Community College Leadership Commons^™

Creating Course Curriculum For A Community College, Carol E. Reis

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

ABSTRACT OF A PROJECT

Creating college courses for a community college is the main focus of this project. The specific college is Erie Community College in Western New York. Three areas of course development that have been targeted are: recreation, creative studies, and therapeutics.

Just as the needs in society change, the need for a college to change to fit the needs of society coexists. A function of higher education is to train students to be competitive in the existing job market. The final outcome of a college certificate and/or degree is best suited to students if the certificates and …

Increasing Access To Post-Secondary Education: A Mixed Methods Study Of The Charleston Clemente Program, Mariane A. Doyle

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

There is an economic gap that favors adults who have higher levels of educational attainment (United States Department of Labor, 2010). With more than 9.3 million Americans over the age of 25 facing unemployment as of June 2012 and over 79% or 7.4 million of those unemployed Americans having attained less than a Bachelor’s degree (U.S. Department of Labor, 2012), the current need for college access measures and programs that address the adult population is an imperative one.

The Charleston Clemente Program provides a tuition-free course in the Humanities to economically-disadvantaged adult students for a total of two-semesters. Along with …

Promoting Undergraduate Research In Minnesota: A Luoma Leadership Academy Project, Jason A. Kaufman, Marilyn Swan, Mark Johnson, Michelle Malott, James A. (Jim) Grabowska

Educational Leadership Department Publications

As participants in the 2011-2012 class of the Luoma Leadership Academy, the authors comprised an action team charged to investigate how undergraduate research is currently incorporated into collegiate studies in Minnesota. We developed a survey that was delivered to Deans at all Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) institutions using the MnSCU Deans listserv. Respondents to the survey represented all 7 universities and all 30 of the community colleges. This suggests that the findings of our action project have real generalization within the system and potentially similar public systems of higher education in other states. We offer data-driven recommendations and …

The Neglected Minority: Interviews With Successful Community College Students From Poverty, Heather Hollifield-Hoyle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Poverty in the US is growing at an alarming rate. The current economic climate demands higher education to embrace the economic diversity of all students and to prepare them, regardless of economic class, for a globally competitive workplace. Unfortunately, the higher education community is not as adept at serving low-income students, as it is middle- and upper- income students. Low-income students are less likely than their more affluent peers to enroll in college or graduate. Employing qualitative narrative methods, this dissertation explores the factors that contributed to the persistence and success of 18, low-income, community college students. This study addresses …

Exploring The Relationship Between Opportunities For Students To Participate In Community College Intercollegiate Athletics Programs And Their Aspirations To Attend College, Ashley B. Knight

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the opportunity to participate in community college athletics and students’ aspirations regarding higher education. Students who may not have considered a college education due to a lack of family support, financial resources, or underperformance in secondary education may decide to attend college because of the opportunities to excel in college sports. This interest in sports motivates some student-athletes towards academic accomplishments including completion of a college degree.

This study employed a partially mixed methods approach, which included a survey of community college athletes, focus groups of community college student-athletes, …

Where Next? A Study Of Work And Life Experiences Of Mature Students (Incl. Disadvantaged) In Three Higher Education Institutions, Aidan Kenny, Ted Fleming, Andrew Loxley, Fergal Finnegan

Other Resources

This study explores how graduates who entered college as mature students, and ‘disadvantaged’ mature students, view and value Higher Education after graduating with a primary degree. The study highlighted the limited usefulness of the concept of disadvantaged mature student and the findings of the research were not significantly different whether one was a mature student or a disadvantaged mature student. The rationale given by the state for supporting mature students in Higher Education (HE) is that it will yield economic and social benefits for both the students and society. As a consequence a wide range of access policies has been …

Deans Of Career And Technical Education: Charting The Course To Senior Administration, Shelley Zarovsky Levin

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the essential leadership practices, abilities, and experiences of Deans of Career and Technical Education (CTE) and to consider how these Deans of CTE fit into the succession process of the community college. A qualitative case study was conducted with three dyads of career Deans and their supervising senior administrators, using the comparative case method to analyze the data collected from the participants.

The data were collected from in-person participant interviews on their respective campuses. One Dean of CTE and the supervising senior administrator were at a rural college; one dyad was at …

Bridging The Gap: Linking Co-Curricular Activities To Student Learning Outcomes In Community College Students, Katie Lauren Storey

Dissertations

This study investigated the extent to which participation in co-curricular events enhances the achievement of student-learning outcomes in community college students. One community college in Illinois—Chicago Metropolitan Area Community College (CMACC), a pseudonym—was selected to research based on its robust co-curricular activity programming. A concurrent nested mixed methodology (Plano Clark & Creswell, 2007) was used, nesting quantitative data within qualitative data.

To generate quantitative data, a student survey was distributed to 128 students involved with co-curricular activities at CMACC. Participating students were asked to identify their involvement with co-curricular programming and how this participation correlated with the institution’s general education …

Community College Succession Planning: Preparing The Next Generation Of Women For Leadership Roles, Angela Kaysen Luzbetak

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore strategies to enable community colleges to develop and cultivate women for leadership roles through succession planning. According to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the pace of administrative and other key staff retirements exceeds the pace at which these positions are being re-staffed (Shults, 2001). One might question why the purposeful development of future community college leaders is critical. Community colleges currently face a crucial leadership crisis in the United States. Pending retirements and the lack of succession planning to fill upcoming vacancies is reaching a critical turning point. The Chronicle …

Improving Services For Students With Disabilities At Community Colleges, Michael William Duggan

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to discover ways in which community college faculty and administrators can better facilitate learning for students with disabilities. Semi-structured interviews, preinterview questionnaires, and a review of relevant documents were used to gain an understanding of how community college faculty perceive the challenges of teaching students with disabilities. Additional research goals included an exploration of strategies community college faculty have found effective in assisting students with disabilities to be successful, actions community college administrators have taken that effectively address issues related to success for students with disabilities, and approaches community college administrators use …

Multiple Roles: The Conflicted Realities Of Community College Mission Statements, Mark David Mrozinski

Dissertations

Questions of efficacy have always plagued the use of mission statement as a strategic planning tool. In most planning models, the mission statement serves to clarify goals and guide the formation of strategies. However, little empirical evidence exists validating that mission statements actually improve the performance of organizations, even though regional accrediting commissions in higher education include mission statement and affiliated processes as criterion for accreditation. For community colleges, the question is how can mission statements best be used to move the institution forward in a climate of change and challenges?

The purpose of this study is to explore the …

Alumni Engaging Students From Under-Served Groups In Southern Appalachia, Mitchell R. Williams, Laura Leatherwood, Laura Byrd, Monica S. Boyd, Kevin Pennington

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

The study explores how alumni can help community colleges in Southern Appalachia to create greater access for people in groups which are traditionally under-served by higher education. Semi-structured interviews conducted with alumni program directors and admissions officers at seven community colleges in the Southern Appalachian Region explore how they use alumni to recruit and retain students from non-dominant groups as well as students from generationally poor families. Examples of "best practices" illustrate ways alumni can help recruit, motivate, and retain students from historically under-served groups.

Veterans Education: Coming Home To The Community College Classroom, Karen Rae Persky

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the needs of veterans who are community college students and to examine community college programs and services essential to meeting their needs. A qualitative case study design using interviews, observations, field notes, document reviews, a focus group, and a preinterview demographic questionnaire provides a holistic account of the community college experience for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. This research study gives a voice to veterans who are community college students, and provides community colleges with insights that may enable them to improve their services for this population.

Five major themes …

Successful Community College Alumni Programs, Monica S. Boyd, Mitchell R. Williams, Kevin Pennington

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

As state funding for community colleges continues not to keep pace with programming needs, more community colleges are taking the initiative to seek funding from private sources. Four-year colleges and universities have long used alumni programs as major outside sources of funding. Since a high percentage of today's students embark on their higher education experience at the community college, it is natural for more two-year institutions to begin alumni programs. Based on in-depth interviews with directors of successful community college alumni programs, this article suggests "best practices" for community colleges that are considering the development of an alumni program. It …

What Would Vincent Do? Vincentian Higher Education And Poverty Reduction, Marco Tavanti, Craig Mousin

Mission and Ministry Publications

The worldwide Vincentian major higher education institutions have best practices and pedagogical innovative strategies for linking their educational mission with poverty alleviation. This edited volume includes experiences from DePaul University, St. John;s University, Niagara University, Adamson University, Santa Isabelle University and All Hallows College.

The Influence Of Organizational And Governance Structures On The Frequency Of Management Skill Utilization Of Community College Chief Executive Officers In The United States, Timothy R. Oxley

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Community colleges are purported to be in the midst of a leadership crisis due to the impending retirements of chief executive officers (CEOs) and senior administrators over the next several years. Concurrently, the demands upon CEOs to effectively and efficiently manage their institutions are more critical now in an effort to balance the demands placed upon them by public policy and institutional stakeholders. The purpose of this research was to examine the influence of institutional context, governance and organizational structures, on the frequency with which CEOs utilized certain management skills. The study population was community college CEOs as identified by …

Pre- And Post-Matriculation Correlates Of Student Retention Within A Community College Setting, Pamela E. Goodman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the 1990s, due in part to declining enrollment numbers and prolonged budget constraints, student retention became a primary focus in higher education. Aligned with the nationwide interest, this longitudinal, archival study focused on the correlates of student retention at Walters State Community College, located in Morristown, Tennessee. The population involved 17,497 students enrolled from the fall semester of 1992 through the fall semester of 1997. Four sets of variables were investigated--demographic variables, pre-matriculation variables, post-matriculation variables related to grades, and post-matriculation variables related to enrollment. The data were collected through the use of a computer program written to access …

A Study Of Faculty Development At Fourteen Community Colleges In The Tennessee Board Of Regents System, James C. Lefler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the status of and need for faculty development in the 14 community colleges in the Tennessee Board of Regents System. The study examined the status of faculty development, importance of scholarship, perceived needs, preferred faculty development topics, and methods of instruction. A review of demographic characteristics was conducted to develop a profile of TBR community college faculty and to assess the relationship between these demographic variables and the need for and selection of faculty development topics. Data collection was conducted using the Faculty Development Questionnaire . A selective random sample was drawn …

Perceptions Of The Appropriateness Of The 1998 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Education Criteria For Assessing Virginia Community Colleges, Dixon B. Joyce

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were: (a) To determine whether full-time teaching faculty and full-time administrators perceive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) 1998 Education Criteria for Performance Excellence (ECPE) to be appropriate for assessing Virginia community colleges, and (b) To determine if differences in perceptions exist regarding demographic variables among full-time teaching faculty and among full-time administrators in the use of these criteria to assess Virginia community colleges. Data were collected from a random sample of 129 full-time teaching faculty and 57 full-time administrators using the seven categories and 18 items of the 1998 ECPE. Demographic factors included …

A Measurement Of Total Quality Management In Selected North Carolina Community Colleges, Gene C. Couch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many of the colleges in the North Carolina Community College System have embarked on a "quality" journey to continuously improve the educational programs and services that they provide to their communities. The primary focus of this study was to determine the level of Total Quality Management (TQM) principles implemented in selected North Carolina community colleges and to determine if there was a difference in the perception of its implementation between administrators and faculty. Additionally, this study examined the influence of the following variables on the implementation of TQM in selected North Carolina community colleges: personal factors (age, gender, ethnicity, and …

Articulation Practices Of Two- And Four-Year Public Colleges In Tennessee, Amy L. Freeman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study had two purposes. The first was to identify present articulation practices within Tennessee public colleges. The second was to select recommendations for ideal articulation practice that might lead to improved transfer/articulation among two- and four-year public colleges in Tennessee. A survey instrument was sent to persons identified as chief articulation officers within Tennessee public colleges. They were asked to evaluate identified articulation practices according to present practice and according to ideal practice. Results were used to determine which transfer and articulation practices were currently used in Tennessee public colleges, which transfer and articulation practices ideally should be used …

Common Transitional And First-Year Experiences Of Newly Appointed Community College Deans: A Qualitative Analysis, Joseph B. Olson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to identify common transitional and first year experiences of newly appointed community college deans. A population of deans from the states of North Carolina, Virginia, and Texas was identified. Through the use of qualitative research techniques, personalized accounts were collected from a sample of eleven deans. Through a qualitative analysis of these personalized accounts, thirteen themes were developed. These themes identified common issues and backgrounds encountered and shared by the eleven deans. These themes reveal that: (1) prior community college administrative experience was a prerequisite to the deanship, (2) there were no …

Young Women Who Marry Early And Attend The Community College: Factors Which Influence The Completion Of Associate Degrees, Donald K. Bartholomay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate, through in-depth interviews, those factors which served to motivate early marriage women in the attainment of associate degrees and to identify characteristics of early marriage women who were successful in completing associate degrees. The details obtained from these interviews were interpreted and their meanings used to generate propositions and implications about the completion of associate degrees by this group of students. In-depth interviews were conducted with 28 early marriage women (informants) who either completed associate degrees or were within 12 semester hours of completing an associate degree. In addition, 15 in-depth interviews …

The Relationship Between The Attitudes Of Directors And Instructors And Student Ratings In Remedial And Developmental Studies In Tennessee's Community Colleges, Carolyn H. Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between the attitudes of remedial and developmental directors and instructors and student ratings. A population of 230 full-time directors and instructors and 3,269 remedial students were surveyed in the Fall of 1990. The return rate was 95% for the directors and instructors with the student rate dependent upon instructors administering the instruments. Two instruments were developed--one to measure the attitudes of directors and instructors and one for student ratings of instructors. Seven null hypotheses were formulated; 5 were retained and 2 rejected, at the.05 level of significance. Factor …