Pamela L. Eddy

Emerging Definitions of Leadership in Higher Education

The higher education literature suggests that alternative leadership styles are replacing the traditionally held definitions of leadership and provide new and different (and possibly superior) ways to understand leadership. This article looks for parallels within the current leadership literature to see if community college administrators use the alternative language or emerging definitions of leadership to self-describe their own leadership or if their self-descriptions fit the more traditional hierarchical ideal of the positional or “hero” leader

New Faculty on the Block: Issues of Stress and Support

SUMMARY The research reported investigated the experiences of new faculty in their first three years of employment in higher education administration programs. New faculty face stress relative to work-life integration, issues pertaining to gender or color, teaching responsibilities, and unclear expectations. The findings of this study highlight the role of graduate school socialization and identification as a “chosen” student targeting a faculty position as an influence on new faculty and their acclimation during their first years. Implications include the need for intentional mentoring, inclusive support for all students seeking faculty roles, and the need for specificity on the part of hiring committees and new departments regarding expectations. Key to new faculty success is obtaining a sense of work-life integration.

SENSEMAKING ON CAMPUS: HOW COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESIDENTS FRAME CHANGE

Organizational change occurs regularly on community college campuses as these institutions adjust to external demands and the needs of their constituents. College presidents play an important role in helping staff members make sense of change and uncertainty on campus by what they select as the foci of attention. The research reported in this article highlights the ways in which two community college presidents used framing to aid campus sensemaking. Framing involves the choice of one set of meaning(s) over another by the president, while sensemaking is the process by which individuals interpret changes around them and adjust their thinking and understanding of events accordingly. The two frames identified contain different components. The frames the presidents chose drove campus goals and subsequent strategies to reach those objectives. This study also identified four different venues for communicating change on campus, namely, walking the frame, talking the frame, writing the frame, and symbolizing the frame. While both presidents used all four forms to disseminate information regarding change, their communication preferences were linked to their framing perspectives.

Crossing Boundaries Creating Community College Partnerships to Promote Educational Transitions

Community college partnerships with institutions in other educational sectors (including schools and universities) are important and strategic ways of meeting the educational needs of college constituents and maximizing resources to achieve local and state economic development goals. Understanding what is required for effective partnerships is important in determining when and how to engage in these collaborative, but sometimes costly, arrangements. This article presents a model of partnership development that emphasizes the role of social and organizational capital in the formation of partnership capital that contributes to the long-term success of collaborative efforts.

Grocery Store Politics: Leading the Rural Community College

Rural America is characterized by decreasing populations, increasing poverty, limited economic growth, and limited access to cultural events. The context of the rural environment makes leading colleges in these locations different than in larger, more urban regions. The research reported here investigated the experience of rural community college leaders to determine more about the phenomenon of how they constructed their leadership given their rural context. Findings indicate less anonymity for rural community college leaders, a reliance on relationship building to accomplish goals, and a smaller local peer network to aid in reflecting upon the duties of the president.

Developing Leaders: The Role of Competencies in Rural Community Colleges.

Pending retirements underscore the need to develop community college campus leaders. Rural community colleges will be particularly hard-hit by changes in leadership as they represent the majority of 2-year colleges and face unique challenges given their location. To help address the anticipated leadership transition, the American Association of Community Colleges developed a set of competencies to frame critical skill areas and guide leadership development efforts. The research reported here showed both resource development and organizational strategy as areas of weakness for rural leaders and, paradoxically, the areas of most need. Leaders acquired competencies predominantly on the job, which has implications in planning development of future leaders.

In the Middle: Career Pathways of Midlevel Community College Leaders.

The leadership crisis in community colleges has led to speculation on who will lead these colleges in the future and how best to prepare leaders for these positions. Traditionally, little research occurred regarding midlevel administrators despite the fact that the majority of presidents come from within the ranks. The findings from this research show that midlevel administrators have little desire to move into top-level positions. Colleges need to consider how to make leadership more attractive and begin developing leaders for future openings.

Change in Community Colleges through Strategic Alliances: A Case Study.

Strategic alliances are becoming more prevelant as a means to address external pressures facing community colleges. This research presents findings of the formation of a consortium of five two-year technical colleges to counter the threat of closure. While the colleges were successful in averting shutting down, the planned change attempted through the alliance failed.

Leaders as Linchpins for Framing Meaning

Community college leaders serve as linchpins for framing meaning on campus. The current pressures on institutions (given declining financial resources, demands for accountability, changing faculty ranks, and societal need for new knowledge) require presidents to juggle multiple priorities while presenting a cohesive message to campus constituents. This study examined how the presidents at nine community colleges communicated with college constituents and framed the meaning of those communications to help the college community make sense of ongoing change. Interviews with the presidents, as well as with key administrators, faculty members, and staff members, revealed that the presidents used emissaries to disseminate information in four distinct ways. Study findings also showed that the presidents framed the meaning of their communications through visionary framing (emphasizing future possibilities), step-by-step framing (emphasizing the immediate next steps required to achieve institutional goals), or connective framing (emphasizing dialogue and collaborative learning).

Lean in or Opt Out: Career Pathways of Academic Women.

Pamela L. Eddy is a professor in educational policy, planning, and leadership at the College of William and Mary. Her research focuses on leadership, faculty development, and gender in education. Eddy is the coauthor of Creating Strategic Partnerships: A Guide for Educational Institutions and Their Partners (2014) and author of Community College Leadership: A Multidimensional Model for Leading Change (2010). Kelly Ward is a professor of higher education and chair of the Department of Educational Leadership, Sport Studies, and Counseling/Educational Psychology at Washington State University. Her research focuses on faculty career development, work-family integration for faculty, and community engagement. Most recently, she is co-author of the book, Academic Motherhood: How Faculty Manage Work and Family (2012).