Community colleges across the country continue to face persistent challenges with employee recruitment and retention. While overall staff turnover has declined from its post-pandemic peak, the 2025 CUPA-HR Higher Education Employee Retention Survey found that roughly one in four higher education employees are considering looking for another job within the next year.
But here’s the bright spot: Higher ed leaders have far more influence over recruitment and retention than they sometimes realize. The key is creating a culture worth coming to – and staying for.
Community colleges are remarkable at attracting passionate people to our life-changing mission, but we often miss the boat on retaining our talent. While compensation and benefits matter, culture remains one of the few variables that leaders can influence every day. Organizations that retain talented employees don’t necessarily create better break rooms; they create better employee experiences.
Every employee is constantly answering four questions about their workplace, whether consciously or not:
- Do I matter here?
- Do I know what’s expected of me?
- Can I grow here?
- Can I trust my leader?
Leaders who intentionally answer those questions create cultures worth staying for.
As vice chancellor for institutional advancement at South Louisiana Community College, I lead teams across three college departments. These are practices I have intentionally incorporated to create an employee experience where people feel seen, valued and supported.
1. Employees stay where they feel they matter.
For new employees, this starts with onboarding by their supervisors, not just HR. I encourage supervisors to curate a first-week schedule that introduces new employees to colleagues, their responsibilities and their supervisor.
A thoughtful first week communicates something far more important than where to find the copy machine or how to access the employee portal: You matter here, and we want you to succeed.
Several years ago, I created a First-Day Schedule for my new hires and have used it ever since. It introduces them to my expectations, the college’s goals, values and strategic plan, and how their role connects to the institution’s larger mission. During that first week, I introduce them to their 30/60/90-day plan, which outlines expectations, goals, KPIs and key events I expect them to attend.
A clear roadmap on Day One can make an employee feel that their success matters before they’ve even had their first performance review.
The question leaders should be answering: Do I matter here?
2. Employees stay where expectations are clear.
Community colleges are busy. Leaders are managing retirements, enrollment challenges, budgets and increasing expectations from stakeholders. But one thing leaders must get right is clarity.
To reduce uncertainty, leaders should:
- Review job descriptions with direct reports annually, making revisions as necessary. Clear, accurate job descriptions give employees a shared understanding of their responsibilities and priorities.
- Hold regular one-on-one meetings with your direct reports, listening more than talking. Ask what’s working, what barriers you can remove, and how you can support their success.
- Be transparent in decision-making. That means sharing what you can, when you can. Employees may not always agree with your decision, but they need to understand your (or the institution’s) direction.
The question leaders should be answering: Do I know what’s expected of me?
3. Employees stay where they can grow.
Lack of career development is consistently identified as one of the leading reasons employees leave, a finding reflected in the Work Institute’s Retention Report. Employees want opportunities to learn, take on new challenges and see a path for their future. The good news is leaders have direct influence here. One of the strongest retention tools isn’t always a salary increase; it is helping employees envision their future within your institution.
Once a year, I have my employees complete a one-page Professional Development Form. The first question I ask is: How would you like to grow in the next 12 months? Then, what is your goal for the next three to five years, and what do you need to do to get there?
I can’t guarantee future positions to my staff, but I can promise them one thing: I will invest in you.
From blocking off time for Mentoring Meetings with select staff and dedicating institutional dollars to conferences and certifications, to granting educational leave for employees to pursue advanced degrees, my team knows that their growth is my goal.
The question leaders should be answering: Can I grow here?
4. Employees stay where leaders build trust.
Trust is built in the small moments long before leaders need it in the big ones. Simply put, trust is built through consistency, follow-through, transparency and accountability.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned in leadership is to trust my team’s expertise. We spend a lot of money searching for people with the right education, experience, and expertise. Yet I’ve witnessed leaders micromanage, second-guess and override that expertise.
Building a strong culture is about striking the right balance between letting your experts be experts and knowing when to push your team. It means creating a culture where employees can safely voice an opinion that opposes yours. That doesn’t mean implementing every suggestion; it means hearing people out. It means admitting missteps and mistakes as a leader. Trust builds when your team realizes that you’re human, too.
Recently, I began a strategic planning session with my team in an unconventional way. Rather than start with data and reports, I asked them to help me find a better balance for my always-on schedule. As I shared some of my own struggles, the conversation became unexpectedly personal. When we broke for lunch, several members of the team thanked me for showing a vulnerable side of myself and told me how much it meant to them.
The question leaders should be answering: Can I trust my leader?
Closing thoughts
Every departure at a college represents lost relationships, institutional knowledge and momentum. And in community colleges, where our people are central to the student and stakeholder experience, retention matters.
We cannot control every reason an employee leaves. But we can control the culture we create while they are here. When employees know they matter, understand what is expected of them, see a path to grow and trust their leaders, we create something more powerful than a workplace people are willing to stay in. We create a culture worth staying for.
