9781118004739

Those who lead community colleges and those who aspire to lead them will gain essential insights from this frank discussion of the particular issues pertaining to this unique subsection of higher education. This timely book offers realistic advice on how to handle the challenges-current and future-that such leaders must grapple with. Following the chapters that describe the landscape of community college leadership, the author takes a hard look at a set of proposed solutions from outside academia, then turns to another set of proposed solutions emerging from inside the community college world, with more potential to succeed for all concerned, closing the book on this hopeful note.

Matthew Reed is the author of the popular blog Confessions of a Community College Dean for Inside Higher Ed. He is vice president for academic affairs at Holyoke Community College and has been a full-time and adjunct faculty member, associate dean, and dean at for-profit and community colleges. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife and two young children.

About the Author iv

Acknowledgments v

Foreword by Kay McClenney vii

Introduction 1

1. The Community College Landscape 13

2. Funding: Where the Money Comes From, Where It Goes, and Why There’s Never Enough 35

3. Community College Administration: Who Does What 61

4. Herding Cats: Managing Creative People 85

5. Regular Challenges of the Dean’s Job 105

6. Saving Community Colleges: A Few Modest Proposals 125

Conclusion 153

Notes 158