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Promising practices for building leadership capacity: a community college case study

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Promising practices for building leadership capacity: a community college case study

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Content 1

PROMISING PRACTICES FOR BUILDING LEADERSHIP CAPACITY: A COMMUNITY
COLLEGE CASE STUDY

by

Shahab Moustafa

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

May 2016

Copyright 2016 Shahab Moustafa
2

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Acknowledgments
I would like to acknowledge the people who have supported me in the pursuit of this
degree. This dissertation could not have been accomplished without the guidance and
encouragement from a number of people. To my advisor, Dr. Kathy Stowe, I would like to
express my deepest appreciation for your patience, wisdom, and meaningful feedback. The
structure you provided coupled with your wealth of experience made this journey manageable
and enjoyable. To my dissertation committee, Dr. Courtney Malloy and Shafiqa Ahmadi, I
sincerely appreciate the time you invested in me. Your constructive feedback and queries kept
this research comprehensive yet focused.
To my family, thank you for all the love and support. I could not have done this without
you. To my parents, thank you for emphasizing the importance of education, especially my
father for all his pushing and nudging which most definitely led me to pursue and complete this
doctorate. To my wife and daughters, I know I have not been as available as you would have
liked and I look forward to making up for this. I know you have made many sacrifices while I
was on this journey, and I look forward to being able to spend more time with you now.
I would certainly be remiss to not mention and recognize Dr. Linda Brown for
welcoming me into the Leadership Academy and for facilitating the logistics so that I could
conduct my research. It was amazing and exhausting watching you in action. The college is so
fortunate to have you. Thank you again for making this process a bit easier on me.
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 3
List of Tables 6
List of Figures 7
Abstract 8
Chapter One: Overview of the Study 9
Introduction 9
Background of the Problem 11
Statement of the Problem 13
Purpose of the Study 14
Research Questions 15
Significance of the Study 16
Limitations and Delimitations 16
Definitions 17
Organization of the Study 18
Chapter Two: Literature Review 19
Introduction 19
The History of the Community College 20
First Generation: 1900 to 1930 20
Second Generation: 1930 to 1950 21
Third Generation: 1950 to 1970 21
Fourth Generation: 1970 to 1985 22
Fifth Generation: 1985 to 1999 23
Sixth Generation: 1999 to Present 23
Community College Leadership 24
Characteristics of Effective Community College Leaders 25
Challenges Faced by Community College Leaders 28
Community College Leadership Crisis 30
Age and Retirement 31
Recruitment of New Leaders 32
Succession Planning and Leadership Development 33
Succession Planning 33
Mentoring 35
Formal Education Programs 36
Professional Development 37
Grow-Your-Own Programs 37
Transformational Leadership 39
Summary 41
Chapter Three: Methodology 44
Introduction 44
Research Questions 45
Research Design 46
Sample and Population 47
Overview of the Organization 48
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Theoretical Framework 48
Conceptual Framework 49
Data Collection 51
Instrumentation 53
Data Analysis 54
Ethical Considerations 56
Summary 56
Chapter Four: Findings 57
Introduction 57
Overview of Participants 58
Overview of the Leadership Academy 60
Overview of the Organization 60
Data Findings: Research Question One 61
Self-Awareness 61
Enhancing Communication Skills 64
Community Building 67
Discussion of Research Question One 69
Data Findings: Research Question Two 71
Institutional Support 72
Career Advancement 75
Discussion of Research Question Two 77
Data Findings: Research Question Three 78
Facilitating Factors 79
Commitment 79
Networking 81
Inhibiting Factors 83
Time 83
Discussion of Research Question Three 85
Summary 86
Chapter Five: Summary and Recommendations 88
Introduction 88
Purpose of the Study 88
Summary of the Findings 90
Implications for Policy and Practice 93
Recommendations for Future Studies 96

References 98

Appendices
Appendix A: Participant Recruitment Letter 106
Appendix B: Leader Interview Protocol 107
Appendix C: Participant Interview Protocol 108
Appendix D: Observation Protocol 110
Appendix E: Reflection Evaluation Form 112
Appendix F: President’s Invitation Letter 117

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List of Tables
Table 1: Participant Data 52
Table 2: Research Questions as Instrumentation 54

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List of Figures
Figure 1. Top Five Challenges Faced by a Community College President 29
Figure 2. Conceptual Framework 51
Figure 3. Creswell’s Model for Qualitative Data Analysis 55

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Abstract

This study applies the theoretical framework of transformational leadership to inform and frame
the promising leadership development practices utilized in the Crest Community College (CCC)
Leadership Academy, which seeks to build the next generation of internal college leaders. The
purpose of this study was to attain a deeper understanding of the leadership capacity building
strategies at CCC, specifically its Leadership Academy. This study also explored the factors
involved in the development and implementation of the academy as well as, the perceptions of
participants, graduates, and leaders. This case study included 14 participants who are in the
academy, graduated from it or are CCC leaders. Data from interviews, observations, and artifacts
were collected and analyzed through the gathering, comparing, and contrasting of responses. The
data were analyzed to identify common themes and patterns within the interview responses while
the observations and artifacts were used to triangulate the different data. Findings from this study
indicate that through the customization of the Leadership Academy for CCC employees, the
college has been able to build leadership capacity through training, nurturing, and growing future
leaders – some of whom have already moved into leadership roles. The results of this study have
implications for educational leaders, who may gain useful insights on ways to create a leadership
development program that can systematically address the impending vacancies in leadership
positions and build internal leadership capacity. The results of this study can also inform colleges
that have contemplated implementing a leadership development program but have yet to do so
given the dearth of available research.

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CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
Introduction
Community colleges are important components of the American educational landscape
because they increase access to higher education and have become an alternative for many
underserved students (Schudde & Goldrick-Rab, 2014). Community colleges are also crucial in
meeting the American Graduation Initiative (AGI), which aims to produce five million more
graduates by 2020. In addition to the AGI, the financial crisis, and the recession have contributed
to the enrollment growth in community colleges compared to four-year colleges and universities
(Barr & Turner, 2013). Community colleges offer affordable education with a more open policy
regarding admissions, which can explain why many students choose to enroll in them (Schudde
& Goldrick-Rab, 2014).
Given the important role of community colleges in accommodating the increased number
of students, ensuring that community colleges are being governed and administered by effective
leaders is important in meeting the educational needs of students. As a result, an imminent
leadership crisis is on the horizon for community colleges (Luna, 2012; Rivas & Jones, 2015).
The leadership crisis at community colleges is characterized by various factors that include
enrollment growth of students, an aging leadership pool, the shorter time in office of senior level
leaders, the wave of senior level leaders retiring, and difficulty in the recruitment of new leaders
(Ebbers, Conover, & Samuels, 2010; Jones & Warnick, 2012; Luna, 2012; Rivas & Jones, 2015).
In 2012, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) found that 75% of
community college presidents plan to retire within ten years, and 42% of this group plan to retire
within five years. Given the large number of vacancies expected, it is critical to identify not only
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potential leaders but also provide professional growth as part of a succession plan to build
leadership capacity within organizations.
Another challenge that contributes to the crisis of leadership in community colleges is the
shorter time in office for senior leaders (Eddy, 2013; Luna, 2012). The average length of service
for community college presidents in 2011 was seven years, which was shorter than the average
length of 8.5 years in 2006 (Lederman, 2012). With the service of leaders shortened, the need to
replace retiring leaders becomes more imminent (Eddy, 2013; Luna, 2012).
Given the retirement of these leaders, community colleges are often faced with the
challenge of replacing retiring leaders with newly qualified leaders (Ebbers et al., 2010).
Identifying potential leaders who are fully qualified and prepared to replace the community
college leaders who are retiring can be a difficult process (McNair, Duree, & Ebbers, 2011). The
identification and preparation of qualified leaders who embrace the mission of community
colleges and have the requisite skills to be effective leaders are necessary goals to sustain the
leadership pool in community colleges (Boggs, 2011). However, Luna (2010) asserts that
academic leaders are unaware of programs in their institutions that can address this leadership
crisis, and are not confident about the level of preparedness of community colleges to address the
impending vacancies in many leadership positions.
With the great number of retirements, preparation and selection of future leaders is
critical to addressing the impending leadership crises in community colleges. According to
Furtek (2012), successorship is the identification and development of “academic leaders through
processes and activities” that fill leadership roles for the future. As sound as successorship may
seem to address the impending retirements, higher education has not embraced this strategy
(Furtek, 2012). The goal of this study was to explore the promising practices of building
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leadership capacity at Crest Community College (CCC), through their Leadership Academy,
which has shown promise in building the next generation of internal leaders. This homegrown
academy was established in 2005 and is a one-year training opportunity designed to enhance the
leadership qualities, strengths, and skills of CCC employees. The Leadership Academy offers
employees the opportunity to develop leadership skills through training, networking, activities,
workshops, and presentations. Therefore, this study aimed to attain a deeper understanding of the
leadership capacity building strategies of the CCC Leadership Academy. This study also
explored the factors involved in the development and implementation of the Leadership
Academy as well as, the perceptions of participants, graduates, organizers, and leaders on the
influence of the academy.
Background of the Problem
Community colleges historically catered to recent high school graduates, older adults
who wanted to pursue higher education, and underserved students who did not have the financial
abilities to attend traditional colleges (Schudde & Goldrick-Rab, 2014). Because of the changing
nature of the economy, the demographics of the students, and the financial resources of schools,
the contemporary structure of community colleges has evolved into an institution that requires
more careful financial planning to ensure sustainability (de la Teja, Dalpes, Swett, & Shenk,
2011). One of the consequences of fiscal efficiency is the early retirement of community college
leaders to minimize administrative costs (de la Teja, 2011).
Leaders play an important role in the organizational planning of the succession of future
leaders because leaders develop their competencies while on the job, and the interaction of
potential leaders with current leaders provides an important opportunity to develop the
competencies needed to be effective leaders (Eddy, 2013). For instance, leaders can serve as
12

mentors to prospective leaders within the organization, facilitating the transfer of knowledge that
can be useful in developing the necessary skills and competencies to become effective leaders in
the future (Chaudhuri & Ghosh, 2012).
One of the ways in which the leadership crisis in community colleges has been addressed
was the development of the AACC guidelines that detail the essential competencies and skills
expected from leaders (Eddy, 2013). These competencies focus on both tacit and explicit
components of leadership that include organizational strategy, resource management,
communication, collaboration, community college advocacy, and professionalism (de la Teja et
al., 2011; McNair et al., 2011). The challenge in building the leadership pool in community
colleges includes the lack of a definitive set of skills that are applicable in every leadership
position in all community colleges (McNair et al., 2011). Developing the next generation of
community college leaders requires a systematic process within the organization (de la Teja et
al., 2011; Furtek, 2012; Luna, 2012). According to Wilkins, Snell, and Thomas (2012),
leadership programs within an organization need to have a recruitment mechanism that can
identify potential leaders, assessment measures that can assess the capabilities of prospective
leaders, performance management, succession and career planning to further develop the abilities
of individuals who have the potential to be effective leaders. The literature indicates that there
are three models for training future community college leaders: (a) formal educational programs
(i.e., doctorate programs), (b) professional development (e.g., workshops, mentoring,
conferences) and (c) successorship or succession planning (Ebbers et al., 2010; Furtek, 2012;
Luna, 2012).
While both formal education programs and professional development have merits,
successorship or succession planning may best meet the gap through attracting internal
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candidates with leadership potential (de la Teja et al., 2011; Strom, Sanchez, & Downey-
Schilling, 2011). Leadership development is one of the key components of succession planning
(Strom et al., 2011). Future leaders develop their competencies while on the job, and their
interaction with current leaders provides an opportunity for successorship (Eddy, 2013). Further,
the AACC suggests that community colleges identify their employees as part of a talent
management strategy. Consistent with the recommendation of the AACC, there is evidence that
newly hired leaders of community colleges often have extensive experience and knowledge in
the community college that they are working for, underscoring the wide practice of hiring leaders
internally (Jones & Jackson, 2014).
The support of current top-rank leaders such as the president is needed in order for
succession planning programs to be successful (McNair, Duree, & Ebbers, 2011). Succession
planning requires leaders to be involved in the identification, development, and retention of
individuals who have the potential to be effective leaders in higher education (Rivas & Jones,
2015). Current leaders have the ability to socialize potential future leaders within the
organization through work interaction and guidance, underscoring the important role current
leaders have in succession planning (McNair et al., 2011; Rivas & Jones, 2015).
Statement of the Problem
Community college leaders are retiring at high levels without there being a cadre of
replacements, underscoring the need to develop prospective leaders who can adequately meet the
leadership demands evident in their predecessors (Eddy, 2013). According to Rivas and Jones
(2015), the smooth transition in various high-level to mid-level leadership positions in higher
education is infrequent. Organizational instability is likely to occur when current leaders retire
with no suitable replacement being able to handle adequately the demands of the job (McNair,
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2015). Without a smooth transition in leadership, the organization may experience diminished
effectiveness, efficiency, and morale (Reille & Kezar, 2010).
Having a succession planning program has been identified as a strategy that can address
the leadership gap in community colleges as a result of the enrollment growth of students, the
shorter time in office of senior level leaders, the impending retirement of senior leaders, and the
lack of recruitment programs of new qualified leaders (de la Teja et al., 2011; Eddy, 2013; Strom
et al., 2011). According to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC, 2012),
75% of presidents plan to retire in ten years, underscoring the impending vacancies in senior
leadership positions in community colleges. Retention of presidents in community colleges is
low because of reported job pressure due to high expectations and expanded job responsibilities
(Jones & Johnson, 2014).
The specific components or promising practices of an effective succession planning
program in community colleges remain unclear. It is not known what specific strategies can be
used in community colleges to identify and develop the leadership talent pool, the development
of succession planning, and the subsequent retention of leaders. This study aimed to address the
gap in the literature by exploring the promising practices employed by the CCC Leadership
Academy that can potentially address the absence of building leadership capacity and leadership
transition in community colleges.
Purpose of the Study
Ensuring that community colleges are being governed and administered by effective
leaders is crucial to meeting the educational needs of students. The identification and preparation
of qualified leaders who embrace the mission of community colleges and have the requisite skills
to be effective leaders are necessary goals to sustain the leadership pool in community colleges
15

(Boggs, 2011). However, given the great number of retirements of senior leaders and the lack of
potential replacements, a leadership crisis has arisen which has yet to be addressed by
community colleges (Luna, 2010). The specific components or promising practices of an
effective succession planning program in community colleges remain unclear. It is not known
what specific strategies can be used in community colleges to identify and develop the leadership
talent pool, the development of succession planning, and the subsequent retention of leaders.
The purpose of this study was to develop a deeper understanding of the leadership
capacity building strategies at CCC, specifically its Leadership Academy, as it has shown great
promise to the researcher in its ability to recruit and grow leaders. This study also explored the
factors involved in the development and implementation of the Leadership Academy as well as,
the perceptions of participants, graduates, organizers, and leaders on the influence of the
academy.
Research Questions
Research questions were developed in collaboration with other researchers as part of a
thematic dissertation group. These were formulated to frame the study based on the problem and
purpose. As such, the questions that guided the promising practice study are the following:
1. In what ways does Crest Community College (CCC) work to build the next
generation of leaders through its Leadership Academy?
2. What are the perceptions of participants, graduates, organizers, and leaders regarding
the influences of these practices at CCC?
3. What are the factors that both facilitate and inhibit the development and
implementation of strategies designed to build leadership capacity?

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Significance of the Study
This study was designed to increase the understanding of the current promising practices
employed by CCC for talent identification, development, succession, and retention of leaders.
Although, much literature exists on the need for succession planning to have a smooth leadership
transition (Rivas & Jones, 2015), there is much less literature on the specific components or
practices that are essential to be successful in the community college setting. The results of the
study have practical significance to community college leaders, who may gain useful insights on
ways to develop a program that can systematically address the impending vacancies in leadership
positions. This research is instructive for policymakers by identifying promising practices for
building leadership capacity at individual community colleges that may serve as a model for the
larger community college system. Additionally, the perceptions and factors attributed to the
success of these practices can also be informative when creating policy. This study will
contribute to the literature by providing information on the Leadership Academy at CCC, which
has shown promise in recruiting and growing internal leaders.
Limitations and Delimitations
Limitations refer to influences on the study that are beyond the control of the researcher.
In this case study, one limitation is the use of a small sample size, which can prohibit
generalizing the results outside the sample of this study. A further limitation of this study was
time constraints, given that the researcher was limited to a three-month span for data collection.
This also limited the sample size, the number of interviews conducted, and the frequency of
observations. To address these limitations, triangulation using observations and relevant
documents such as training materials, internal documents, and application materials provided
additional support to the responses of the participants in the semi-structured interviews.
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This study was delimited to CCC, which has demonstrated promising practices in
building leadership capacity as defined by the researcher. Another delimitation is that the study
only included a multi-campus urban community college in the Southwest region of the country,
which may or may not reflect the practices of other community colleges. A final delimitation is
that data collection took place during the fall of 2015 and cannot be assumed to represent other
periods of time at the college.
Definitions
For the purpose of this study, the thematic group has defined the following terms as
follows:
Community College. A two-year public, non-profit, institution with regional
accreditation that most commonly offers a broad array of programs and awards associate
degrees.
Grow-Your-Own (GYO) Programs. A leadership development program offered by a
college or district to some of its employees as a way of preparing them for leadership positions
within the institution (Reille & Kezar, 2010).
Leadership. The process of influencing individuals, groups, or communities to meet
institutional goals (Bolman & Deal, 2008).
Leadership capacity. An organizational concept meaning broad-based, skillful
participation in the work of leadership that leads to lasting institutional improvement (Lambert,
2005).
Leadership development. Any educational or professional experiences or training that
contribute towards the development of leadership skills.
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Succession planning. The identification and development of academic leaders through
processes and activities to fill leadership roles in the future.
Organization of the Study
This study examined the promising practices utilized by CCC via its Leadership
Academy, which seeks to build the next generation of leaders. The first chapter provides an
introduction to the framework of the entire study and focuses on the leadership crisis in
community colleges as a result of the imminent vacancies in many leadership roles. The second
chapter will contain the literature review of the study. The literature review will focus on the
historical overview of community colleges, the importance of community college leadership, the
ways to build leadership capacity and the current leadership crisis in replacing retiring leaders.
The third chapter will focus on the methodological plan and data collection procedure for the
study. The fourth chapter presents the results of this study. The final chapter connects the
previous chapters and presents the conclusion of the study.

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CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction

The identification and preparation of qualified leaders who embrace the mission of
community colleges and have the requisite skills to be effective leaders are necessary goals to
sustain the leadership pool in community colleges (Boggs, 2011). However, given the great
number of retirements of senior leaders and the lack of potential qualified replacements, a
leadership crisis has arisen which has yet to be addressed by community colleges (Luna, 2010).
In 2012, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) found that 75% of current
community college presidents had plans to retire within the next ten years. Some institutions
apply succession planning programs in order to determine the next leader of the institution. It is
not known what specific strategies can be used in community colleges to identify and develop
the leadership talent pool, the development of succession planning, and the subsequent retention
of leaders to combat this issue. As such, the aim of this study was to examine the current
promising practices for building leadership capacity at CCC.
The purpose of this study was to attain a deeper understanding of the leadership capacity
building strategies at CCC, specifically its Leadership Academy. This study also explored the
factors involved in the development and implementation of the Leadership Academy as well as,
the perceptions of participants, graduates, organizers, and leaders on the influence of the
academy.
This chapter is organized around the main sections that emerged from the literature. The
first section will examine the history and importance of the community college. The second
section will explore community college leadership. The third section will examine the
community college leadership crises. The fourth section will explore succession planning and
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leadership development. The final section will position the theory of transformational leadership
in the context of community college leadership.
The History of the Community College
The first community college can be traced to the beginning of the twentieth century.
Some of the factors that led to the development of community colleges were (1) the need for
trained workers in the expanding industries in the country, (2) lengthened adolescent period, (3)
drive for social equality, and (4) the drive for greater accessibility to higher education (Cohen,
Brawer, & Krisker, 2013). Vaughn (2006) provided a timeline of the important events in the
history of community colleges. Tillery and Deegan also referred to the development of
community colleges as the five generations of the American community colleges. Geller (2001)
also proposed a sixth generation to the five generations of Tillery and Deegan. In the proceeding
paragraphs, these generations will we be discussed with an emphasis on the changes that
community colleges have gone through since their inception.
First Generation: 1900 to 1930
In the 1900s, the community college was seen as an extension of secondary school. It was
in 1901 that the Joliet Junior College in Illinois was established. The founding of Joliet Junior
College in Illinois marked the first step in the development of community colleges in the
country. There were nine two-year colleges in 1901.
By 1915, the number of junior colleges had increased to 74 (Cohen & Brawer, 1996).
Enrollment in junior colleges leveled off with the start of World War I (Cohen & Brawer, 1996).
After World War I, soldiers returned, and the number of junior colleges had jumped to over 200
(Cohen & Brawer, 1996). This increase in enrollees led the U.S. Bureau of Education to hold the
first national meeting of junior colleges. The creation of the American Association of Junior
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Colleges (AAJC) was a result of this meeting, which placed greater emphasis on national
leadership for the nation's junior, community, and technical colleges. The initial members of the
AAJC were only 22 colleges, but by the end of the decade that number increased to 210 colleges.
Second Generation: 1930 to 1950
The second generation is characterized as the junior college generation. Eells (1931)
explored the historical development of junior colleges and its role in making higher education
more accessible. During the 1940s, two-year colleges were mostly known as junior colleges.
The AAJC defined junior colleges in 1922 as an institution that offers two years of instruction
equivalent to collegiate grade.
World War II was a hindrance to the development of two-year public colleges because of
the low number of enrollees. However, the period after World War II signified an increase in the
enrollment in two-year colleges because of the return of the soldiers. The main factor that led
soldiers to return to college was the passage of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act, commonly
known as the GI Bill of Rights, in 1944. This legislation provided financial assistance to military
veterans who wanted to pursue higher education. Another landmark that boosted the acceptance
of two-year colleges was the 1947 Truman Commission Report written by the President’s
Commission on Higher Education. The report called for an establishment of community colleges
that would charge no or little tuition fees and would function as cultural centers.
Third Generation: 1950 to 1970
The third generation was referred to as the community college generation. During the
1950s and 1960s, many institutions distinguished between junior colleges and community
colleges. Private universities that offered two-year courses were called junior colleges as well as
institutions supported by the church that offered two-year level colleges. On the other hand,
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community colleges were institutions that offered a wide range of courses and were publicly
supported.
The AAJC also experienced the most influential leaders at this time. In 1958, Gleazer
became the new executive director of the American Association of Junior Colleges. He worked
hard to endorse the country’s community and junior colleges. Through the leadership of Gleazer,
the W.K. Kellogg Foundation announced grants to university centers that would establish junior
college leadership programs. Another milestone for the 1950s was the Supreme Court decision in
Brown vs. Board of Education, which aimed to put an end to segregation in educational
institutions.
Fourth Generation: 1970 to 1985
The fourth generation was coined the comprehensive community college generation. It
was at this time that the term “community college” was dominantly used. As the Vietnam War
came to an end, there was once again a pool of war veterans that would enroll in more than 200
additional community colleges by the end of the seventies (Cohen &Brawer, 1996).
In 1972, the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) was established. The
mission of the ACCT was “to develop effective lay governing board leadership to strengthen the
capacity of community colleges to achieve their missions on behalf of their communities”
(Summers, 1999). In 1976, the members of AACT rose to 516 colleges and by the end of the
1970s, there were 720 college members (Witt et al., 1994).
In 1981, Dale Parnell became the president of the AACJC. It was also the same year that
Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as President of the United States and referred to community
colleges as “a priceless treasure close to our homes and work, providing open doors for millions
of our fellow citizens...the original higher education melting pot” (as quoted in Witt et al, 1994,
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p. 264). Likewise, in 1989 President George Bush spoke highly of the great example community
colleges had set in the educational community and commended them for “earning the gratitude
of a nation” (as quoted in Witt et al., p. 265).
Fifth Generation: 1985 to 1999
In 1988, the report of the Commission on the Future of Community Colleges emphasized
the role of community colleges in producing local graduates and assisting their local regions. The
AACC and ACCT established the Joint Commission on Federal Relations which became the
focal point for a number of lobbying efforts on behalf of community colleges. In 1991, David
Pierce became the president of the AACJC and was the first president of the AACJC to have
graduated from a public community college. He placed major importance on working with the
federal government in order to communicate the mission of community colleges to both national
and international audiences. By 1992, the majority of the members of the AACJC) voted to drop
the junior college part of the association name and become the well-known American
Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
Sixth Generation: 1999 to Present
According to Cohen et al. (2013), the development of the community college can be
traced back to the growth of higher education in the twentieth century. In order to accommodate
the increasing rates of enrollees, the state developed community colleges. The authors explained
that the development of community colleges came about because educators at that time wanted
to relegate the teaching of the freshmen and sophomore classes to a new set of institutions called
junior colleges.
Community colleges were created in order to provide access to higher education. Beach
(2011) made it clear that the community college was an American idea. It was “idealistic, multi-
24

tiered, and more precise on means than on ends” (Beach, 2011, p. 519). The development of
community colleges was due to the need to accommodate students who wanted to pursue higher
education.
In this section, the history of the community college was discussed. Specifically,
emphasis was placed on the leaders of community college organizations and the importance of
their leadership to the growth of community colleges in the country. Accordingly, the next
section will discuss community college leadership.
Community College Leadership
Studies continuously demonstrate that the success of an institution depends largely on the
“functionality, effectiveness, and promotion of leaders and leadership” (Kezar & Lester, 2011, p.
4). The call for great leadership in higher education is nothing new, but the leadership type
required during these changing times where demographic shifts, globalization, competition and
decreased funding converge require a differently prepared leader (Kezar, Carducci, & Contreras-
McGavin, 2006). As such, there is a need for effective leaders in these institutions. Leadership at
community colleges should aim to maintain the skills, traits, and practices that have already
served to create, nurture, and strategically position community colleges for further prominence in
the educational landscape (Hockaday & Puyear, 2000).
Although the past can inform current leadership practices, the issues (e.g., reduced
funding, fundraising, increased competition) that upcoming leaders have to face will be different
and possibly more complex than those seen in the past (Hockaday & Puyear, 2000; McNair,
Duree, & Ebbers, 2011). Leaders are an essential resource for the future of institutions of higher
education and can encourage followers to “join in the process of change and identify what
inspires growth in the pursuit of organizational excellence” (Furtek, 2012, p. 61). These types of
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transformative leaders have been found to be the most effective type of leaders in higher
educational institutions (Tierney, 1989). While there is much information about leadership in
higher education, there is still much to be learned from examining the characteristics of effective
community college leaders.
Characteristics of Effective Community College Leaders
The characteristics of effective community college leaders have been researched greatly
and were most recently delineated by the AACC, as well as observed by researchers in their
studies (AACC Competencies for Community College Leaders, 2013; Hockaday & Puyear,
2000). While there is no typical community college leader, there are certain characteristics which
can be learned (Hockaday & Puyear, 2000). Some of the main characteristics that can be learned
and developed can be classified as follows.
Vision. An effective leader must have a vision of what the college should look like and
the direction of the movement of the community college. Leaders must examine the factors that
contribute to the future of the community, and these factors will have an effect on how the
institution will fulfill its mission. Leaders with a vision would also be able to welcome changes
in society that will ultimately leave an impact on the community college. Without vision, the
leader is just an administrator who does daily chores without direction. In this case, the
community college will be offering the same programs, and there will be no transformational
changes (AACC Competencies for Community College Leaders, 2013; Hockaday & Puyear,
2000).
Integrity. There must be no doubt about the integrity of the community college leader.
To be an effective leader, one must have followers who trust and respect their leaders. If the
followers do not trust and respect their leaders, then they will be only coerced to follow the
26

leader. Community college leaders should practice ethical leadership because, without it, the
community college leader would not be able to mobilize subordinates (AACC Competencies for
Community College Leaders, 2013; Hockaday & Puyear, 2000).
Confidence. A community college leader must have self-confidence. Moreover,
community college leaders should also exude confidence. However, this self-confidence should
not be mistaken for being too proud. The leader must be confident and certain of his or her
decisions. Self-confidence manifests itself in the individual considering alternative decisions and
seeking counsel from well-informed associates. In this way, the community college leader is
confident in the direction that the community college is going (AACC Competencies for
Community College Leaders, 2013; Hockaday & Puyear, 2000). Further, Hockaday and Puyear
(2000) noted that individuals respect a leader who is confident.
Courage. A community college leader should not only be confident, he or she must also
be courageous. When the direction of the leader is filled with doubts or fears, the followers
would be hesitant in following the indicated path. It takes both confidence and courage to engage
in an ongoing reinterpretation of the mission of the community college to successfully lead
through the various challenges in the years to come. It is also a courageous characteristic to be
humble and consider that the opinions of other individuals might be right. Even if other
individuals deemed the change of course as weakness, the community college leader must be
courageous to respectfully acknowledge the merits of the opinions or objections of colleagues
(AACC Competencies for Community College Leaders, 2013; Hockaday & Puyear, 2000).
Hockaday and Puyear (2000) also noted that community college leaders must not serve in order
to please individuals with power and authority, but rather the stakeholders of the institution
27

Technical knowledge. Community college leaders must know what it takes to manage a
community college. This knowledge requires study and experience in the field. A person
knowledgeable in the field of business or politics may not necessarily be an effective leader in
the community college context. As such, some leadership programs continue to recruit college
leaders within their institution. However, if there is no one qualified to take on the role, leaders,
coming from a different field should carefully evaluate the mission and culture of the community
college to see if they are a fit (AACC Competencies for Community College Leaders, 2013;
Hockaday & Puyear, 2000).
Collaborators. There was a time when leaders could function well in isolation, meaning
that contact was restricted to only a few stakeholders or a few members of the team. However, in
modern society, community college leaders should act as collaborators. Successful community
colleges will have various partnerships with other organizations: secondary schools, higher
education institutions, or community groups and organizations. In order for these partnerships to
be successful, the community college leader will systemically develop relationships with the
leaders of these organizations (AACC Competencies for Community College Leaders, 2013;
Hockaday & Puyear, 2000).
Internally, the community college leader should develop a collaborative climate. The
relationship of the parts is also a powerful tool for the creation of a synergistic culture inside the
organization. The more sincere the participation of the leader is in the problems of the college,
the greater the involvement will be of the members on the initiatives of the leader (AACC
Competencies for Community College Leaders, 2013; Hockaday & Puyear, 2000).
Persistence. Community college leaders must also be persistent. The vision of the
community college leader may take several years to manifest. As such, the community college
28

leader must persist despite the challenges and setbacks he or she may face (AACC Competencies
for Community College Leaders, 2013; Hockaday & Puyear, 2000).
Good judgment. Community college leaders must have good judgment in various
aspects. Good judgment refers to the adequate understanding of the social, interpersonal,
political, and financial aspects that interact with one another in the community. While the leader
has to implement strategies and policies that would concur with his or her vision, the leader must
also take into consideration the reaction of the individuals and groups to these policies and
strategies. The leader must be able to assess the advantages and disadvantages of one course of
action (AACC Competencies for Community College Leaders, 2013; Hockaday & Puyear,
2000).
Desire and passion to lead. Not everyone wants to be a leader because some are content
with what they are already doing, some do not want the responsibility, and some are afraid of the
responsibility. An effective leader should be dedicated and committed to doing their best when it
comes to their position. Collaboration is one of the key characteristics of effective leaders
because it allows one to withstand the challenges they may face in the years of their service
(AACC Competencies for Community College Leaders, 2013; Hockaday & Puyear, 2000).
Challenges Faced by Community College Leaders
Several studies have pointed out the many challenges that community college presidents
have faced in order to keep the community college afloat and functioning. These leaders must
deal effectively with many different stakeholders, such as the faculty, administrators, staff,
students, Board of Trustees, and the community they serve (Cohen, Brawer, & Kisker, 2013;
Hockaday & Puyear, 2000). Duree et al. (2011) also identified the challenges that community
college presidents experience during their time in office. These top five challenges are one of the
29

main reasons some community college leaders find the position too challenging, as they have to
be able to play different roles. Two of the most pressing problems of the community colleges are
fundraising and student enrollment and retention (See Figure 1 below).

Figure 1. Top Five Challenges Faced by a Community College President
The new millennium also presented new challenges for community college leaders, such
as fundraising and legislative activity (Cohen, Brawer, & Kisker, 2013). During the 21st century,
the role of community college leaders also shifted to becoming facilitators, innovators,
communicators, and visionaries (Cohen, Brawer, & Kisker, 2013).
• Presidents served as the chief fundraiser of the
college
Fundraising
• Presidents should maintain high enrollment
rates through recruitment and retention
Student Enrollment
and Retention
• President becomes the de facto lobbyist, which
is essential to presidential success
Legislative Advocacy
• The community college must train future
workers
• The capability of the community college to
produce graduates that are prepared for work
Economic and
Workforce
Development
• Presidents should develop relationships with
the faculty to ensure their satisfaction in the
workplace and to guarantee their retention
Faculty Relations
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In this section, community college leadership was discussed. Specifically, emphasis was
placed on the characteristics that an effective community college leader exhibits, which can be
learned and developed. Additional emphasis was placed on the challenges that community
college leaders face and how they have transformed over time. The next section addresses the
community college leadership crises.
Community College Leadership Crisis
Aside from the challenges that community college leaders face, there is also an
impending crisis in leadership. By 2000, researchers agreed that there was a crisis in community
college leadership due to the high number of community college presidents who would retire. In
2012, an AACC report noted that 75% of current community college presidents have plans to
retire within the next ten years. In the previous 1-½ years alone, approximately 200 college
presidents have transitioned out of their position.
Community college presidents are not only retiring at a rapid pace; their time in office is
also getting shorter. These factors lead to vacancies that can disrupt organizational dynamics
(Ebbers, Conover, & Samules, 2010; Eddy, 2013; Luna, 2012). Reille and Kezar (2010)
emphasized that this loss of leadership may have a negative impact on the institution’s
effectiveness, efficiency, and morale. In the 2011 ACE survey, it was also found that the average
length of service for presidents was seven years (Lederman, 2012). However, in 2006, the
average length of service was 8.5 years (Lederman, 2012). This is additional evidence showing
the decrease in the length of service of community college presidents.
Both Campbell, Syed, and Morris (2010), and Basham and Mathur (2010) stated that
community colleges would face substantial challenges, specifically with filling the void in
community college leadership development. This crisis is compounded by the fact that
31

community college presidents are retiring at an earlier age, hold a shorter time in office level,
and are getting more difficult to recruit.
Age and Retirement
Community college presidents are getting older (Schults, 2001). In 2011, 37% of
community college presidents were between 55 to 59 years old. In 1986, the American Council
on Education (ACE) conducted a survey of presidents and found that: 42% of campus leaders
were 50 or under while only 14% were 61 or older. In 2006, 49.3% of the presidents were 61 and
over (Lederman, 2012). In the new survey of ACE, it was found that 58% of campus leaders will
be 61 years and older (Lederman, 2012). As they get older, these presidents would be close to
their retirement age (Lederman, 2012).
There are several reasons a large percentage of the community college leaders as well as
members of the faculty and staff are getting older. There was a massive hiring in the 1960s.
Moreover, there was also little growth in the faculty size of each institution and slow faculty
turnover. However, the older age of the community leaders does not mean that there was a
decline in the performance of the individual. In fact, there is evidence that suggests older tenured
faculty and community college leaders tend to focus more on doing their jobs because the
importance of climbing their career ladder diminished (Lederman. 2012).
In 2007, 45% of more than 1100 community college presidents had plans to retire.
Moreover, a recent AACC report indicated that 75% of community college presidents have plans
to retire within the next ten years and 42% of this group plan to retire within five years (AACC
Competencies for Community College Leaders, 2013).
As early as 2001, the AACC published a report about the impact of substantial
retirements of community college presidents as well as long-term employees in community
32

colleges and called the problem a crisis in leadership. Long-term employees who have spent 30
to 40 years building the community college system would also retire, taking with them the
extensive knowledge of the community college system as well as the individual institutions
(Lederman, 2012). In addition to the retirement of the community college leaders, the next ring
of potential community college administrators and leaders are also approaching retirement age
(Lederman, 2012).
Recruitment of New Leaders
While there continues to be competition for community college presidential positions,
fewer potential candidates are applying than in years prior (Jones & Warnick, 2012). According,
to Jones and Johnson (2014) this may be due to high expectations, expanded job responsibilities,
and the perceived risk of taking such a position. These risks could include financial risk,
reputation risk, or career risk. Each of these types of risk connects back to the challenges that
community college president’s face.
Ebbers et al. (2010) identified the difficulty in the identification of potential leaders who
are fully qualified and prepared to replace the community college presidents who are retiring.
The recruitment, preparation, and selection of leaders with the necessary skills required to lead
community colleges are crucial to the success of the institution but are increasingly difficult to
maintain.
In this section, the crisis in community college leadership was discussed. The majority of
community college leaders are getting older and nearing retirement age. Moreover, presidents
hold a shorter time in office and are getting more difficult to recruit due to the complexity of the
position. This impacts community colleges as these leaders take with them extensive knowledge
33

of the community college system as well as their individual institutions. This crisis is
compounded by the fact that there is a lack of qualified replacements, as discussed next.
Succession Planning and Leadership Development
Community colleges face trouble in discovering and identifying potential leaders
qualified and prepared to replace presidents and leaders retiring (Ebbers et al., 2010). Due to the
community college leadership crisis, community colleges face the choice of either identifying
potential leaders or providing these identified leaders with sufficient training to prepare them for
senior leadership roles or in bringing individuals from outside the institution who may have little
understanding of higher education.
Succession Planning
Succession planning is the process of developing future leaders for an organization
through purposeful action, with the specific application of employee development in order to
meet long-term strategic goals of an organization. Succession planning has existed in order to
promote the continuity of leadership. There is much literature that describes the different
advantages of succession planning for the overall status of the organization (Breen, 2012; Ebbers
et al., 2010). Breen (2012) stated that institutions with a good succession plan have less difficulty
in searching for the next leader of the organization. Even with the proven results of succession
planning in the corporate sector, public agencies tend to not participate in succession planning
(Breen, 2012). This is true for colleges and universities as well. In the case of community
colleges, there is no clear and uniform succession planning program. As such, this leads to
difficulty in searching for qualified future leaders.
Breen (2012) identified major issues linked to the existing state of the leadership pipeline.
She criticized the current state in the community college leadership pipeline for lacking a “plan
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for recruitment, selection, preparation, placement, and professional development” (p. 5).
However, some researchers call for recruiting leaders outside the institutions; others embrace the
concept of succession planning to ensure the sustainability of the community college. Ebbers et
al. (2010) concluded that there is a need to recognize, train, and “grow their own” leaders to meet
the augmented need for new and qualified leaders in community colleges (p. 59). Ebbers et al.,
(2010) stressed that there should be potential leaders inside the community college system.
Leadership programs within an organization need to have many constituent parts. Among
these are a recruitment mechanism that can identify potential leaders, assessment measures that
can assess the capabilities of prospective leaders, and performance management to further
develop the abilities of individuals who have the potential to be effective leaders (Wilkins et al.,
2012). In the 1950s-1970s, leaders developed their community college leadership skills primarily
through hands-on experiential learning and mentoring relationships with senior leaders while on
the job (Hassan, Dellow, & Jackson, 2009). Presently, it seems that there is no systematic
approach to mentoring programs. The literature indicates that there are three models for training
future community college leaders: (a) formal educational programs (i.e., doctorate programs), (b)
professional development (e.g., workshops, mentoring, conferences) and (c) successorship or
succession planning or Grow-Your-Own (GYO) programs (Ebbers, Conover, & Samuels, 2010;
Furtek, 2012; Luna, 2012; Hassan et al., 2009).
According to Strom et al. (2011), leadership development is one of the major elements of
succession planning. Individuals with leadership potential should develop their competencies
while on the job and with their interaction with current leaders in order for them to be fully
prepared for the responsibilities of a community college leader (Eddy, 2013). This is consistent
with the research of Rivas and Jones (2015), according to which current leaders have the ability
35

to socialize with potential future leaders within the organization through work interaction and
guidance, underscoring the important role current leaders have in succession planning. This
suggests that current leaders have much to teach the future leaders. The AACC also proposes that
community colleges identify potential leaders in their pool of employees. According to Jones and
Jackson (2014), new community college leaders become more effective and experience a
smoother transition if they are hired internally. McNair et al. (2011) also valued the backing of
current leaders of community colleges so that succession planning would be more successful.
The researchers recognized that "there is no one set of experiences that lead to the acquisition of
skills required of today's community college presidents" (McNair, Duree, & Ebbers, 2011, p. 4).
Mentoring
In the field of education, mentoring is the empowerment of an individual by an expert
through learning-centered relationships. Mentoring is a facilitative relationship in which the
mentor facilitates the learning rather than only directing the transfer of knowledge to the learner
(McArdle, 2013). The mentor will guide and advise the less experienced protégé. In the
community college leadership context, the mentor would be the current community college
leader, and the mentee would be the successor (McArdle, 2013).
Mentoring in the community college context has the potential to increase work-related
knowledge and skills of the individuals working in community colleges (McNair, Duree, &
Ebbers, 2011). Researchers have concluded consistently that mentoring is a significant
contributor to career development in higher education (McArdle, 2013; McNair, Duree, &
Ebbers, 2011). VanDerLinden (2005) stated that more than 52% of the individuals who indicated
they had a mentor also indicated that it was with the help of their mentor that they obtained their
current position. The participants in the study concluded that mentoring significantly helped
36

them understand the challenges they would face. Mentors provide experiential learning
opportunities for the protégé to achieve his or her full potential (Floyd, 2009). Mentors also
encourage their protégé to take on additional responsibilities, as well as other professional
development and growth opportunities (Dumaya & Galand, 2012). Mentors can assist the
successor to adjust to their position and may help in reducing the barriers that the successor will
face (Floyd, 2009).
Formal Education Programs
Formal education programs offer an additional route to training future community college
leaders (Ebbers, Conover, & Samuels, 2010; Furtek, 2012; Luna, 2012). These programs involve
the institution supporting its employees to pursue further studies in order to improve their
knowledge and skills. Generally, formal education programs include supporting the graduate
studies of employees. In some cases, the formal education programs of universities involve
degree programs (e.g., EdD or PhD programs) with specializations such as higher educational
leadership or community college leadership (Reille & Kezar, 2010). Through this degree
program, the employee will be able to focus on the acquisition of leadership skills and have a
better understanding of what it takes to manage a college. According to Friedel (2010),
university-based doctorate programs have traditionally been the main source for the outside
preparation of community college leaders. Friedel (2010) also noted that approximately 70% of
community college presidents have doctoral degrees in education.
However, these formal degree programs are unable to meet the current demand for
qualified leaders due to the extended time commitment necessary to complete the program,
accessibility, and cost (O’Banion, 2007; Reille & Kezar, 2010). The main concern regarding
formal education programs is based on their theoretical nature, which often have limited practical
37

application (Reille & Kezar, 2010). McNair, Duree, and Ebbers, (2015) noted that members of
the institution who have undergone formal educational training may decide to leave the
institution, and some employees would not decide to accept the leadership positions offered to
them. Thus, completion of a formal degree by an employee is not a guarantee that they will
continue to work at their institution, nor a guarantee that one will accept an offer for a leadership
role.
Professional Development
Opportunities for professional development of prospective community college leaders are
varied and extensive. Leadership development at the institutional level is a particularly effective
mechanism that addresses the specific needs of the community college (Little, 2012; Sullivan &
Palmer, 2014). On-site professional development can take into consideration the traits of the
leader, as well as the characteristics of the situation, goal, context, or location (Little, 2012).
Moreover, if leaders are trained internally, they may be more likely to develop into future leaders
that are best suited to meet the college’s need, as they understand the organizational context in
which they will serve. However, one concern is that employees that have gone through the
professional development may not stay with the institution long enough for others to benefit.
(Sullivan & Palmer, 2014). Further, professional development without a systematic approach
from the institution has not been effective in preparing a sufficient number of new leaders (Reille
& Kezar, 2010).
Grow-Your-Own Programs
While both formal education programs, mentoring, and professional development have
advantages, succession planning, successorship, or Grow-Your-Own (GYO) programs may best
meet the gap by attracting individuals with leadership potential internally (de la Teja et al., 2011;
38

Strom, Sanchez, & Downey-Schilling, 2011). GYO leadership development programs/internal
succession were used to address this in the early 2000s (Hassan et al., 2009). GYO programs
support the development of future college leaders by recruiting internal candidates into the
pipeline for future leadership positions, facilitating real world experiences, and providing
opportunities for application of learning. McNair, Duree, and Ebbers (2011) found that
community colleges began to address the projected need for trained leaders in the early 2000s by
developing internal GYO leadership programs. Benard (2012) also affirmed that GYO programs
are an effective way to fill the leadership pipeline. Reille and Kezar (2010) reaffirmed the
importance of GYO programs and stated that it is more effective than sending people for an
“advanced degree or nationwide leadership development program because it can be customized
to the college’s characteristics, culture, goals, and specific needs” (p. 79).
Succession planning literature primarily focuses on providing models for replacement
planning where the college develops a process to recruit and hire new leaders. This seems to
suggest that community colleges have yet to develop a mature and comprehensive model of
leadership training for succession. O’Keefe’s (2013) study on the looming leadership crises
facing Illinois community colleges also reveals several challenges in this area. This study served
as a pattern for other community college systems. The state of Illinois continues to face financial
challenges and struggles for student recruitment and retention, challenges that will require
leaders who have the necessary knowledge and understanding of the community college system
as well as related political activities. Based on 435 respondents who have leadership roles, 64%
stated that their community college does not have any succession plan for the retiring leaders and
administrators. Out of the 435 respondents, only 14% indicated that their community college had
a succession plan, and 22% stated that they were uncertain if they had a succession plan.
39

As promising as GYO programs may be, they do have one main disadvantage, which is
the possibility of design flaws in their development and design. Reille and Kezar (2010) revealed
that the design of GYO programs can be detrimental to the success of the program because there
is no universal design given that each institution has different and unique characteristics.
Because there are very few studies on customizing GYO programs, (Reille & Kezar, 2010) this
further deters institutions from creating their own.
In this section, potential solutions for identifying qualified community college leaders
were discussed. The majority of the studies provided support for GYO programs, which allows
community colleges to recruit internal candidates directly into the pipeline for future leadership
positions. In line with this, transformational leadership tends to be the leadership style that would
best support an environment that promotes internal succession planning, leadership development,
and future transformational leaders.
Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership theory has caught the interest of researchers in different
fields for the past three decades. Burns (1978) developed the theory, and it was enhanced by
Bass (1985). Burns (1978) hypothesized that leaders who practice transformational leadership
theory inspire their followers to accomplish more through emphasizing the principles of the
follower and aligning these principles with the principles of the organization. Burns (1978) also
added that transformational leadership “occurs when one or more persons engage with others in
such a way that leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of motivation and
morality” (p. 20). Bass (1985) expanded the transformational leadership theory. He stated that a
leader is “one who motivates us to do more than we originally expected to do” (p. 20). Bass also
noted that transformational leaders inspire their followers to go beyond their self-centeredness
40

for the good of the majority. Bass (1985) also expanded the previous work of Burns and argued
that effective leaders both have transactional and transformational leadership features. However,
the two have different goals. Transactional leaders target the first order effects while
transformational leaders target higher order effects. Bass (1985) posited that the first order of
change is handled efficiently by the concentration on leadership as a transactional relationship;
however, a higher order of change calls for transformational leadership.
The literature suggests that transformational leadership behaviors are one of the ways to
select effective leaders in the twenty-first century and to extend the length of service of
community college presidents. Built on a study of 256 exemplary community college presidents,
Roueche, Baker, and Rose (2014) examined the characteristics of exceptional leaders and their
ability to produce organizational change in community colleges. Helping community colleges
meet the challenges of the future and “beyond requires a process of changing people by
influencing their values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors” (p. 112). Sullivan and Palmer (2014)
revealed three themes in their study, which supports the use of a doctoral course in a community
college leadership program. The content of this course encourages reflection as a method to be
an effective community college leader and to demonstrate transformative leadership. The three
themes that would be helpful in the reflection of the individual as a leader are: (1) think about
previous beliefs about leadership, (2) conduct a critical review of personal theories of leadership,
and (3) embrace leadership that is relational.
Poole (2012) aimed to identify which leadership styles and practices contribute to lengthy
presidential service and the expansion of high-performing community colleges. With a sample of
California community college chancellors, presidents, and superintendent/presidents who have
served their role for at least ten years at their institutions as of April 2011, Poole noted that each
41

of the institutions had high performance when the leader exhibits transformational and
transactional leadership behaviors. In the qualitative analysis, the community college was asked
to identify characteristics of high performing community colleges. Most leaders stated that there
must be fiscal integrity, the leader has to identify the core values of the institution, and align
them with the core values of his or her leadership, and the leader has to establish a clear goal or
vision for the institution. These features are demonstrated by a leader who advocates
transformational leadership. Sun and Anderson (2012) also stated that transformational
leadership could explain successful integrative public leadership.
Several studies have explored the effects of transformational leadership on organizational
performance and employee motivation. Garcia-Morales, Jiménez-Barrionuevo, and Gutiérrez-
Gutiérrez (2012) concluded that transformational leadership influences organizational
performance positively through organizational learning and innovation. Wright, Moynihan, and
Pandey’s (2012) study revealed that transformational leadership has a significant secondary
effect on mission valence through its effect on fostering motivation and illuminating
organizational goals in public service. In Wang, Oh, Courtright, and Colbert’s (2011) meta-
analysis of more than 113 primary studies, it was revealed that transformational leadership was
an important factor in forecasting individual-level contextual performance and team-level
performance. Grant (2012) also recommended that transformational leadership would be most
effective in motivating followers when leaders emphasize the meaningful consequences of their
work and how it benefits other people.
Summary
The history of community colleges can be traced back to the twentieth century with the
establishment of the Joliet Junior College in Illinois. The development of junior/community
42

colleges was due to the increase of enrollees in higher education and the democratization of
higher education. With the changing times, the role of community colleges has changed as well.
The role of community college leaders has shifted from a leader who would institutionalize
community colleges in their region to leaders who must be facilitators, innovators,
communicators, and visionaries. There is a current crisis in community college leadership due to
a large number of community college presidents who are expected to retire and the lack of
qualified replacements.
There is a need to review the literature regarding leadership identification and training, as
well as succession planning in community colleges to provide solutions to the leadership crisis.
However, authors have argued that there is a lack of leadership recruitment, lack of professional
development, and weak succession planning in most community colleges. Among the three
models for training future community college leaders are: (a) formal educational programs (i.e.,
doctorate programs), (b) professional development (e.g., workshops, mentoring, conferences)
and (c) successorship, succession planning or Grow-Your-Own (GYO) programs (Ebbers,
Conover, & Samuels, 2010; Furtek, 2012; Luna, 2012; Hassan et al., 2009). The literature has
provided evidence that GYO programs may best meet the gap by attracting individuals with
leadership potential internally (de la Teja et al., 2011; Strom, Sanchez, & Downey-Schilling,
2011).
Transformational leadership is one of the leadership styles that could help in addressing
the leadership crisis. Roueche et al. (2014) concluded that future leaders must have the capability
to change people through influencing their values, behaviors, and beliefs. This characteristic to
influence people and their values are embedded in transformational leadership theory.
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The goal of this study was to attain a deeper understanding of the leadership capacity
building strategies at CCC, specifically its Leadership Academy. This study also explored the
factors involved in the development and implementation of the Leadership Academy as well as,
the perceptions of participants, graduates, organizers, and leaders on the influence of the
academy. The next chapter will focus on the methodological plan and data collection procedure
for the study.

44

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
Introduction
The identification and preparation of qualified leaders who embrace the mission of
community colleges and have the requisite skills to be effective leaders are necessary goals to
sustain the leadership pool in community colleges (Boggs, 2011). However, given the great
number of retirements of senior leaders and the lack of potential replacements, a leadership crisis
has arisen that has yet to be addressed by community colleges (Luna, 2010).
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the promising leadership building
practices that Crest Community College (CCC) uses to cultivate the next generation of leaders to
fill these vacated positions. This study investigated the leadership capacity building strategies at
CCC, specifically its Leadership Academy. This study also explored the factors involved in the
development and implementation of the Leadership Academy as well as, the perceptions of
participants, graduates, organizers, and leaders on the influence of the academy. This case study
was investigated through qualitative interviews using semi-structured/open-ended questions to
obtain responses from participants, graduates, decision makers, and leaders engaged in this
promising practice. These interviews centered on their first-hand experiences and perceptions on
the subject matter. Observations of the Leadership Academy training sessions occurred as a
means to further investigate and understand the practice. Artifacts such as training session
materials, internal documents, and application materials that can provide insights about the
promising practice were also collected. Qualitative data from interviews and observations helped
to identify thematic categories for the analysis in this qualitative study.
This chapter will include the research design overview and the applicability of the chosen
research design, discussion of the research sample, the data collection procedures, the data
45

analysis procedure, the theoretical and conceptual frameworks, and the issues associated with
ethical considerations of the participants.
Research Questions
Research questions were developed in collaboration with other researchers as part of a
thematic dissertation group. These were formulated to frame the study based on the problem and
purpose. As such, the questions that guided the promising practice study are the following:
1. In what ways does Crest Community College (CCC) work to build the next
generation of leaders through its Leadership Academy?
2. What are the perceptions of participants, graduates, organizers, and leaders regarding
the influences of these practices at CCC?
3. What are the factors that both facilitate and inhibit the development and
implementation of strategies designed to build leadership capacity?
Research Design
Pursuant to the goal of this study to obtain first-hand accounts, perceptions, and insight
into the promising practices for building leadership capacity at the CCC Leadership Academy, a
qualitative methodology was selected. Qualitative research designs are used to study a particular
phenomenon within its environment of existence (Creswell, 2014). A qualitative study is
conducted in an attempt to understand the attitudes, behaviors, motivations, and concerns of a
targeted research group (Merriam, 2009). The use of a qualitative methodology is more
appropriate to generate findings based on the experiences of the interview respondents about the
case being investigated (Maxwell, 2012). Semi-structured or open-ended interview questions are
the primary data source while other data sources from artifacts were also be used to validate the
46

findings from the interview response. The use of a qualitative method was justified because of
the need for in-depth and rich information from interview responses.
The specific qualitative research design that was used was case study research. Case study
research is typically conducted to analyze themes emerging from interviews, provides depth
from the interview analysis to support and expand the propositions of a particular situation in a
group of people, and does not purport to build an underlying theory from the investigation
(Merriam, 2009). Case study research is utilized in order to analyze qualitatively a specific way
of collecting, organizing, and analyzing data throughout a process and aims to investigate a
particular group of people (Merriam, 2009). A case study design was the most appropriate for
this study because it deals with human perceptions as the data to be used to address the research
questions. The specific case for this study was to determine the current promising practices
employed by CCC for talent identification, development, succession, and retention of leaders. A
case study is a type of qualitative research method that provides a holistic viewpoint of a
phenomenon, issue(s) or case (s) within a bounded set or singular system (Yin, 2014).
A case study allows the exploration of a given phenomenon without the controlled
environment of a laboratory (Yin, 2014). Yin (2014) proposed that a case study approach is
appropriate because of the following criteria: (a) the behavior of those involved in the study
cannot be manipulated, (b) contextual conditions are covered since it is believed that these are
important to the phenomenon under study and, (c) the phenomenon and context have unclear
boundaries. A case study is more advantageous because it offers a rich description in which
others can vicariously live through (Merriam, 2009).

47

Sample and Population

The purpose of selecting Crest Community College (CCC) for a case study was to develop
a deeper understanding of its leadership capacity building strategies, specifically the Leadership
Academy as it has shown great promise to the researcher in its ability to recruit and grow leaders.
The sample for this study included 14 participants who are in the Leadership Academy,
graduated from it or are decision makers for the academy such as the CCC president, other senior
administrative leaders, and academy organizers. This sample size is typical for qualitative
studies, given the case study nature of this research (Meriam, 2008). Each of these participants
were asked to describe their position and relationship to the college and Leadership Academy.
Participants were interviewed to obtain their experience and perception of the case being
investigated.
This research used purposeful sampling to identify key participants that were included in
the interviews. The participants and the site for the study were selected because they
purposefully inform an understanding of the research problem and are central to the phenomenon
in the study (Creswell, 2014). A purposeful sampling technique was used, as the information that
was obtained focused on a particular group of the population, as well as provided a savings in
effort and time due to the researcher’s proximity to the site (Patton, 2002). This purposeful
sampling allowed the researcher to hear the unique voices of a small group of participants at
CCC.
To recruit the targeted participants, the researcher utilized a recruitment letter (see
Appendix A). This recruitment letter was sent to potential participants. This letter contained the
explanation of the purpose of the study for them to provide permission for their participation in
the interview. The explanation of the benefits of the results of the study to participants, the nature
48

of the study, and the methodology utilized in the study was also be explained in the recruiting
letter. This recruiting letter containing the enumerated information was e-mailed to the potential
community college participants chosen for this study.
Overview of the Organization
Established in the 1960s, Crest Community College (CCC) is located in an urban area in
the Southwestern part of the United States. It has a student population of over 40,000 and offers
more than 130 programs of study for an associate degree or certificate of completion at its five
campuses. Like most urban community colleges, CCC consists of a diverse student population
that primarily includes African Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, Native
Americans, and Whites. CCC has a full-time staff of 2,810 and a part-time staff of 1,641. As of
2013, there were 116 employees classified as management.
In 2005, CCC began its inaugural Leadership Academy, which sought to enhance and
develop the leadership qualities and skills of employees in positions of leadership as well as
those striving to advance in leadership positions. This homegrown academy is a one-year
training program designed to enhance the leadership qualities, strengths, and skills of CCC
employees. The Leadership Academy offers employees the opportunity to develop leadership
skills through networking, activities, workshops, and presentations. The academy has
approximately 60 participants annually, and all must attend monthly-required meetings. To date,
the academy has graduated nearly 500 and continues to operate with support from the college
president.
Theoretical Framework
The literature suggests that transformational leadership behaviors are one of the ways to
cultivate effective leaders in the twenty-first century and one of the ways to extend the service of
49

community college leaders (Ebbers et al., 2010; Poole, 2012; Roueche et al., 2014).
Consequently, the theoretical framework for this research is based on transformational leadership
as it provides a frame for understanding the promising practices utilized in the CCC Leadership
Academy. This theoretical framework served to inform the concepts, research questions, data
collection, analysis techniques, and the interpretation of findings (Merriam, 2009). As previously
discussed, transformational leadership aims to cultivate individuals and motivate them to achieve
common goals. For the purpose of this study, the main transformational leadership concepts as
put forth by Kouzes and Posner (2010) of enabling others to act, modeling the way, and inspiring
a shared vision were selected to inform this framework.
Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework, created by the thematic group, was based on emerging themes
from the literature. A conceptual framework is primarily a conception or model of what is
planned to be studied or is a tentative theory of the phenomena to be investigated. It provides an
overview of the phenomenon and helps to bridge the gap between theory and the direct analysis
of what causalities to look at (Ravitch & Riggan, 2011). The conceptual framework provides the
researcher with specific elements to be assessed in the study. This conceptual framework (Figure
2) illustrates the influence of succession planning and transformational leadership practices on
cultivating a reservoir of high-quality leaders. This conceptual framework along with the
theoretical framework formed the foundation of this study.
This conceptual framework provides a non-linear illustration of the relationship between
the historical impact/role of higher education leaders, the leadership capacity building strategies,
the transformational leadership theory practices, and the higher education level practices, which
together are “routes” to building a reservoir of high-quality leaders.
50

Specifically, the historical and present impact of the leadership crisis (e.g., increased
retirements, shorter term of service, fewer qualified replacements) and the role evolution of these
leaders given the current leadership climate (e.g., fewer resources, importance of fundraising and
partnerships, increase in student numbers) are important to keep in mind given the history of this
problem and the changing roles that leaders are now expected to take on. Leadership capacity
building strategies (e.g., mentoring, formal education programs, GYO programs) are critical in
building future leaders and increasing the reservoir given their proven effectiveness.
Transformational leadership theory practices specifically those relating to enabling others,
inspiring a shared vision, and modeling are additional ways to select effective leaders in the
twenty-first century and to extend the length of service of community college leaders.
Transformational leadership theory practices also tend to be the leadership style that would best
support an environment that promotes internal succession planning, leadership development, and
future transformational leaders. Lastly, higher education level practices refer to the institutional
ways and practices, which can help to either facilitate or inhibit the aforementioned routes to
building a reservoir of high-quality leaders.
51

Figure 2. Conceptual Framework

Data Collection
Data from interviews, observations, and artifacts were collected from the qualitative data.
Prior to the interview process, interview participants were recruited by contacting them via e-
mail to seek their participation in the study. Once the participants accepted the interview
invitation, they underwent the process of informed consent in order to obtain their consent to
participate in the study. Each of the participants were given an informed consent form, which
provides information on the process of confidentiality and anonymity in the study. Each of the
participants were required to agree by signing the informed consent form to prove their
agreement to participate in the study. Table 1 below summarizes the relevant information that
was collected from the 14 participants during the interview sessions. Before the start of the
52

interviews, the researcher asked the participants about their position, the number of years at the
college, and when they graduated from the academy.
Table 1: Participant Data
Interviewee Year of Leadership
Academy Graduation
Years at CCC
Academy Coordinator A N/A 15 years
Director A 2006 20 years
Director B 2005 15
Director C/Committee Member 2009 21
Director D 2013 26
President A N/A 3
Professor A Current participant 5
Professor B Current participant 1
Professor C 2014 10
Staff Member A Current participant 20
Staff Member B 2014 11
Staff Member C/Committee
Member
2009 14
Vice President A 2008 12
Vice President B 2005 32

The participants were interviewed face-to-face and in one-on-one interview sessions. An
interview protocol was used to guide the interview process (see Appendices B and C). Each of
the interview participants was asked to commit 45 to 60 minutes of their time for the interview
session with the researcher, with the option of a follow-up meeting if needed. The interviews
took place at a specific time of the participants choosing and were arranged by Academy
53

Coordinator A. All interview sessions were audio recorded for the purpose of documentation,
and these recordings were also transcribed in the data analysis process. Audio recording the
interview sessions is preferred rather than simply relying on taking notes to obtain more accurate
documentation of the interviews so that the researcher has a detailed transcription of the
interview responses. However, in line with the ethical considerations, permission from the
interviewee was obtained prior to any recording taking place. As with all materials relating to
this study, audio recordings will also be destroyed at the end of the study.
Instrumentation
Interviewing was the primary method and source of information for this study.
Specifically, face-to-face interviews were conducted, and semi-structured questions were used in
the interviews. The use of semi-structured questions in interviews made it possible for the
participants to share as much information as possible (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). The respondents
had the opportunity to share any and as much information as possible about their experiences of
the case being investigated. The interview responses were coded to generate emerging themes of
responses obtained from the semi-structured interview questions. To ensure that the interview
questionnaire collected the information needed for the case study research, a pilot test
considering the same targeted sample was conducted.
Observations were also obtained in the collection of the qualitative data. The
observations took place at CCC during sessions of their Leadership Academy in order to better
understand the setting and interactions. The researcher utilized a field journal for taking notes
and followed an observation protocol (Appendix D). This observation protocol was developed by
the thematic dissertation group and facilitated the collection of data on settings (e.g., what does
the environment look like), participants (e.g., quantity), and context (e.g., interactions).
54

Also, artifacts consisting of training materials, previous group work, the academy
application, promotional materials, and goals of the academy were collected. These artifacts
were offered or requested and were either shared by Academy Coordinator A or given by
participants.
The following table illustrates the relationship between the three research questions for
this study and the sources of instrumentation. All three methods of instrumentation provided data
for all research questions as did observations. Artifacts provided data for all but one of research
questions.
Table 2. Research Questions as Instrumentation
Research Question Interviews Observations Artifacts
1. In what ways does Crest Community College
(CCC) work to build the next generation of
leaders through its Leadership Academy?
X X X
2. What are the perceptions of participants,
graduates, organizers, and leaders regarding the
influences of these practices at Crest Community
College?
X X
3. What are the factors that both facilitate and
inhibit the development and implementation of
strategies designed to build leadership capacity?
X X X

Data Analysis
The data collected from the participants were analyzed by gathering, comparing, and
contrasting the responses obtained from the interview responses of all participants. Data were
utilized to identify common themes and patterns within the interview responses while the
observations and artifacts were used to triangulate the different data. The data analysis involved
the process wherein researchers use several components to examine data, including meticulous
preparation, comprehension, and interpretation development, based on rich data gathered from
55

participants (Merriam, 2009). Figure 3 (below) elaborates on this data analysis process beginning
with the organizing and preparing of data, then to the examining of the data, next to the coding of
the data which informed the next step of developing descriptions and themes, then to
determining how these themes and descriptions can be presented in a narrative, and lastly
interpreting the data.
Use the coding process to develop descriptions
and themes that add to the complexity of the
analysis
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 4
STEP 5
STEP 6
Organize and prepare the data for analysis
Examine all the data, obtain a sense of the
the overall meaning, make notations about
these initial observations
Begin the coding process by organizing the
data into chunks and creating categories
Determine how the descriptions and themes will
be represented in the qualitative narrative
Interpret the data, make meaning from the
findings and results

Figure 3. Creswell’s Model for Qualitative Data Analysis (2014)
To ensure data validity of the interview responses, the researcher triangulated data.
Triangulation is a process of checking data validity by confirming responses, which can be
facilitated by the use of at least two data sources for analysis (Denzin, 2012). The themes
obtained from the interview responses were triangulated with the other two data types of
observations and artifacts to provide further insight into the leadership building practices at CCC.
In short, the interview responses were combined with other qualitative data from observations
and artifacts. Triangulation validated the data and research by cross-verifying the same
information using different sources. The multiple sources of data are integrated in such a way as
56

to triangulate the findings, supporting the validity of each data source with another data source
(Yin, 2014).
Ethical Considerations
Prior to conducting the actual interviews, each of the participants underwent the process
of informed consent to show proof of their agreement to participate in the study. Each participant
had to sign the informed consent form to prove their agreement to participate in the study.
Additionally, the researcher received approval through the Internal Review Board (IRB) and
adhered to their rules and regulations.
No information from the interview responses collected were shared with their college nor
other participants. The participants were assured of complete confidentiality and a guarantee that
all materials relating to this research would be destroyed at the end of the study. All participants
were given pseudonyms during the analysis phase of the study. Their actual names were
converted into codes, which served as their identification in the study. Further, the anonymity of
the participants and site was also ensured for the protection of the reputation of the site and
individuals.
Summary
This chapter discussed a plan for the methodology of this study. It also discussed how the
data was collected and analyzed. The total population and sample population are described in
detail. The type of instruments used to collect the relevant data for the analysis was also
discussed. The data collection procedures that took place, including how the data relates to the
research questions, was also explained. Ethical considerations were also elaborated on. The next
chapter will discuss the results of the analysis to address the objectives of the study.

57

CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS
Introduction
The purpose of this case study analysis was to develop a deeper understanding of the
leadership capacity building strategies at Crest Community College (CCC), specifically its
Leadership Academy as it has shown great promise in its ability to recruit, train, and grow
internal leaders. A case study design was implemented in order to effectively analyze the
behaviors and perceptions of stakeholders in CCC’s Leadership Academy. Case studies are
especially useful in qualitative studies of organizations, as they allow the researcher to focus on
detailed experiences of an identified community as a multifaceted unit of study (Merriam, 1988).
This chapter presents details about the study participants, qualitative data, and findings. As such,
the findings are organized and presented by research question.
The following three research questions were formulated to frame the study:
1. In what ways does Crest Community College (CCC) work to build the next
generation of leaders through its Leadership Academy?
2. What are the perceptions of participants, graduates, organizers, and leaders regarding
the influences of these practices at CCC?
3. What are the factors that both facilitate and inhibit the development and
implementation of strategies designed to build leadership capacity?
This study sought to attain a deeper understanding of the leadership capacity building
strategies at CCC, specifically its Leadership Academy. This study also explored the factors
involved in the development and implementation of the Leadership Academy as well as, the
perceptions of participants, graduates, organizers, and leaders on the influence of the academy.
Observation, artifact analysis, and open-ended and semi-structured interviews were conducted to
58

effectively understand participant perspectives. Open-ended interviews shed light on the types of
experiences that participants had with the Leadership Academy while semi-structured interview
questions ensured that demographic and background data were analyzed consistently. Following
an overview of the study participants and site, the findings will be presented by research
question.
Overview of Participants
Fourteen participants were purposefully selected for this study via referrals from the CCC
Leadership Academy Coordinator. All participants agreed to be interviewed on location at CCC.
Leadership Academy sessions were also observed onsite and artifacts were collected then as well
as provided by the Academy Coordinator. The study participants consisted of eight females and
six males. Three participants are currently in the Leadership Academy. Three participants have
been at CCC for 1 to 9 years, four for 10 to 14 years, and seven for at least 15 years. Of the 12
that completed the academy, six graduated between the years of 2005-2009, and three graduated
after 2009. Of the six that graduated between the years of 2005-2009 three are currently in more
senior roles at the college and the other three have either made lateral moves or stayed in the
same position. Of the three that graduated after 2009, two are currently in more senior roles at
the college, one is now a tenure-track professor, and the third has not changed positions, but
aspires to move into a leadership role. Two of the three current participants in the Leadership
Academy are faculty members, the third is a classified staff member, and all communicated their
desire to move up in the ranks at CCC.
As a group, the participants support CCC through student services, student affairs,
academic affairs, and technology services. Three participants were faculty members, three were
staff members, and eight had managerial roles. Additionally, three of the participants also served
59

on the Leadership Academy Committee, and one was a former committee member. The
participants represented over 205 years of employment with CCC. Table 3 displays an overview
of the study participants.
Table 3: Overview of Participants
Participant Pseudonym Gender Graduated Academy Years at CCC
President A Male N/A 3
Academy Coordinator A Female N/A 15
Vice President A Female 2008 12
Vice President B Female 2005 32
Director A Female 2006 20
Director B Female 2005 15
Director C Female 2009 21
Director D Female 2013 26
Staff Member A Male Current Participant 20
Staff Member B Male 2014 11
Staff Member C Female 2009 14
Professor A Male Current Participant 5
Professor B Male Current Participant 1
Professor C Male 2014 10

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Overview of the Leadership Academy
The Leadership Academy at CCC is the focal point of this study, due to its unique
background, retention of employees, and influence on leadership capacity. The Leadership
Academy began in 2005 and was created to provide guidance and training in leadership
development while assisting employees in career advancement and professional development. In
the Leadership Academy, employees are exposed to skill-building exercises, workshops, and
activities which provide opportunities to network and participate in continued leadership
development. Annually, approximately 60 participants enroll in the academy and attend
monthly-required meetings. To date, nearly 500 CCC employees have graduated from the
academy.
Overview of the Organization
The diverse community of Crest Community College (CCC) contains a student
population of approximately 40,000. Founded in the 1960s, CCC offers over 130 programs of
study, certification courses, and associate degree tracks. There are currently 2,810 full-time staff
and 1,641 part-time staff, including 116 employees involved in management. Located in the
Southwest, the student body population at CCC consists primarily of students with African
American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Native American, and Caucasian descent. As this
research sought to better understand how a GYO Leadership Academy can best address the
leadership crises and prepare future leaders, CCC was selected for study due to its commitment
to leadership and implementation of a promising homegrown leadership program. The next
section presents the study’s findings by research question, followed by an analysis and
discussion of each.

61

Data Findings
Results Research Question One: In what ways does CCC work to build the next generation
of leaders through its Leadership Academy.
The first research question for this study aimed to further explore the ways in which CCC
builds and prepares the next generation of internal leaders through its Leadership Academy. As
previously mentioned, the Leadership Academy seeks to develop and enhance leadership
qualities, characteristics, and skills in employees currently in positions of leadership and for
those striving to advance into leadership positions. After reviewing the data, three themes
emerged as salient facets of the Leadership Academy. The first theme of self-awareness gave
Leadership Academy participants the opportunity to become better aware of their skills, abilities,
and weaknesses, which is a critical soft-skill component of leadership. The second theme of
enhancing communication skills was a notable benefit indicated by both current Leadership
Academy participants and graduates as something that definitively enhanced their leadership
skills. The final theme of community building was a distinguishing characteristic of the
Leadership Academy as it allowed participants to feel better connected to both the internal CCC
community and the external community through outreach, community service, and relationship
building. These three themes will be elaborated below.
Self-awareness
Self-awareness was a concept that the Leadership Academy built on so that participants
would better be able to perceive their skills, assets, weaknesses, and abilities. Self-awareness was
mainly discussed as a mechanism for perceiving skill ability and acknowledging perceptions of
one’s self. This involved recognizing potential value to CCC and taking proactive steps toward
advancing oneself in order to contribute to the well-being of the college through a better
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understanding of one’s strengths and weaknesses in leadership. While participants explicitly
mentioned how they became more self-aware during interviews, this was also something that
was apparent in reviewing the Leadership Academy’s reflection evaluation forms (See Appendix
E) completed by participants after each training session. These reflection forms not only asked
participants to reflect on what they learned but also on how they would apply what they learned
to their work setting. Further, the form asks participants to reflect and comment on whether or
not they have observed the concepts taught in the training session practiced by other leaders at
CCC. When reviewing these forms for the academy sessions, I observed and for previous
sessions, it was common to see that participants were critical of themselves as a result of being
more self-aware, but also recognized that this was something they could work on and improve.
This importance of self-awareness challenged participants to reflect on ways that they could
improve not only their leadership skills but also their interpersonal skills.
Encouraging participants to be more self-aware is a foundational concept of the
Leadership Academy which Academy Coordinator A confirms: “It is the most important benefit
for participants”, she further explains, “increased self-awareness because when they know
themselves better, and Aristotle and everybody else says, “knowing yourself is the beginning of
all wisdom. They know themselves, and they can better interact more effectively with others.”
While self-awareness did not appear to be explicitly mentioned in the Leadership Academy
marketing materials and application, it was consistently mentioned as a key benefit by current
participants and graduates. Additionally, internal documentation revealed that one of the goals of
the Leadership Academy is the “development of greater self-awareness.” Staff Member A
benefited tremendously from an increase in self-awareness which led to increased performance
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after recognizing his deficiencies: “I made a conscious effort to look outside the box, take a look
back at myself, and see what my deficiencies were.”
Staff Member A, a current participant in the Leadership Academy, realized that even
though he had been with CCC for over 20 years, he had much to work on if he wanted to become
more of a leader. He recognized through self-awareness and self-reflection that he could be a bit
difficult. The Leadership Academy allowed him to realize, for the first time, that his actions
affected others, and that he could work on becoming a better version of himself. Having yet
completed the Leadership Academy Staff Member A has already seen the benefits of being more
self-aware and so has his superiors:
The assistant director saw it, but I didn't know that. I didn't know that they'd seen that in
me until I had my evaluation, and it had been one of the best evaluations I've had in
years. Before it was like 15, 20 minutes. You're in, you're out, see you. This one, we sat
there for a little over and hour. She's telling me, "You're fantastic, you were doing this,
this, and this. We saw the big difference. What brought that about, do you know?" I said,
"You know what? The Leadership Academy had a lot to do with it."
Staff Member A was quite emotional in explaining how significant his newfound understanding
of himself was. It was not superficial, as he clearly understood that before he could even be a
leader he had to first understand himself and recognize what he could be doing better. Receiving
a favorable annual review further emphasized the importance of self-awareness to him as he was
able to see that others saw a marked improvement in his work.
The importance of increased of self-awareness was also salient in graduates and while
most cannot definitively attribute their successes to this particular aspect of the Leadership
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Academy, Staff Member B is not alone when he reflected on the long-term benefits of this aspect
of the academy:
Yes, and no. I think the Leadership Academy helped me to understand myself as a person
a little bit more, and how to work with other people. In that instance, yes it did help me
become a better person you could say, which might have led to this position. But, if I
didn't go through it at all, I'm not saying that didn't help me a bit for this position.
Though self-awareness is not a new concept, the way in which the Leadership Academy
integrates it challenges and forces participants to understand themselves before they can
understand others — a key component of leadership. By giving participants time at the end of
each training session to complete their reflection evaluation form (See Appendix E), the
Leadership Academy reiterates the importance of self-awareness through reflecting on each
session while the material is still fresh. It was observed that participants took this activity
seriously and took their time in completing the forms. In addition, it appeared that as a result of
completing these reflection evaluation forms in a group setting, participants were able to
synthesize what they learned from previous sessions and apply their reflection to different CCC
departments. Reflection without action would be futile as such, the Leadership Academy infuses
a skill-building component that aims to address many of the challenges that often arise from self-
reflection. Thus, this next section will explore one of the ways the Leadership Academy
addresses the need for better communication skills – an issue that many participants and
graduates, mentioned.
Enhancing Communication Skills
Enhancing communication skills was considered an important and valued process in the
Leadership Academy. This type of skill building was discussed as a mechanism that allowed
65

participants to reap immediate benefits from the academy and something that graduates
confirmed as enhancing their leadership qualities. While the Leadership Academy offers sessions
from mediating conflict to goal setting, participants and graduates most often highlighted the
importance of increasing and enhancing communication skills through finding one’s own voice.
There is, in fact, one training session dedicated specifically to enhancing communication skills
but this skill also appeared to be interwoven in other Leadership Academy deliverables such as
group projects and team presentations in which participants have to not only communicate
effectively within a diverse working group but also in front of non-group members including
CCC leaders. Additionally, even though there are only a few sessions related to communication
skills it is a clear outcome and goal of the Leadership Academy. When discussing goals of the
academy, Academy Coordinator A stated that graduates should leave, “with increased
confidence, competence, and communication skills.” These expected outcomes are measured in
the aforementioned reflection evaluation form (Appendix E) and reviewed by the Leadership
Academy Committee. This goal was also apparent when reviewing internal Leadership Academy
documents on expected outcomes and goals of the program.
Having the confidence to communicate with others and in public speaking were deemed
the most stressful for participants. Improvement in overall communication skills was also highly
valued by participants. As language and communication barriers were problems discussed by
participants, improving communication was considered a significant benefit of being in and a
graduate of the Leadership Academy. Academy Coordinator A discussed the development of
communication skills as a central part of the Leadership Academy’s approach to helping
employees with issues in this area: “People found their voice. People who are afraid to talk to
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their leaders, not for any reason other than they’re not confident in their communication skills.
This is something that we’re building and address in the academy.”
Other academy participants were fearful of speaking in front of others, and this became a
deterrent to some seeking out leadership positions. While it was not their skillset that held them
back, for many it was a lack of confidence and experience in speaking in front of others that left
them feeling inadequate. Staff Member C, who completed the academy about five years ago,
benefited immensely from the confidence and nurturing she received from the academy. In fact,
it was her fear of speaking in front of others that almost prevented her from applying to the
Leadership Academy:
I was terrified [to speak in front of others]…I didn’t want to go, but the Leadership
Academy with the skills in making me get out of my comfort zone to have to talk, you
know, we put that microphone in front of them, and you're like, “no.” They made you,
and that helped me grow. I see that now.
Breaking through the fear of speaking in front of others was a major accomplishment for Staff
Member C, and while she is still in the same role that she was in when she started the Leadership
Academy, she aspires to move up the leadership ranks. In fact, she is now on the Leadership
Academy Committee and is instrumental in its success. Staff Member C played an active role in
the academy and was observed doing everything from encouraging others to participate in the
training session to communicating with other key academy stakeholders.
The importance of effective communication was not only a desirable trait expressed by
participants, but it was also something that the CCC leadership found essential in future leaders.
When asked about what an ideal graduate of the Leadership Academy would look like Vice
President B mentioned “effective communication and how they act with others” as distinguishing
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characteristics. She further went on to elaborate that in order for a leader to solve problems and
make tough decisions one first needs to be able to communicate effectively and while some may
have an innate ability to do so others can learn it. The final theme of community building in
which the Leadership Academy conducts outreach with the community and builds relationships
will be discussed in the next section followed by an analysis.
Community Building
The way in which the Leadership Academy utilizes community in various respects
further distinguishes its approach to building internal leaders at the college. Community building
was discussed as a way to conduct outreach, connect with individuals, provide community
services, and collaborate. Community building was also considered important for relationship
building with other internal departments and external institutions.
Unlike the theme of self-awareness and enhancing communication skills, which focus on
the participant as individuals, this theme focuses on the ways to improve and incorporate the
local CCC community into the Leadership Academy. Whether it be through inviting local
community leaders or leaders from different campuses, the academy recognizes that their future
leaders need to not only understand their immediate campus – the college – but also the external
community. The academy connects with the community and builds relationships with it in
several ways. First, as Academy Coordinator A mentioned, each year participants are required to
complete a group project of their choosing which should benefit the college, but every other year
the projects need to focus on the external community. In reviewing previous year’s group work, I
reviewed projects that aimed to connect the external community to the CCC community. For
example, one project aimed to assist students in connecting with the local community after
achieving their academic goals at CCC. Another project recommended a community resources
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portal on the CCC website that would be a central place for accessing community events and
news. A final standout community-based project presented a plan to create a career exploration
board game that would be distributed to area schools as a marketing and teaching tool.
Academy Coordinator A discussed the goals and focus of the Leadership Academy,
emphasizing this service aspect of community building:
We’ve always had a community focus. Every other year, the teams would do an internal
project and then external project. This year, we were thinking about requiring
volunteerism. That’s something that we thought about in terms of improving the
academy.
In similar vein, Director B/Former Committee Member described community involvement as an
important element during the inception of the Leadership Academy as being “very key and
important, I think especially in the early years, especially in the first year.” She went on to
explain that part of the Leadership Academy’s success, especially in its early years, was due to
bringing in community leaders, connecting with the community, and building relationships.
The academy devotes one of its yearly training sessions to bringing in various internal
and external community leaders. This session gives academy participants the opportunity to
engage with local community members in an intimate setting. Though CCC has five campuses
and could be considered a community in itself, the academy involves those outside of it through
bringing in outside leaders to speak and participate in training sessions, integrating group
projects with an emphasis on the external community, and there is even an idea of adding a
volunteer component in the future. Academy participants particularly liked that they were able to
meet with each community member in a small group setting and ask questions that they normally
would not have the opportunity to do. Several participants jokingly compared this to “speed
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dating” in which you have the opportunity to meet and chat with multiple people in a short
period of time. President A elaborated on this unique relationship building session:
She's [Academy Coordinator A] been able to bring in myself, a judge from the
community, one of our Board Members, several community leaders, several legislators,
the editor for the local newspaper ... Different groups to come in, and then gives them an
opportunity to get one-on-one questions from 8 to 10 participants at a time, for 20 to 30
minutes. Then we'll put the timer on, they get to ask us their unique questions, but it
builds to collegiality and collaboration within the community as well, where they see how
important we feel they are and want to learn from them.
While I did not observe this session, all participants spoke highly of its impact on them better
understanding the connection between CCC and the external community.
Staff Member C reiterates the importance of the integration of community leaders within
the Leadership Academy and how she benefited from this experience: “…community leaders
outside of our sector, and that brings up how they work with us as a college and also their
leadership styles, because I know that there are different leadership styles in every institution or
every corporation.” Through prioritizing community building, the Leadership Academy has
positioned itself and future CCC leaders to utilize the community resources available and
solidifies the importance in nurturing this relationship.
Discussion of Research Question One
Based on this study’s findings, self-awareness, enhancing communication skills, and
community building are themes that are integrated into the Leadership Academy at CCC that
allow for it to prepare and build the next generation of internal leaders. Being a Grow-Your-Own
(GYO) program CCC has been able to customize its Leadership Academy to meet the needs of
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the college. This customization is congruent with the literature on the merit of GYO programs
because the college’s specific needs, culture, and goals can be addressed (Reille & Kezar, 2010).
Further, it is through the systematic approach that the Leadership Academy employs that allows
it be well received by participants, graduates, and college leaders.
It was evident that self-awareness was promoted by the Leadership Academy organizers
as a crucial aspect of success in professional development, which motivated participants to make
self-improvements based upon a new understanding of one’s self. The academy challenged
participants to deeply reflect on not only their deficits but also their assets. This reflection and
awareness component was also a main theme in the research of Sullivan and Palmer (2014)
which stressed reflection as a needed component in community college leadership development
programs. Additionally, the academy discovered that communication skills were a common issue
at the college, which they were able to address in training sessions that increased self-efficacy in
this area. This emphasis on communication skills is also congruent with the American
Association of Community Colleges (AACC) guidelines as a core competency for community
college leaders.
Through the offering of a yearly program with required monthly sessions, participants
were able to practice and reinforce skill building which primarily consisted of communication,
teamwork, and confidence. Though these “soft skills” may be attainable outside of the college,
the academy provides this free of charge within the context of leadership development. Further,
given the customization of the Leadership Academy, the program organizers can adjust content
to meet the needs of not only the participants but also the college.
Community building and an integration of community leaders into the program added
value for both Leadership Academy participants and graduates. Engaging with the internal and
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external community allowed for participants to not only feel more connected to the outside
community but also to the internal CCC community that proved helpful in networking and
upward mobility.
While, the utilization of self-awareness, enhancing communication skills, and an
emphasis on community building are not new to professional development it is the way in which
the academy implements these facets systematically that indicate merit. Through the Leadership
Academy CCC can respond to its leadership needs with a multipronged approach, which begins
with having participants become more self-aware, it then builds the requisite leadership skills,
and finally incorporates the internal and external community to increase the effect.
Research Question Two: Perceptions of Leadership Practices
This second research question aimed to understand the perceptions of those involved with
the Leadership Academy, which included current participants, graduates, organizers, and college
leaders. Having been a successful part of CCC since 2005 understanding the perceptions of the
Leadership Academy stakeholders was important in assessing how influential the academy has
been and what it does to continue to attract college participants. Further, ascertaining perceptions
were critical as there is a dearth of literature on how GYO programs should be designed (Reille
& Kezar, 2010). After reviewing the data, two themes emerged: institutional support and career
advancement. The first theme of institutional support related to how participants and graduates
felt encouraged to join the Leadership Academy through the unwavering support of their
superiors. The second theme related to the potential for career advancement, which was
significant in getting employees to enroll in the academy. These two themes will be presented
below.

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Institutional Support
Institutional support focused on how participants felt encouraged and validated in their
decision to enroll in the Leadership Academy due to the support of college leaders, supervisors,
and the institution as a whole. There was not one participant in the study that did not recognize
the significance of having the support of the entire college. Further, given the time commitment
during working hours that the Leadership Academy requires, each participant relied on this
support to get through the academy. It is important to note that each month Leadership Academy
participants are required to attend a training session which runs about four hours either in the
morning or in the afternoon, and while these dates are known in advance it can be a challenge to
regularly take a half day off of work. This is where institutional support is critical as it gives
participants the confidence to know that they will be covered when they are out of the office and
should they fall behind, it will be for good reason.
Given the perceived benefit of the Leadership Academy, all directors and college leaders
encouraged their respective staff to attend. When asked about the importance of academy
support, Director D emphatically pointed out how critical institutional support is: “One hundred
percent of importance because if we… don't believe in what we're doing as far as building
employees' confidence, building them to become leaders and to say, "Yes!" when the opportunity
comes, something is wrong with the program.”
There was not one director or supervisor that did not encourage employees to join the
academy, but several like Director A felt even stronger and required participation she said, “I
have made it a requirement that all full-time staff go through both levels of the Leadership
Academy.” Director A went on to describe that she has a backlog of staff that want to attend the
academy but that she needs to stagger them out by year so as to not drastically impact her
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department with multiple people gone at once. Even with the short-term impact of having a few
key people out of the office regularly, Director A realized the long-term payoff of having her
staff go through the academy. The academy does not require any classification of employee to
enroll nor does the senior CCC leadership, but department heads have seen the positive results
and have essentially required their staff to participate. This underscores the significance of the
academy and how positively it is perceived. Academy Coordinator A further emphasized the
significance of internal support especially with supervisors agreeing to let their employees
participate in the academy:
If it weren’t for the support of the vice presidents, and the deans and the directors, faculty
and staff might have some challenges not being in class, not being in the office, so they
have to be willing to provide office coverage. The supervisors of our participants actually
sign off saying that they are willing to support participation.
While the impact of having an employee out of the office once a month for half a day is relative
to the size of the department it was supportive to hear from both small and large department
heads that they would do everything in their respective powers to make sure that anyone that
wanted to attend the academy could do so without penalty.
However, support was not limited to just signing off on an employee’s application to the
academy. Support was also needed to push them out of their comfort zones, especially when they
were hesitant about actively participating in the Leadership Academy. Participants often found
themselves uncertain about what they could learn and contribute, but having the support of
supervisors and other college leaders gave reassurance in what they were hoping to accomplish.
Staff Member C/Committee Member, discussed how this support allowed her to cast aside her
fears and commit to the academy. In reflecting back on her first day in the Leadership Academy,
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she recalled how welcomed and supported she felt by the former academy coordinator and
mentioned: “He welcomed us and told us how important we were. That made me feel like, wow,
we matter and we're here to learn to be great leaders like him. That really inspired me.” She went
on to describe how significant it was for her to see college leaders involved in the academy and
end of year retreat. Through this, Staff Member C felt validated in her decision to participant in
the Leadership Academy by actually seeing the institutional support in action.
This strong perception of institutional support is a direct result of support from the top –
the college president. Every participant stated how instrumental having the president’s support
was and how it validated their commitment to the academy and their own perception of its value.
While President A inherited the Leadership Academy, it was in place before his tenure, he
immediately recognized its role in building the next generation of leaders and completely
supported it from the beginning. Though, he is not a part of every academy session he is
intimately involved in reviewing group presentations, the annual academy retreat, and in its
overall mission. In fact, the academy is financially supported through the President’s Office
budget and he is very visible in the recruiting of academy participants. President A’s personal
support is noticeable to all college employees in the form of a welcome letter in the academy
application as well as a personal message of support on the academy website (See Appendix F).
President A was very passionate about the role of the academy in creating future college leaders.
He emphasized his vision and role as a main supporter of the Leadership Academy:
I think part of the richness, and part of the excitement of the Leadership Academy is that
it is an instructionally led academy. [Academy Coordinator A] is so passionate about
what she does, and we're so fortunate to have her. She will come forward, she puts her
and the committee, and these committee members...they're volunteering their time. They
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put so much effort into the curriculum. They put so much effort into ensuring the highest
quality of programming. When I came in, why would I want to change that? My thing
was, how do I make sure that they feel that it's part of what we want to continue to do at
the institution?
Vice President B further echoed the role of presidential support and differentiated the perception
of the Leadership Academy from other college professional development opportunities, she
mentioned: “If the president weren't supporting it, it would just be another professional
development activity, but this is like, it's important. This is our future leadership and our future
leaders.” It is clear that the college supports the Leadership Academy due to its perceived impact
on building and cultivating future leaders and employees continue to flock to the academy
because of this support and the impact it can have on their leadership potential.
Career Advancement
This theme centered on the perceptions of current participants and graduates on how the
Leadership Academy positioned employees for career advancement. Participants considered the
potential for career advancement to be a key consideration when applying to the academy. All
participants recognized the value the academy placed on leadership training and development,
which was a route to career advancement whether it be at CCC or outside of the college.
However, the Leadership Academy is very careful in not over promoting career advancement.
While it is marketed to those “striving to advance into leadership positions” in its message to
prospective applicants (See Appendix F) it is also positioned as offering professional and
personal enrichment regardless of leadership aspirations. This is strategic, as the academy cannot
guarantee that an employee will receive a promotion or immediately become a leader as a direct
result of graduation. Further, while every participant in this study recognized the potential the
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academy could have in career advancement it was not always the primary motivation for
applying but rather one part of it.
Some participants were very explicit about their career aspirations. Staff Member C was
clear that a primary consideration in enrolling in the Leadership Academy was for career
advancement. She attributes her applying to the academy because of the desire to move up in her
career at CCC she mentioned: “I kind of felt that I needed that push to help in my career and also
to be more vocal, so I applied to the academy.” Further, even having completed the academy
over six years prior Staff Member C continued to reiterate the significance of the academy when
speaking about encouraging others to apply: “I would tell them to try because it's something that
would change them. It would change their way of thinking, and it would better their career.”
While Staff Member C is in the same role that she was in when she started the Leadership
Academy in 2009, she has since completed her bachelor’s degree, recently enrolled in a graduate
program, and is an academy committee member. Further, she aspires to move up in the ranks at
CCC and recognizes that the Leadership Academy is a way to increase upward mobility for both
herself and others. In reflecting on why employees join the academy and the potential impact it
can have she mentioned: “Some, like I say, [apply] to move up here at the college and they also
use it to go into maybe looking into higher positions somewhere else. So it does, it moves them
up the career ladder somehow.”
Current participant Professor A confirms the notion that the academy is viewed as a
potential catalyst for career advancement, he mentioned that for him it was “a step in the right
direction…it’s a career ladder…it will help in moving up.” Many graduates indicated that the
academy had allowed them to move up into leadership positions within the college. Of the nine
study participants that have graduated from the Leadership Academy to date, five currently are in
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more senior roles at CCC and the other four graduates have either made lateral moves or stayed
in the same position. For example, both Vice President A and Vice President B were promoted to
their roles within the CCC senior leadership since completing the academy in 2008 and 2005
respectively. Professor C, a recent graduate of the academy, attributes his gaining tenure to the
Leadership Academy:
I contribute probably about ninety percent of getting tenure track to the academy. Not
because of the influence of anything that I did affecting anyone else's decisions. It was an
influence on me to have the confidence to compete and get it.
While Professor C was unequivocal about the significance that graduating from the
academy had on his promotion, others were not as explicit. Staff Member B could not
completely attribute his recent promotion to the Leadership Academy, but it definitely played a
supporting role as he mentioned that “it was a nice thing to out on my resume.” Likewise, not all
participants were as vocal about career advancement, but it was apparent during observations
that conversations were aimed at how one could advance in their career at the college.
Participants were observed discussing available job opportunities and encouraging others to seek
out career advancement opportunities.
Discussion of Research Question Two
Based on the study’s findings, institutional support and career advancement are themes
that emerged from the perceptions of current Leadership Academy participants, graduates, and
college leaders. Participants wholeheartedly perceived the academy as a way to increase their
career trajectories. Graduates reiterated this outcome of the academy through either their support
in having their staff attend the academy to their realization that the academy was at minimum a
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positive experience and at maximum attributable to their moving up the career ladder and
successes at the college.
Participants benefitted from exposure to ideal role models and admired leaders of the
academy for their support, recognition, and inspirational attributes. Furthermore, participants
indicated that the college’s unwavering support of the academy allowed for their increased
commitment. Interestingly, this support went both ways and as a direct result of the college
seeing the benefits of the Leadership Academy they continue to support it.
Of particular significance is the continued support of the Leadership Academy by the
college president. This support from the top was perceived to be the most crucial in recruiting
employees for the academy and affirmed participant perceptions of its importance and value.
While an invitation letter from the president was observed in the Leadership Academy
application his support was not just on paper. The president plays a vital role in allocating
funding for the academy, which is a line item in the budget and is allocated through the Office of
the President. Although CCC is financially stable, the influence of the Leadership Academy’s
value would surely not continue if it were not for its perceived long-term success.
Research Question Three: What are the factors that both facilitate and inhibit the
development and implementation of strategies designed to build leadership capacity.
For these findings to be informative to others, it is important to know what factors
facilitated the building of the next generation of leaders through the CCC Leadership Academy
and which factors inhibited it. The literature has provided evidence that a leadership program
like this one may best prepare future college leaders by attracting individuals with leadership
potential internally (de la Teja et al., 2011; Strom, Sanchez, & Downey-Schilling, 2011), but
there is little known about what particular factors can facilitate and inhibit this. This final
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research question sought to better ascertain these factors and after reviewing the data, two
facilitating factors related to the commitment required by the academy and networking as a result
of connecting with others emerged. There was also one main inhibiting factor relating to the
amount of time required by the academy for a participant to graduate and the effect this has on
supervisors with limited available staff.
Facilitating Factors
There were several aspects of the Leadership Academy at CCC that facilitated its
development, implementation, and standing at CCC. The main facilitating factors of commitment
and networking will be discussed in this section.
Commitment. Commitment was a facilitating factor that centered on the feelings of
devotion and passion felt by participants and the CCC leadership towards the Leadership
Academy and from the CCC leadership towards academy participants. CCC leaders recognized
that not all staff were able to commit to the Leadership Academy, and, therefore, did not want to
strictly enforce it as a requirement. However, college leaders and organizers emphasized the
value of commitment through indirect means. Commitment to the academy became more than a
task but evolved as a way of building one’s self-efficacy. The more participants were willing to
put into the academy, the more they got out of it. Director B/Former Committee Member
discussed the benefits and importance of being an active and committed participant in the
Leadership Academy by considering it an investment. She elaborated that after being accepted
into the academy a participant can coast by but in order for the process to work, one needs to be
fully committed to attending each session, reflecting on what was covered, and being an active
participant. Her advice to new academy participants is consistent with this message: “I would
advise them to commit to being an active participant because you can just go and enjoy the
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breakfast and the lunch and enjoy the retreat.” Her point being that you will only get out of the
academy what you put into it, and full commitment is a necessary component of achieving this.
Not only does the academy require commitment from participants, but it also requires it
from Leadership Academy organizers. Other than Academy Coordinator A, everyone involved
with the planning, organization, and hosting of Leadership Academy sessions are volunteers.
These volunteers are undeniably committed to the academy because they have seen its positive
results and have directly benefited from it. Committee members were observed being
instrumental in the hosting of academy sessions. For example, they were seen welcoming
participants, distributing session materials, working with groups, and helping with lunch
preparations. Further, committee members are required to be present at academy sessions and
meet regularly to plan future sessions. The committee is also responsible for reviewing
Leadership Academy applications and for working with groups on their projects. Given this
amount of commitment required it was unexpected that not one of the three academy committee
members I interviewed complained about this or viewed it negatively. Director D also agrees and
views the committee’s commitment as essential and a direct result of participant engagement and
excitement, she mentioned: “I've seen those committee members work to the bone. They're
tremendously committed. They believe in the program. They see the energy and the excitement
of the participants, and I think that feeds them.”
Further, President A views his commitment to the academy as a way to show how much
the college cares for its employees and a way to keep them coming back:
In education, we're not in it to make significant amounts of money, but it's to provide
them [CCC employees] the opportunities through professional development, through
building our own, for them to feel that the college is committed back to them, so that we
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create the environment where they want to come back every day, and this is a big part of
it.
It is difficult to imagine how the academy would function and continue to build internal
leadership capacity without this level of commitment. The commitment of the Leadership
Academy participants, graduates, and organizers is a facilitating and distinguishing component
of its success.
Networking. Networking was a facilitating factor that led to relationship forming
amongst participants of the Leadership Academy. Due to the academy being open to all faculty
and staff across multiple campuses, this allowed participants the opportunity to connect and
network with employees that they normally would not interact with. This networking aspect was
especially important to participants as it allowed them to feel more connected to their colleagues
across the five CCC campuses as well as senior leaders. Though there is not an academy training
session dedicated specifically to networking, it is a product of intentionally grouping academy
participants with those they may not normally meet and integrating the Leadership Academy
Committee and senior leaders into the program.
There is also a training session where academy participants visit other CCC campuses,
which enhances the connection and networking opportunities amongst participants from
dispersed locations and working units. Academy Coordinator A spoke to how intentional it was
to create an atmosphere conducive to networking, she said: “One, of the most important benefits
of the academy, is that networking and that comfort level with the VPs and with the president. I
mean, they’re sitting down with the president and sitting down with the VPs.” She went on to
explain how networking also allows academy participants to share their challenges and tell
others about the work they do at the college: “They are able to meet with people they never
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would have talked with to learn their roles or responsibilities, their challenges. This is the only
opportunity they have to have this interaction, and that’s the beauty of this program.” All
participants mentioned how significant it was meeting and networking with senior leaders and
while it was not a primary motivation for most in joining the academy it was an appreciated
byproduct that familiarized up and coming leaders with current leaders.
The leadership at CCC also realized the value that networking plays in the facilitation of
the Leadership Academy. It was apparent during observations that by allowing participants to
interact with those that they normally would not come in contact with a forced relationship was
formed which offered an opportunity for future leaders to begin to understand how various
departments operated and functioned. Vice President A also recognized the importance of
networking from a leadership perspective and pointed out a key advantage in bringing
geographically dispersed employees together:
We have five campuses, we're so spread out. You have people that work in the same
department, say Testing, but they never see each other. They don't even talk to each
other, so it's a good way to network with your colleagues. It is a good way to help you
understand how you can move up that next step. There're people that you work with,
supposedly, that you don't ever see. This is an opportunity to network, and understand
and get to know people. Faculty and staff.
While all participants and Leadership Academy organizers recognized that networking
was a facilitating factor in the implementation and success of the academy, Professor C was able
to articulate a specific example in which an established network from the academy led to him
gaining a new office:
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I just started my second [year] and I just barely got my office yesterday. I've been
working in the back seat of my car. I've been working in a little trailer. They constantly
move me around trying to find these temporary locations until an office finally opened.
But one of the persons on my team, in my group at the Leadership Academy. She found
out that I had no office this summer, so she goes and tells the chief, "Hey, we got a spare
office in the back. Let's ask [Professor C] if he wants to use that office."
Professor C went on to highlight how much of an impact this had on him professionally, and he
sincerely believed that were it not for the connection he made with a team member in the
Leadership Academy he may never have gotten a permanent office. Other graduates like Staff
Member C/Committee Member did not have a specific networking success story like Professor
C, but she reflected on how her networks are still in place and how she is still recognized by
senior leaders. She stated: “I have a network now to where before I was just an employee. Now I
go and I walk the hall and administrators know me and they're like hi, and I'm like wow, they
know my name.” Knowing that others at CCC know her by name was important to Staff Member
C and something that seemed immeasurably valuable to her.
Inhibiting Factors
Though there were several facilitating factors such as commitment and networking that
assisted the development and implementation of the Leadership Academy at CCC, there was
only one main inhibiting factor relating to the time commitment that the academy requires. This
inhibiting factor of time will be discussed in this section.
Time. The time required for successful completion of the Leadership Academy was an
inhibiting factor for prospective applicants, current participants, and supervisors that wanted
their employees to attend. Several Leadership Academy participants and graduates stated that
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they were hesitant about enrolling in the academy due to the required time commitment. The
effect of time was also a significant consideration for supervisors with limited available staff.
The time requirement of the academy even precluded some from applying due to scheduling
conflicts.
As previously mentioned participants must take part in 14 four-hour Leadership
Academy sessions during work hours and complete as well as present a final group project, at the
final academy session. While participants know in advance when academy sessions will be held
(usually on Tuesdays) the time required for preparation and projects is more difficult to plan for
and often requires extra time outside of the academy for group related work. Analysis of the data
revealed that participants expressed concerns about whether they could dedicate enough time to
effectively meet personal and academy goals.
The impact of time was a significant consideration for supervisors and directors with
limited available staff. Director A, who essentially requires completion of the academy for all her
staff, described the impact of time on departmental scheduling when trying to trying to manage
who could go to the academy when. She stated: “I'm going to have 6 [staff] on this next one
attending and getting them all there and getting them all to go through will be tough.” Because of
her belief in the academy and the demand within her staff to attend, she has had to stagger
employees out depending upon their function recognizing that some might have to wait an
additional year to attend. While some directors had a deeper staff pool and only had to make
scheduling adjustments like Director A, others with even less staff felt more pressure. Director D
elaborates on the challenge of having a small staff that desired to join the Leadership Academy:
When you have only one administrative assistant, and it's just two full-time
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people, yes. It's tough. It is a sacrifice, and then I have to get volunteers to come and
cover the phones while the person is in their different meetings.
The time requirement of the Leadership Academy precluded some from even applying
due to scheduling conflicts. Academy Coordinator A explained the issue with having nursing
program faculty attend the academy: “They have had a hard time [attending] in the past, and the
deans have said it. Participating in the academy because they’re in hospitals in the afternoon.
They have so many labs in the afternoon.”
Though a distinguishing aspect of the academy is its project-oriented work and
intentional diversification of groups, this did present a further challenge to at least one
participant’s limited time. Staff Member B elaborated on time difficulties in collaborating with
other staff to meet academy project deadlines as being an issue due to the different departments
that group members worked in as well as the tendency of some to not do their fair share of work:
It's a lot of outside work because you've got to meet with your groups on your own time.
Every person in your group works in a totally different department because they try not to
put you in the same department within the group because the whole point is to get to
know the other departments.
Discussion of Research Question Three
Based on the study’s findings, commitment and networking are aspects of the Leadership
Academy that facilitated its development, implementation, and standing at CCC. While there
were several salient facilitating factors, there was only one main inhibiting factor of time.
Commitment to the Leadership Academy went two ways: the CCC leadership was able to
commit to the academy as it had seen the positive impact it had in producing college leaders and
participants thrived off this commitment, which motivated and encouraged them throughout the
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process. Academy organizers were observed doing everything from arranging tables to passing
out training materials. Each committee member was observed encouraging participants and their
collective commitment was contagious.
Networking was seen as a positive and, for the most part, an unintended facilitating factor
of the academy’s success. Given the yearlong program, the way in which the academy divides
groups and regularly meets created an enriching and fertile ground for networking which proved
fruitful for most participants.
Time was the most noticeable inhibiting factor that came up in interviews due to the
commitment that the academy requires. This was observed and reviewed during artifact analysis.
Presumably, all participants knew of the time commitment involved when enrolling in the
academy, but it still was a factor that impacted some due to the extra work required outside of
the regular sessions for group projects. For some, the requisite time either prevented enrollment
in the academy or deferment to a future date.
That being said, this time issue is a testament to the quality and rigor of the Leadership
Academy. Participants did find that the benefits of enrolling in the academy far outweighed the
costs, once they were able to collaborate and use their time effectively. Participants valued the
opportunities they were able to take part in, and time dedication became a factor that did not
always have negative consequences. Participants that were willing to compromise on time
dedication indicated that the experience had a positive impact on their success.
Summary
This chapter reviewed the findings of this study based on the data collected through
interviews, observations, and artifact analysis. An analysis and discussion of the three research
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questions were presented. The following concluding chapter will present the summary of
findings, implications for policy and practice, and recommendations for future studies.

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CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Introduction
Effective leadership in community colleges is vital in meeting the educational needs of
students as well as facilitating their success and improvement. However many community
college leaders are retiring, with a lack of competent replacements (Luna, 2010); in addition,
there is a dearth of literature regarding effective succession recruitment and training strategies.
This loss of leadership is characterized by various factors that include an aging leadership pool,
the shorter time in office of senior level leaders, the wave of senior leaders retiring, and difficulty
in the recruitment of new leaders (Ebbers, Conover, & Samuels, 2010; Jones & Warnick, 2012;
Luna, 2012; Rivas & Jones, 2015). Studies have shown support for Grow-Your-Own (GYO)
leadership programs, which allows community colleges to recruit internal candidates directly
into the pipeline for future leadership positions (Bernard, 2012; Reille & Kezar, 2010). This
study sought to develop a deeper understanding of the leadership capacity building strategies at
Crest Community College (CCC), specifically their Leadership Academy as it has shown
promise in its ability to recruit and grow internal leaders. The CCC Leadership Academy is an
example of a program that has been tailored to meet the needs of the college and prepare
employees for future leadership roles. The next section will describe the purpose of the study,
followed by the summary of the findings, the implications for policy and practice, and
recommendations for future studies.
Purpose of the Study
The identification and preparation of qualified leaders who embrace the mission of
community colleges and have the requisite skills to be effective leaders are necessary goals to
sustain the leadership pool in community colleges (Boggs, 2011). However, given the great
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number of retirements of senior leaders and the lack of potential replacements, a leadership crisis
has arisen which has yet to be addressed by community colleges (Luna, 2010). The specific
components of an effective succession planning program in community colleges remain unclear.
It is not known what specific strategies can be used in community colleges to identify and
develop the leadership talent pool, the development of succession planning, and the subsequent
retention of leaders.
To that end, this study sought to attain a deeper understanding of the leadership capacity
building strategies at CCC, specifically its Leadership Academy. This study also explored the
factors involved in the development and implementation of the Leadership Academy as well as,
the perceptions of participants, graduates, organizers, and leaders on the influence of the
academy. The following research questions guided this study:
1. In what ways does Crest Community College (CCC) work to build the next
generation of leaders through its Leadership Academy?
2. What are the perceptions of participants, graduates, organizers, and leaders regarding
the influences of these practices at CCC?
3. What are the factors that both facilitate and inhibit the development and
implementation of strategies designed to build leadership capacity?
Data collection for this study occurred through referral interviews, observations of
academy training sessions, and artifact analysis consisting of previous academy group work
product, agendas, and academy promotional materials. The data collected were analyzed by
gathering, comparing, and contrasting the responses obtained from the interview responses of all
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participants. The data were utilized to identify common themes and patterns within the interview
responses while the observations and artifacts were used for the triangulation of data.
Summary of the Findings
The previous chapter discussed the study’s findings as they relate to the three research
questions. The results illustrate that through the customization of the Leadership Academy for
CCC employees, the college has been able to train, nurture, and grow future leaders – some of
whom have already moved into leadership roles and those that have yet to will be better prepared
to do so. This customization of the Leadership Academy to meet the needs of the college is
congruent with the literature on the merit of GYO programs because the college’s specific needs,
culture, and goals can be addressed internally (Reille & Kezar, 2010). Further, it is through the
systematic approach that the Leadership Academy employs that allows it to be well received by
current participants, graduates, and college leaders.
Through the Leadership Academy, CCC is able to build the next generation of internal
leaders by first encouraging academy participants to develop a deeper sense of self-awareness.
Self-awareness was a concept that the Leadership Academy built on so that participants would
better be able to perceive their skills, assets, weaknesses, and abilities. Through various training
activities and reflection on academy sessions participants were better able to recognize their
potential value to CCC and reflect on their strengths and weaknesses in leadership. Though self-
reflection is not a new concept, the way in which the Leadership Academy integrates it
challenges and forces participants to understand themselves before they can understand others —
a key component of leadership.
The Leadership Academy’s integration of skill building allowed participants to reap
immediate benefits from the academy and something that graduates confirmed as enhancing their
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leadership ability. While the Leadership Academy offers sessions from mediating conflict to goal
setting, participants and graduates most often highlighted the importance of increasing and
enhancing communication skills through finding one’s own voice to general public speaking
fears. Though these “soft skills” may be attainable outside of the college, the academy provides
this free of charge within the context of leadership development.
Unlike self-awareness and enhancing communication skills, which focus on academy
participant as individuals, the integration of community building incorporated the local CCC
community into the Leadership Academy. Community building and an integration of community
leaders into the program added value for both Leadership Academy participants and graduates.
Engaging with the community allowed for participants to not only feel more connected to the
external community but also to the internal CCC community that proved helpful in networking
and upward mobility.
While, the utilization of self-awareness, enhancing communication skills, and an
emphasis on community building is not new to professional development it is the way in which
the academy implements these facets systematically that indicate merit. Through the Leadership
Academy CCC can respond to its leadership needs with a multipronged approach, which begins
with having participants become more self-aware, it then builds the requisite leadership skills,
and finally incorporates the internal and external community to increase the effect.
With regard to perceptions, study participants wholeheartedly perceived the academy as a
way to increase their career trajectories. Graduates reiterated this outcome of the academy
through either their support in having staff members attend the academy to their realization that
the academy was at minimum a positive experience and at maximum attributable to their moving
up the career ladder and successes at CCC. It is clear that the college supports the Leadership
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Academy due to its perceived impact on building and cultivating future leaders and employees
continue to flock to the academy because of this support and the impact it can have on their
leadership potential. Of particular significance is the continued support of the Leadership
Academy by the college president. This support is in accord with transformational leadership
theory through senior college leaders modeling the way and enabling others to act (Kouzes &
Posner, 2008). The CCC president and senior college leaders modeled the way through their
regular attendance at academy sessions and enabled others to act through their continued
encouragement in having staff members attend the academy. Support from the top was perceived
to be the most crucial in recruiting employees for the academy and affirmed participant
perceptions of its importance and value.
The literature has provided evidence that a leadership program like this one may best
prepare future college leaders by attracting individuals with leadership potential internally (de la
Teja et al., 2011; Strom, Sanchez, & Downey-Schilling, 2011). This being said, the Leadership
Academy at CCC appears to be a direct response to the historical impact of leadership turnover
and vacancies in community colleges through the college’s ability to build internal leadership
capacity. This is congruent with the conceptual framework for this study which seeks to build a
reservoir of high quality leaders that are better prepared to take on leadership roles.
The data from this study also revealed that the commitment required by the academy as
well as its emphasis on networking facilitated participant engagement and amplified the
reputation of the academy. Commitment to the Leadership Academy went two ways: the CCC
leadership was able to commit to the academy as it had seen the positive impact it had in
producing college leaders and participants thrived off of this commitment, which motivated and
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encouraged them throughout the process. Networking was also seen as a positive and, for the
most part, an unintended facilitating factor of the academy’s success.
The one inhibiting factor gleaned from the data, suggests that the time required for the
academy and the coordination of having to manage an employee being out of the office regularly
could and has affected the experience for some. For some, the requisite time either prevented
enrollment in the academy or deferment to a future date due to time constraints. That being said,
this time issue is a testament to the quality and rigor of the Leadership Academy. Participants did
find that the benefits of enrolling in the academy far outweighed the costs, once they were able to
collaborate and use their time effectively. Participants valued the opportunities they were able to
take part in, and time dedication became a factor that did not always have negative
consequences.
Implications for Policy and Practice
This study was conducted in order to improve the understanding of current practices
employed by the Leadership Academy at CCC for the purpose of building leadership capacity;
previous research has supported the idea that identifying and preparing competent leaders who
prioritize the mission of community colleges is necessary for attaining and maintaining effective
leadership (Boggs, 2011). The results of this study have practical significance to educational
leaders, who may gain useful insights on ways to create a leadership development program that
can systematically address the impending vacancies in leadership positions. This research is also
instructive in demonstrating to policymakers that the Leadership Academy at CCC can serve as a
model for building leaders at other colleges so that they too are better prepared for leadership
retirements and able to build internal leadership capacity. Lastly, the results from this study can
inform colleges that have contemplated implementing a leadership development program but
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have yet to do so given the little research available on how it should be designed and the
necessary components (Reille & Kezar, 2010).
The literature has provided evidence that a leadership development program like CCC’s
may better prepare future college leaders by attracting individuals with leadership potential
internally (de la Teja et al., 2011; Strom, Sanchez, & Downey-Schilling, 2011), but there has
been little known regarding the elements that could be incorporated in such a program. However,
the data from this study suggests that a leadership development program, which incorporates in
its design self-awareness, skill building training, networking opportunities, career advancement
focus, and community integration can be promising. While every institution is unique, these
main elements could serve as the foundation for the program design with the institution then
tailoring the leadership program to meet their needs. At a minimum, this assumes that the
institution recognizes the potential that internal GYO programs have in building leadership
capacity, the institutional support necessary (e.g., leadership support, community support,
financial support), and employees interested in their leadership development. This change could
be implemented at either the policy level (which could include programmatic support and
resources to achieve this) or the organizational level (individual colleges could develop their own
leadership academy to include the above aspects). Similar leadership programs that are fledgling
could also benefit from the promising practices utilized by the CCC Leadership Academy, which
has a proven track record of 15 years and over 500 graduates. As the literature is scarce
regarding the ways to design a GYO leadership program (Reille & Kezar, 2010) the data from
this study could serve as a model of one promising design.
College leaders should take notice of the value of internal leadership development
programs such as the one employed by CCC. Luna (2010) asserts that college leaders are
95

unaware of programs that can address the shortage of leaders and are not confident about the
level of preparedness of community colleges to address the impending vacancies in many
leadership positions. Due to the leadership crisis, community colleges face the choice of
identifying potential leaders internally and providing them with sufficient training for senior
leadership roles or bringing in individuals from outside the institution who may have little
understanding of the college’s needs.
Policymakers should take greater notice of the promise that GYO leadership development
programs, like the Leadership Academy at CCC, have in building the next generation of leaders.
Building internal leadership capacity appears to be a more efficient way to train a greater number
of potential leaders. However, the cost of providing professional and leadership development
opportunities can be substantial and requires support including but not limited to finances. While
the Leadership Academy has a salaried Academy Coordinator and financial support directly from
the Office of the President’s budget, it also relies on the work of many, especially the volunteer
committee members and the support of senior college leaders. It would be prudent for
policymakers to evaluate and balance the leadership development needs of the college and
district with the financial implications of offering such opportunities (VanDerLinden, 2005).
Policies that encourage colleges and districts to investigate the potential fit for GYO
leadership development programs should be evaluated. Further, in an effort to simplify and
enhance professional development opportunities a systematic approach, as in the one taken by
CCC, could be beneficial in creating better prepared employees to take on leadership roles.
Similarly structured programs are better prepared to nurture future college leaders that may
otherwise be unprepared, ineffective, or uninterested in moving into positions of leadership.
96

Creating leaders from within has proven to be more effective and offers a smoother transition
than hiring from outside of the college (Jones & Jackson, 2014).
Recommendations for Future Studies
This study illustrated the ways in which CCC’s Leadership Academy seeks to build
internal leadership capacity. Although attempts were made to obtain comprehensive responses to
the study’s three research questions, additional queries emerged as a result of data analysis and
reflection that may be constructive for future research. As such, this section outlines
recommendations for future studies.
The Leadership Academy at CCC is one of a handful of GYO leadership development
programs in the nation and as such only represents their unique implementation. Further research
should first compare similar leadership capacity building programs at the community college
level to see if practices employed by CCC are universal. It would also be worthwhile to compare
how community colleges have designed and implemented their GYO programs to non-
community colleges. Further, being a successful, large, suburban multi-campus community
college, CCC may have assets and resources that other colleges do not thereby affecting their
manifestation of the Leadership Academy – this too should also be considered in future research.
The Leadership Academy at CCC has been in existence since 2005 and has over 500
graduates that are better prepared to take on leadership roles. In order to better understand the
potential that GYO leadership development programs have in addressing the leadership gap, it
would be useful to research colleges that have established leadership development programs
prior to 2005 to see if there are similarities in design, execution, goals, and outcomes. Moreover,
it would be revealing to research an internal leadership development program from inception to
delivery and be able to observe as many training sessions as possible. In the same vein, while
97

this research included observations of two training sessions, being able to observe more would
have provided an even deeper understanding.
It would be instructive for future research to be undertaken on the effectiveness of the
Leadership Academy. Though many of the study participants attributed career advancement to
completing the academy, it was beyond the scope of this study to gauge causation. A larger
sample size from the over 500 graduates of the academy would also be useful in gleaning more
generalizable data on the effectiveness of the academy. Additionally, within a larger sample, it
would be informative to track cohorts from various years of the Leadership Academy going back
to 2005 to see how they have progressed at CCC. Because the Leadership Academy is open to all
CCC employees, it would be worthwhile to see how previous leadership experience helped or
hindered the academy experience. Lastly, speaking to employees that may not have completed
the academy or that were unable to make the requisite time for it would be informative in
understanding additional inhibiting factors in the implementation of the Leadership Academy at
CCC.

98

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Appendix A
Participant Recruitment Letter

You have been selected to participate in this study due to your experiences with leadership
capacity building strategies at your community college. As a participant in this study, your
contribution will assist those interested in implementing or expanding leadership capacity
building strategies in the educational settings in which they work. Specifically, your participation
in the Leadership Academy at CCC will be the focus of this study.

The intent of this study is to discover how some community colleges are building leadership
capacity and creating the next generation of leaders. Some community colleges are able to shape
the next generation of leaders despite the increasing rates of retirement and attrition of
educational leaders, lack of desire and/or motivation to enter leadership, and the increasing
demands of educational leaders.

To that end, the following research questions are posed in an effort to gain insight into successful
leadership capacity building strategies:

1) In what ways does Crest Community College (CCC) work to build the next generation of
leaders through its Leadership Academy?

2) What are the perceptions of participants, graduates, organizers, and leaders regarding the
influences of these practices at CCC?

3) What are the factors that both facilitate and inhibit the development and implementation
of strategies designed to build leadership capacity?

Identifying strategies that community colleges use to successfully build the next generation of
education leaders may provide a guide for other colleges to follow. Exploring the perceptions of
stakeholders regarding the leadership capacity building strategies may improve the content,
execution and reach of such programs. Finally, the identification of facilitators and inhibitors of
the strategies may help others recognize catalysts and pitfalls for their current or future
leadership capacity building efforts.

Your participation in this study should take approximately a few hours of your time over a period
of one week and will consist of the following activities:

 One to two interviews

 One or more observations of you during a leadership academy session (if applicable)

Thank you in advance for considering my request for you to participate. Your involvement is
critical to the success of this study.

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Appendix B
Leader Interview Protocol

1. What is unique about the CCC Leadership Academy as compared to:
a. Programs offered at other colleges
b. Other CCC staff or faculty development
c. Other professional development opportunities
2. Why not just rely on other CCC professional development or formal education programs
for employee improvement?
3. How do you or does CCC support participants and graduates of the Leadership
Academy?
4. When you think about a graduate of the Academy what ideally, are you looking to see in
them (skills, traits, qualities, etc.)?
5. How do you gauge the success of the Leadership Academy?
6. Do you ever have to deny employees the opportunity to participate in the Leadership
Academy, and if so why?
7. Other than, to increase leadership skills, presumably applicants to the Leadership
Academy want to move up the career ladder – is this an accurate statement?
8. What is your role as a committee member?
9. Would you like to share anything else with me about your experience with the CCC
Leadership Academy?

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Appendix C
Participant Interview Protocol

1. Tell me briefly about your experience and role at CCC
2. When did you complete the Leadership Academy?
3. Why did you decide to join the Leadership Academy? Do you recall how you learned
about it?
4. Dr. R (previously) and President A invite all CCC employees to apply to the Leadership
Academy; how important was this level of support and involvement in your decision to
participate in the academy?
5. Would the Leadership Academy be as successful without the endorsement and support of
the President and/or your VP?
6. How important is the involvement of the Leadership Academy Committee members to
you and to the success of the Academy?
7. How is the Academy promoted and advertised?
a. Do you think most employees at CCC are aware of the Leadership Academy?
8. How could the Leadership Academy improve?
a. What else could it do?
9. Do you think you would be in your current position, as effective in your position, and/or
as effective in leadership roles you take on without your participation in the Leadership
Academy?
10. How has graduating from the Leadership Academy helped you?
a. Can you think of an example or situation in which something you learned in the
Academy helped you?
11. How did the Leadership Academy prepare you for up-line or co-worker communication
issues, effective interaction with others, understanding the needs of others, negative co-
workers, leadership challenges and your roles and responsibilities?
a. Do you think you would be in in your current position if it were not for the
Leadership Academy?
12. Would you change anything about the Leadership Academy?
13. What did/do you like most about the Leadership Academy?
a. What did you like least about it?
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14. Do you view the Academy as a way to build the next generation of CCC leaders or
something else?
15. Do you think other employees would benefit from joining the Leadership Academy?
a. If so what advice might you offer them?
16. Would you like to share anything else with me about your experience with the CCC
Leadership Academy?

110

Appendix D
Observation Protocol

Name of Site: ________________________________ Date: _______________
Type of Observation: ______________________________
Participants: __________________________________
Purpose/Focus: ________________________________
Time Started ___________Time Ended ___________
Total Time ______________
Environment
Observation Observer’s Notes
Setting/Location
 What does the environment look like?
 What is the physical set up?
 How are people positioned?
 What does the agenda look like? (Get
copy)
 Does the meeting follow the agenda?
 How many people are in the meeting?

Participant(s)
 Attire of participants
 Participant engagement
 Who’s leading the meeting?
 Who sits where?
 Are they talking?
 Are they making eye contact?
 Leader’s practices in interacting with
others
 People coming late/leaving early
 Diversity of the room (gender balance,
ethnic balance)

111

Interactions
Observation Observer’s Notes
Context
 Who’s talking to whom?
 What is their relationship?
 Roles of the participants?
 Topic of interaction/conversation
 Where is it taking place?
 Length of interaction?
 Purpose of interaction?
 Planned or unplanned?

Overall Tone
 Description

112

Appendix E
Reflection Evaluation Form (Redacted)

113

114

115

116

117

Appendix F
President’s Invitation Letter (Redacted)

Abstract (if available)

Abstract This study applies the theoretical framework of transformational leadership to inform and frame the promising leadership development practices utilized in the Crest Community College (CCC) Leadership Academy, which seeks to build the next generation of internal college leaders. The purpose of this study was to attain a deeper understanding of the leadership capacity building strategies at CCC, specifically its Leadership Academy. This study also explored the factors involved in the development and implementation of the academy as well as, the perceptions of participants, graduates, and leaders. This case study included 14 participants who are in the academy, graduated from it or are CCC leaders. Data from interviews, observations, and artifacts were collected and analyzed through the gathering, comparing, and contrasting of responses. The data were analyzed to identify common themes and patterns within the interview responses while the observations and artifacts were used to triangulate the different data. Findings from this study indicate that through the customization of the Leadership Academy for CCC employees, the college has been able to build leadership capacity through training, nurturing, and growing future leaders—some of whom have already moved into leadership roles. The results of this study have implications for educational leaders, who may gain useful insights on ways to create a leadership development program that can systematically address the impending vacancies in leadership positions and build internal leadership capacity. The results of this study can also inform colleges that have contemplated implementing a leadership development program but have yet to do so given the dearth of available research.

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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

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Asset Metadata

Creator Moustafa, Shahab (author)

Core Title Promising practices for building leadership capacity: a community college case study

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 04/14/2016

Defense Date 03/15/2016

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag community college,Grow Your Own,GYO,internal leaders,leadership academy,leadership capacity,leadership development,next generation of leaders,OAI-PMH Harvest

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Stowe, Kathy (committee chair), Ahmadi, Shafiqa (committee member), Malloy, Courtney (committee member)

Creator Email shahabmm@gmail.com,smoustaf@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-227809

Unique identifier UC11278481

Identifier etd-MoustafaSh-4245.pdf (filename),usctheses-c40-227809 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-MoustafaSh-4245.pdf

Dmrecord 227809

Document Type Dissertation

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Moustafa, Shahab

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA