community College Presidents., Eva Charlotte Ratliff Dawson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the variety and level of wellness practices of community college presidents and the relationship of these practices to the stress levels of this group. Additionally, relaxation activities and the feelings, characteristics, and symptoms associated with stress were considered. Items measuring each of these variables, isolated from the literature and tested in a pilot sample, were combined into an electronic instrument, Stress Levels and Wellness Practices Measurement for Community College Presidents.

The design of the study was ex post facto/correlational. The population of the study was American community college presidents. A stratified …

Relationship Between Systematic Planning At Community Colleges And Goal Agreement, Nancy Emily Stetson

All Master's Theses

The relationship between systematic planning at community colleges and goal agreement among administrators was studied. Sixty-nine administrators at four community colleges were surveyed. The results showed that administrators at the two community colleges who perceived their institutions to be relatively more systematic in planning also perceived relatively smaller gaps between what were, and what should be the goals of their institutions. By this measure, community college administrators demonstrated a consistent and positive relationship between systematic planning and goal agreement.

A Suggested Initial Administrative Structure For A Contemplated Community College In Walla Walla, George W. Pennell

Graduate Student Research Papers

Responsible local educational and community leaders determined in 1961 that all legal criteria for the establishment of a community college in Walla Walla [Washington] had been met. They subsequently have been faced with many phases of preplanning activity. Among the problems requiring solution have been: the acquisition of adequate physical facilities, the determination of an operational financial plan, the establishment of accurate and efficient enrollment procedures, and the organization of an instructional and administrative staff. Much of the pre-planning has been completed. This study was designed to contribute to the thinking of the Board and staff of Walla Walla Public …