Regina L. Garza Mitchell

From Combat to Campus: Voices of Student-Veterans

What needs do veterans bring to campus? Little is known about this emerging student population. The researchers interviewed 25 students who served in the current Iraq and Afghan conflicts. This was a multicampus study, with the sample derived from three geographically diverse universities representing northern, southern, and western regions of the United States. Using a model of adult transition by Schlossberg as a guiding theory, a grounded theory epistemology was used to generate a conceptual framework for understanding students who are making the transition from wartime service to college. Findings and implications will help institutions organize a holistic approach for assisting veterans and improving their chances for success.

Online Education and Organizational Change

An in-depth case study examined faculty and administrator perceptions of how online education affected the organizational culture of a large, suburban community college. Findings suggest that in addition to structural and procedural changes, online education had an impact on faculty and administrator roles, teaching and learning (in both online and face-to-face settings), and the community of students and faculty members who comprise the college. The result was a new perception of the organization itself.An in-depth case study examined faculty and administrator perceptions of how online education affected the organizational culture of a large, suburban community college. Findings suggest that in addition to structural and procedural changes, online education had an impact on faculty and administrator roles, teaching and learning (in both online and face-to-face settings), and the community of students and faculty members who comprise the college. The result was a new perception of the organization itself.

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.

Changing Times, Complex Decisions: Presidential Values and Decision Making

Objective: The objective of this article is to delve more deeply into the thought processes of the key decision makers at community colleges and understand how they make decisions. Specifically, this article focuses on the role of the community college president’s personal values in decision making. Method: We conducted interviews with 13 community college presidents in one midwestern state. The participants represented approximately half of the presidents in a state with a very high rate of unemployment, large governmental deficit, and a decreasing population. Results: We found that community college presidents presented a wide range of approaches to decision making. The most significant influences on presidential decision making stemmed from each president’s personal approach to decision making and the impact on the college they led. Contributions: This study contributes to the scholarship on community college leadership and to the literature on the preparation of future community college leaders.

Book Review: Fifty state systems of community colleges: Mission, governance, funding, and accountability by Friedel, J. N., Killacky, J., Miller, E., & Katsinas, S.FriedelJ. N.KillackyJ.MillerE.KatsinasS. (Eds.). (2014). Fifty state systems of community colleges: Mission, governance, funding, and accountability (4th ed.). Johnson City, TN: The Overmountain Press. 384 pp. US

Wyner provides a blueprint of involvement and data use for institutional stakeholders who realize that something, and perhaps many things, need to change if community colleges are to increase success for all students. Although this is a welcome addition to the conversation, I would emphasize Wyner’s caution that no single program or policy contained in the book has been shown to cause a change in student outcomes. If institutional leaders, policy makers, and researchers heed this caution and instead focus on the process and mind-set the seven highlighted institutions employed to help decipher what worked at their institution, there are beneficial lessons to be learned.Friedel, J. N., Killacky, J., Miller, E. & Katsinas, S. (Eds.). (2014). Fifty state systems of community colleges: Mission, governance, funding and accountability (4th ed.). johnson City, TN: The Overmountain Press. 384 pp. US

29.95 (paper), ISBN 978-1-57072-339-1.

29.95 (paper), ISBN 978-1-57072-339-1.The fourth edition of Fifty State Systems of Community Colleges: Mission, Governance, Funding, and Accountability is an invaluable reference for community college scholars, practitioners, and policy makers. A unique feature of the American community college sector is that there is no national system regulating these colleges, and not all states have formal systems in place. As a result, there are numerous approaches that colleges and systems take toward finance and governance, while serving similar missions. This volume is organized so that each chapter provides the following information about community and technical college systems in each state: a broad overview, history, mission, governance, funding, major partnerships, accountability measures, and major challenges and opportunities. The result is a comprehensive survey that provides state-specific information relevant to those researching, working within, or creating policy for community colleges.Each of the 50 states has its own chapter, and most chapters were written by practitioners, thus providing insight as to the most important issues at the ground level. The preface notes that the majority of chapters were written by the chief state-level community college system officers or their designees, with other chapters penned by current or retired executive directors or staff of state community college associations, professors in university-based community college leadership programs within the state, or doctoral students in community college leadership programs. Chapters in the book are relatively short, ranging from 3 to 10 pages each. Although most chapters provide information about their states using the predefined categories listed above, the quality and depth of that information varies from state to state. Some states present a historical picture that illustrates the growth and evolution of their system and/or colleges, whereas others merely present a snapshot. However, enough information is included to allow the reader to perceive the trends that shaped missions, funding, and governance over time, and to view developing trends that present challenges and future opportunities for colleges and state systems.Fifty State Systems provides a state-level view of community colleges and, to a lesser extent, a national-level examination of economic and accountability trends that are heavily influencing the work of community colleges, making this a nice complement to The American Community College (Cohen, Brawer, & Kisker, 2014). Where The American Community College defines the comprehensive role of the community college in American society through data, literature, and an analysis of the issues, Fifty State Systems enhances that picture by presenting information specific to each state and, in many cases, the reason behind changes that have occurred at the state level. It also provides a real-world glimpse at the way community colleges continue to struggle with the tensions between academic, economic, and workforce values (Levin, 2007; Levin, Kater, & Wagoner, 2006). …

Strategic Planning for New Presidents: Developing an Entrance Plan.

Community colleges are greatly impacted by turbulent external forces while also experiencing turnover in the topmost leadership positions. New presidents must learn how to lead an institution while also planning for purposeful change that will allow the college to thrive. In this article, the authors propose a method for new presidents to develop an entrance plan that will inform the strategic planning process.