Date of Award

Fall 12-30-2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Organizational Leadership

First Advisor

Cheryl-Marie Osborne Hansberger

Second Advisor

Tod Burnett

Third Advisor

Douglas DeVore

Fourth Advisor

Julie Hadden

Abstract

Purpose: The two-fold purpose of this study was to understand how Washington state community college vice presidents, deans, and academic faculty members serve in leadership positions with the Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges (WACTC) and the Faculty Association of Community and Technical Colleges (FACTC) rate the importance of the 2018 American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Competencies for Community College Leaders, Third Edition and to compare the differences between the three groups’ views of the importance of the AACC competencies.

Methodology: A descriptive, non-experimental quantitative methodology was used for this study. The sample was 55 community college vice presidents, deans, and academic faculty members serving in leadership positions with the WACTC and FACTC. They were also affiliated with subgroups of the two organizations focused on academic affairs or student services. These subgroups were targeted because research indicates over half of community colleges presidents descend through the ranks of academic affairs or student services. The sample was selected through purposeful, non-probability sampling.

Findings: The 2018 AACC skills were found to be exceptionally important to all three groups studied: vice presidents, deans, and academic faculty. Combined, the groups stressed the highest relevance of three primary competency/focus areas. The study also underscored need for community colleges to cultivate growth and development of its leaders to enhance student success and improve institutional performance.

Conclusions: The data gathered established a need for all community college leaders to deepen their understanding of the AACC competencies and apply this competency framework to their own personal growth and development to strengthen their current positions and prepare for new professional prospects.

Recommendations: Community colleges should use these findings to create an evaluation instrument that evaluates community college leaders using the AACC competencies. These findings should be used by boards of trustees, in partnership with other stakeholders, to recruit new community college leaders. These findings should be used to construct in-house leadership development programs at community colleges to retain and develop future community college leaders and guide succession planning.

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