The third edition of the AACC Competencies for Community College Leaders is now available and it’s more comprehensive than ever before. As more leaders retire, gaps are left throughout institutions as staff and faculty shift to fill different positions. That means everyone within an institution needs to be a leader, no matter their title.

At the same time, expectations and priorities of community college leaders have evolved over time. The new competencies address those changes.

The document includes help for faculty, mid-level and senior-level leaders, and aspiring, new and seasoned CEOs. Though each position comes with different responsibilities, the document acknowledges that individuals in the sector should have some level of understanding in several focus areas: organizational culture; governance, institutional policy, and legislation; student success; institutional leadership; institutional infrastructure; information and analytics; advocacy and mobilizing/motivating others; fundraising and relationship cultivation; communications; collaboration; and personal traits and abilities.

Though comprehensive, the document also is aspirational.

“No one has entered into the job market having fully mastered every competency outlined in this publication. And while no one is born with an innate endowment of experience in every competency, at one time or another experience with or knowledge of each competency is needed,” the document’s authors say.

The Competencies reflect two years of work from the the AACC Commission on Leadership and Professional Development, comprised mainly of community college CEOs and vice presidents. Input also came from members of the AACC Board of Directors, attendees of the 2018 Presidents Academy Summer Institute, and directors of doctoral programs in community college leadership, affiliated councils and members of the AACC Faculty Advisory Council.

Download the competencies now.