Community College Leadership

Written from the dual perspectives of a community college president and community college board chair, this book covers everything about college leadership. Through personal anecdotes peppered with solid strategies, it offers advice on the responsibilities and challenges that come with leading a college. Whether you are a sitting college president or someday might be, this book will help you. If you serve on a community college board and would like insight into how to lead your college to its greatest potential, this book will help.

Gary L. Rhodes is president emeritus of Reynolds Community College, taught as an adjunct professor in Old Dominion University, helped build a community college in Maine and served as a college president in Minnesota and Virginia for 20 years. He has served on 33 community leadership boards in five states and was chair or president of 12 of them. He lives near Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Mark C. Creery, Sr., is the president/CEO of Data Directions, an IT company in Richmond, Virginia. He has spent 40 years as a software designer, developer, and trainer. He served on the boards of J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College for 17 years, five as chair and on several leadership boards in the Richmond area.

Gary L. Rhodes and Mark A. Creery, Sr.
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 239
Bibliographic Info: appendix, index
Copyright Date: 2021
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8252-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4364-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments v
Forewords (by Tim Kaine, Dana B. Hamel and Edward Steiner) 1
Preface 5
A Guide to Reading 7
1. Congratulations! Now What? Beginning as a ­­­Brand-New President 9
Do’s and Don’ts from a President, Who Is a Woman, for Women (Hara Charlier) 14
Words of Wisdom from a Relatively New Community College President (David Loope) 15
2. Supporting the Cause or Leading the Charge? Dynamics of a College Board 20
Essentials for an Effective College Board (Vaughn A. Sherman) 20
3. The Jenga Challenge of Higher Education: Aligning the Community College Mission and Strategies with Multiple Stakeholders 28
4. Pastor or Symphony Conductor? The Nature of the Presidency 34
Building a Strong Executive Leadership Team (Sharon A. McDade) 45
5. Who’s in Charge? The College Board and the President 51
6. Pyramid or Funnel? Governance Structures 59
Audits and Compliance … “Tone at the Top” (Whit Madère) 71
7. Why Didn’t You Read the Instructions? The Need for a Complete College Board Policy Manual 78
8. Relationships, Relationships, Relationships: Community Engagement and Leveraging Partnerships 91
Business Community Involvement (Theodore Raspiller) 93
Perspective of a Hospital CEO (Patrick Farrell) 94
Perspective of a Chamber of Commerce CEO (Kim Scheeler) 95
Perspective of a K–12 School Superintendent (Stewart D. Roberson) 98
Perspective of a ­­­Four-Year University President (Michael Rao) 100
Another Perspective of a ­­­Four-Year University President (John R. Broderick) 101
Perspective of a ­­­Non-Profit CEO (Sherrie Brach Armstrong) 102
Perspective of a ­­­Faith-Based Leader (The Rev. Benjamin Campbell) 103
9. A Beggar’s Hand or a Vision? Fundraising and the College 109
Fundraising in a Small, Rural College (John J. Rainone) 117
10. Playing Poker with Wild Cards: Government Relations 120
11. Yin and Yang: Workforce and Economic Development 127
Just-in-Time Teaching, Credentials, and Licenses (Mary Elizabeth Creamer) 132
Workforce Development (Theodore Raspiller) 133
Economic Development (Stephen Moret) 135
12. An Achilles Heel or Seven Deadly Sins: Vulnerabilities That Can Put a College Presidency at Risk 136
Lack of Political Savvy (Jeffrey J. Kraus) 138
Seven Deadly Sins (John A. Manzari) 141
13. Walking the High Wire: Balancing Work and Play 143
Role of the President’s Spouse (Nam Rhodes) 146
14. A Solemn Duty: Hiring, Evaluating and Removing the President 148
15. Last Impressions: Leaving the Presidency 160
16. Sea Tides or Tsunamis? Emerging Threats 165
How to Think About and Prepare Your Institution (and Yourself) for the Future (John W. Martin) 177
Future Challenges from the Board Leadership Perspective (James Cuthbertson) 182
17. SYSK: Stuff You Should Know About Applying for a Presidency 188
­­­Faculty-Speak: Crossing Over to the Dark Side (Glenn DuBois) 191
Strategic Vision of an Applicant for President (Sharon A. McDade) 202
18. Help at Your Fingertips: Key Organizational Resources 206
Appendix. Compendium of Presidential Search Committee Questions 215
About the Authors and Contributors 223
Index 227