Top 10 list for aspiring community college CEOs

Joe Schaffer, president of Laramie County Community College in Wyoming, delivers diplomas at graduation. (Photo: LCCC)

History has shown, repeatedly, that some of the greatest leaders find opportunity in times of crisis. Right now, we face a crisis in the leadership of our community colleges. Far too many of our leaders are leaving and, unfortunately, far too few stand ready to take their place.

According to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), there have been approximately 1,200 CEO transitions in the nation’s two-year institutions over the past five years, about a quarter of those because of retirements. While the number of transitions has been declining over the last year, qualified CEO candidate pools have shriveled and show signs of greater atrophy to come.

Similar trends exist among other leadership positions in our community colleges. Regrettably, this crisis exists not only as a matter of numbers. Those few who stand ready to ascend to leadership positions, especially that of community college CEO, often lack any practical awareness of what they will face in a leadership role, let alone any formal preparation.

This excerpt comes from the current issue of AACC’s Community College Journal.

While AACC, along with numerous other organizations and universities, have been addressing this issue, some simple guidance exists right now that would benefit first-time and aspiring CEOs. We can call this the “Top 10 List for Aspiring Community College CEOs.”

Get intimate with the budget. Few college CEOs have been fired for not effectively assessing student learning outcomes; many have for issues related to the budget. Like it or not, managing the fiscal resources of the institution is one of the most critical aspects of the CEO’s job. This requires a broad understanding of resource allocation models, basic understanding of financial operations, and most importantly, an aptitude for translating what you hear from the financial officers into language you can convey to the broader campus community. If you do not have strong financial skills or are somewhat unaware of resource allocation models, now is a good time to build them. They will be foundational to your success as a CEO.

Leadership preferred, diplomacy required. The position of a CEO is a political one. A new CEO will find himself/herself in an environment where diplomacy is necessary 24/7. There are internal and external cultures and politics constantly at play. You must communicate and act with surgical precision. Too direct and you are seen as an autocrat, too hands-off and you will be targeted as a patsy. It takes an astute pupil of diplomacy to navigate these choppy waters. Now is the time to start practicing.

In God we trust. Everyone else, bring data. We live in an era of accountability and a deepening need for continuous improvement and increased student success. Surprisingly though, many leaders in higher education still make decisions and give direction based on emotion and anecdote. We need to build cultures of evidence in our institutions. To do that, CEOs must have a basic understanding of institutional research, and more importantly, know how to access your data and/or the individuals who do. Get familiar with where your data reside. Even better, become a student of statistics and analysis of institutional data. These tools will be invaluable for supporting your agenda.

Generational differences do matter. At colleges across the nation, four or perhaps even five different generations of individuals will exist in the workplace you will be charged with leading. While no single individual can be pigeon-holed into a generational classification, make no mistake, that there are generational differences at play. Communication styles and preferences, personal priorities, tradition, etc., all differ. Knowing how they differ and effectively leading different generations will be one of your greatest challenges. This is about understanding where individuals and groups are coming from and what their orientation is. Knowing that and using it to your advantage is a skill effective leaders have mastered.

No matter what you think, it’s not about you. Thick skin is a necessity in this line of work. You will receive advice, feedback and even criticism from a variety of individuals in myriad ways. The vast majority of the time they are pointing to the position of CEO and not directly at you. You’ll need to find ways to remove your own emotion from interactions and look for the true meaning in the message. There is no better way to build respect and trust than to be able to be unphased by tough conversations.

Read about the next five tips in the current issue of CC Journal.

 

About the Author

Joe Schaffer
is president of Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The owner of this website has made a committment to accessibility and inclusion, please report any problems that you encounter using the contact form on this website. This site uses the WP ADA Compliance Check plugin to enhance accessibility.