Community College Boards of Trustees: The detriment for students and taxpayers

Community College Boards of Trustees "Feel the Heat". This ultimately works against both students and taxpayers.


Community college's are getting a lot of attention these days from growing student enrollments, the Obama administration, and the media. What does this mean for community college leaders, how do we know that they know how to lead these institutions? Are students of community colleges getting the education they signed up for if their institution's leadership isn't working?
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/10/05/community_college_trustees_face_more_scrutiny


Higher education news is brimming with discontent (and clearly disconnect) among community college faculty, administrators, and trustees.  Most of the estimated 6,500 community college trustees enter their positions from local elections or being appointed by a state legislative office.  Many accept this volunteer position because of their community involvement and a personal interest in potentially stepping into future political offices.  But running a business or serving on K-12 school board is not the same as governing a college, or understanding the specific needs of a community college. Between political scrutiny and state budget woes, trustees should rightly feel the pressure and responsibility. 


But this pressure, as well as the longstanding dysfunction that has become status quo among many institutions, once it is realized leads to high turnover rates among governing boards.  As article author Paul Fain reports, "Leadership stability is particularly important for community colleges, several college presidents say, given the challenges they face. Making changes takes time, and heavy turnover on boards can blunt creativity."


Then how will problems ever be resolved? What does this mean the cost of attending college? And for students who desire not just a degree, but an education? 

As Paul Fain continues, "Community college leaders praised trustee training efforts and materials produced by the Association of Community College Trustees. The group distributes learning guides for new trustees, a training checklist for presidents and board chairs and hosts an annual institute for new board members and their presidents. The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges also works on trustee preparation for the community college sector."


"But community college trustees are often taken for granted on their campuses, some observers said. And the colleges themselves rarely devote much energy to help trustees get better at their volunteer roles."


“'We should be spending a whole lot more time on the development of the boards,' said James Jacobs, president of Macomb Community College, located in Michigan, and himself a former two-year-college trustee."


Institutional leaders would want to make a difference for their institutions and their students would be wise invest in developing their governing boards. Training, workshops, and mentoring go a long way in providing orientation and socialization for elected or appointed trustees that have often not considered the complexity of  social issues facing the effectiveness and efficiency challenges of college environments. 

Contact HEAD START Consulting to begin considering how to support the dynamic concerns of your institution. 

The Aspen Institute Prize for Community College Excellence

Congratulations to the top 10 community colleges that were named as finalists for the Aspen Institute Prize for Excellence
http://www.aspeninstitute.org/policy-work/aspen-prize

Also, a great article on the topic by Inside Higher Ed
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/09/13/aspen_institute_names_ten_community_college_finalists_for_million_dollar_prize

Out of the 110 community colleges that submitted applications, the top 10 were chosen based on
 “relentlessly focused on three non-negotiable outcomes – a high bar for learning, a focus on college completion and real attention to preparing their students for 21st century jobs.” Completion records of disadvantaged students were also weighed.


Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen College Excellence Program stated “Community colleges have been underappreciated and under-resourced for decades.”  Also, this is an area deeply in need of inquiry and reward to excellence. 


The prize includes for the first place winner, which will be announced in December, gets a $700,000 share of 
the $1 million prize pot, with three runners-up getting $100,000 each.


HEAD START Consulting can help your organization leaders consider its strengths and areas that most need support, in effort to submit highly polished grant and awards applications. Contact vaheyk@gmail.com to explore how HEAD START can work for you. 

Alternative Professional Development panel talk at SXSW

According to the hosts of SXSW  (South by Southwest), the conferences and festivals that take place in March in Austin, Texas are all about "fostering creative and professional growth" and that SXSW is "the premier destination for discovery." Sounds pretty good to me. While those who work in higher education have often made the trek to SXSW, one group of professionals has been relatively absent. At last year's event, there were very few sessions by student affairs professionals, even though a concerted effort was made to hosts panels for student affairs professionals from the local region. 

One such session on Alternative Professional Development Networks http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/10985
addressed the following questions

1. Why are informal learning networks important for professional development?
2. How does a higher ed professional/faculty explore the network & personalize their learning for professional development?
3. What are some of the pros & cons for engaging in a personal learning networks for professional development?
4. As PLNs develop, how can these networks support the future of higher education?
5. How can higher education institutions adopt a “start up” of PLNs for their campus community and beyond?

Economic impact is deep & challenging higher education institutions around the globe, which effects all aspects of higher education institution. Employers seek talented minds that are innovative and creative for higher education, so it is critical for professionals to seek support to stay on top of the most innovative and creative practices in the field. HEAD START consulting provides creative solutions and systemic support at reasonable rates at the save your organization money in the long term. HEAD START consulting supports financial sustainability thru investing in the people of all types of student affairs organizations, resulting in improved organizational processes and supported decision making that can save time and reduce administrative turnover. Save money for your organization thru proactive planning and development; see what HEAD START consulting can do for you.   

How campus leaders can help student seeking federal jobs

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/06/22/senate_hearing_on_inspiring_students_to_join_federal_government_workforce

"At a Senate hearing Tuesday on inspiring students to seek federal government work, one think was clear: the feds need to do a better job of recruiting and hiring recent graduates. What was less clear was whether they know how."


This article essentially addresses that if the federal government wants to employ new college graduates, it must clean up many of its hiring processes.  Though similarly, student affairs leaders looking to support students in their desire to pursue government employment must speak up in advocacy for students.  Student affairs employees are often times the adults students spend the most time with, and subsequently are the ones who best understand the mentalities of current college students.  Student affairs leaders who share what they know with employers seeking to hire college graduates can support consideration for how to revise hiring processes to target new college graduate demographics.


How HEAD START can help: The essence of this problem for busy student affairs professionals and federal hiring agents is finding time to consider and revise their processes to target millennial generation college graduates.  HEAD START can offer consultation to both parties in this situation; to address the "how to" question for federal hiring agents for recruiting college graduates, and support student affairs career services offices in translating these processes to students.  Contact vaheyk@gmail.com to explore how HEAD START can work for you.