Local workforce development is a key obligation of the modern community college. It is also an obligation that can easily backfire if not undertaken with extreme due diligence in balancing the competing interests of industry, politicians and the institutions themselves. The oversell of Foxconn’s much heralded, and now very scaled back, investment in Wisconsin a […]

In 2007, when I was considering an offer for a faculty position after grad school, I checked the college’s website to be sure that they had an LGBTQ+ student organization. As a queer-identified educator, I wanted to know that the campus I was committing to had done some of the preliminary work of welcoming LGBTQ+ […]

City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) has designed a framework to help faculty achieve excellence at all stages of the faculty lifecycle. Across its seven colleges, CCC employs more than 500 full-time and 1,000 part-time faculty members. The system on-boards more than 100 new faculty every year – some from industry with little teaching experience. These […]

The Community College Leadership Doctoral Program (CCLP) at Morgan State University celebrates 25 years of educating the next generation of community college leaders.  This pipeline to executive positions at a two-year college or system will help to address the increasing number of positions vacated by the growing number of senior community college leaders approaching retirement. […]

Navigating the complex landscape of higher education requires more than administrative prowess; it demands a leadership style steeped in empathy, transparency and a commitment to holistic growth. By transcending typical modes of authority, true academic leaders dedicate themselves to understanding, supporting and nurturing individuals within the academic ecosystem. These lessons are translatable. Dr. Max Goodwin […]

Artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay. Whether this is good or bad, higher education has found itself scrambling over the last year and half to address AI and what it means to educators, administration and students. Many fear AI, while many others are embracing it. Addressing it in the world of higher education has […]

Since taking over as president of Alvin Community College in Texas in 2021, Robert Exley has been introducing his executive team to the leadership traits and abilities known in the community college world as competencies. Competencies are spelled out in a slim booklet published by the American Association of Community Colleges. An updated fourth edition […]

One of Tarrant County College’s (TCC’s) three organizational goals is that the college be student-ready, defined as a commitment to “meeting students where they are and with what they bring to the table.” But exactly whose job is that? Sha-Shonda Porter, executive director of organizational excellence and development, has the answer and wants to share […]

Over the past several years, community colleges have increasingly focused on helping students prepare for the workplace of today and tomorrow and on helping employers meet their labor force needs. Yet, prospective college students and employers express concern about higher education’s ability to do both. At Ivy Tech Community College (Indiana), we believe that “blurring […]

I am a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and am pleased to celebrate LGBTQ+ Month.  This national celebration is a reminder of all that has been accomplished and all that remains to be done for our LGBTQ community and allies. Over 10 years ago, the challenging and emotional experience of coming out to my […]