HEA 660 PEER 1
Richard Rucker posted Apr 30, 2026 9:44 PM
Hello all,
Community college presidents have to balance a lot of responsibilities, but the skills that stand out most are the ones that directly impact student success, enrollment, and financial stability. The first is having a clear vision for the college. A strong vision helps guide decision making across departments and ensures the institution stays aligned with its mission, especially in areas like access, workforce development, and transfer opportunities.
Another key skill is being a gifted budget manager. Community colleges often operate with limited resources, so leaders must be able to allocate funding strategically while maintaining essential programs and services. This connects closely with the importance of creating and maintaining positive community and campus partnerships. Strong relationships with local organizations and employers help build enrollment pipelines and provide students with real opportunities after graduation.
Being connected to industry for workforce development pathways is also critical. Community colleges play a major role in preparing students for immediate employment, so staying aligned with industry needs ensures programs remain relevant and valuable. Lastly, having positive connections with state legislatures and the governor’s office is essential. These relationships influence funding, policy decisions, and long term institutional support.
Overall, these five skills work together to support both the mission and sustainability of the college. They allow presidents to lead strategically while also responding to external pressures that impact higher education.
Richie
HEA 660 PEER 2
Angelica Brown posted Apr 30, 2026 11:10 PM
To be an effective leader in the higher education sector, presidents must have a variety of skills while being able to cultivate positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Although all of the skills listed are important, I believe the following are the top five most important skills for a community college president to possess.
Has vision for the college
Leaders who have a clear vision for their college promote both efficiency and transparency among stakeholders. An effective president ensures that all decisions align with the institution’s vision and mission. This provides a clear pathway throughout the college while still allowing room for growth. This helps guide institutions through the evolving state of the campus and positions them for success. As noted by Roueche, Baker, and Rose (1989), "Blue chipper” transformational community college presidents were identified as leaders whose strong, forward-thinking visions served as models for advancing institutional renewal (Cameron, 1984). Leaders who move beyond the existing policies and procedures are able to adapt and focus on shaping the integrity of the institution through strategic goal setting.
Ethical decision maker
To be an effective leader, decisions from the president must be rooted in ethical decision-making. Leaders must understand the impact their decisions have and ensure that they align with institutional goals and student needs.
Takes powerful Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion actions
Presidents of community colleges must take into consideration the various backgrounds in their student body. Amey (1992) emphasizes that leaders in higher education must consider the different world views throughout the institution and responda ccdoring in taking underrepreented perspectives into account. To truly be equitable, presidents must both acknowledge and take action to address the needs of students who historically have been marginalized.
Creates and maintains positive community–campus partnerships
The president creating and maintaining strong community–campus partnerships is vital to an institution's success. Community colleges are connected to their local communities through labor/workforce programs, as are all post-secondary and four-year institutions. To ensure overall student success, leaders must cultivate and maintain these partnerships to expand opportunities for students.
Exceptional interpersonal skills
Effective communication is crucial for any leader to possess. Community college presidents engage with various stakeholders each day and must communicate clearly and build trust. Through establishing these relationships, presidents can influence all leadership across the institution to do the same. Inspiring collaboration across the institution, it encourages authentic, transparent relationships where the needs of all stakeholders are heard and taken into consideration.
Amey, M. J. (1992, November). Cognitive constructions of leadership. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Minneapolis, MN.
Cameron, K. S. (1984, April/May). Organizational adaptation and higher education. The Journal of Higher Education, 55, 122–144.
John S. Levin, & Susan T. Kater. (2013). Understanding Community Colleges. Routledge.
HEA 630 PEER #1
Ashley Plourde posted May 1, 2026 5:38 AM
Institutional change in higher education is rarely as simple as introducing a new policy or initiative. Colleges and universities all operate differently based on their mission, values, culture, and overall structure, which means institutional context plays a huge role in whether change actually works. As Potter (2020) points out, nearly 70% of change initiatives fail, underscoring how difficult it is to implement lasting change. A big reason for that is that leaders sometimes try to apply the same strategies across different institutions without considering how unique each campus really is.
This becomes especially clear when looking at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. Many institutions talk about prioritizing DEI, but whether those initiatives are successful depends on how well they align with the institution’s actual culture and practices. Kezar and Eckel (2002) explain that change is more likely to succeed when it fits within an institution’s culture and more likely to fail when it goes against it. For example, if a university values shared governance but implements DEI policies in a highly top-down manner, it can create frustration and resistance. On the other hand, if DEI is truly reflected in hiring practices, student support, and decision-making, it is more likely to feel genuine and be sustained over time. So, institutional context does not just influence change; it really shapes how it is experienced by the people involved.
At the same time, not all resistance is a bad thing. It can actually be helpful in some cases. Dissension can highlight gaps between what an institution says it values and what actually happens in practice. It can also highlight confusion, lack of communication, or concerns about how a change is being implemented. Instead of shutting that down, leaders can use it as an opportunity to improve the process. This aligns with the idea that people are more likely to support change when they feel they had a role in shaping it (Potter, 2020). In the case of DEI, pushback can sometimes push institutions to go deeper and be more intentional, rather than just checking a box.
Collaboration across institutional units is another key part of making change successful. In higher education, everything is pretty interconnected, so change cannot happen in just one department. DEI efforts, for example, need involvement from admissions, student affairs, academic affairs, HR, and leadership to actually make an impact. Thomsen et al. (2024) also highlight how collaboration and shared problem-solving can strengthen change efforts, especially when people are given the space to reflect and work through challenges together. When different areas of an institution are working together, it helps create more consistency and makes the change feel more intentional and aligned across the board.
Overall, institutional context plays a major role in whether change succeeds or fails. Change is more likely to stick when it aligns with the institution’s culture, involves stakeholder input, and is supported through collaboration. At the same time, some level of disagreement can actually make the change stronger by pushing leaders to be more thoughtful and intentional. When institutions take the time to understand their own context and involve people in the process, they are much more likely to create meaningful and lasting change.
References
Kezar, A., & Eckel, P. D. (2002). The effect of institutional culture on change strategies in higher education: Universal principles or culturally responsive concepts? The Journal of Higher Education, 73(4), 435–460. https://doi.org/10.1353/jhe.2002.0038
Potter, J. (2020). Delivering educational change in higher education.
Thomsen, T. L. T., Stegeager, N., & Davidsen, J. G. (2024). Towards a pedagogy of organizational change: PBL as a lever for organizational development in higher education institutions. Journal of Problem Based Learning in Higher Education, 12(1), 117–140.
HEA 630 PEER #2
CHELSEA MURRAY posted Apr 30, 2026 11:40 PM
In higher education, whether institutional change works or not really depends on the context it’s happening in; things like campus culture, leadership style, history, and how different groups on campus see the change. This is especially true for DEI efforts, where reactions can vary widely depending on how aligned the initiative feels with the institution. Through Kurt Lewin’s Change Model, this shows up clearly in the “unfreezing” stage, where people are more likely to resist if change feels forced or out of step with existing values. Research also points out that change tends to stick better when it fits the institution’s culture instead of just being pushed through as policy (Potter & Devecchi, 2020).
With this in mind, some pushback isn’t necessarily a bad thing. From a devil’s advocate angle, resistance can actually bring attention to real concerns, like workload, fairness, or academic freedom, that might otherwise be overlooked. When handled well, that feedback can improve how the change is planned and communicated.
Working across different parts of the institution also makes a big difference. Using ideas from John Kotter, collaboration between faculty, administration, and student affairs helps build shared responsibility, improves communication, and makes it more likely that DEI efforts are actually embedded across campus life.
Overall, context shapes how change is received, disagreement can help sharpen the process, and collaboration is what helps it last.
References (APA style):
Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Harvard Business School Press.
Potter, M., & Devecchi, C. (2020). Delivering educational change in higher education.