A new report from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) outlines the redesign of its professional development offerings. “Reimagining Leadership for a New Era” is the first in a series of reports showcasing the revised programming.
AACC President and CEO DeRionne Pollard — who notes that AACC’s Strategic Compass is foundational to transformation — says that the report was informed by AACC members who participated in a Leadership Design Lab session.
“We brought together presidents and CEOs from across the sector to hear first-hand about the unique needs and challenges for today’s community college leaders,” Pollard says. “They serve in increasingly complex environments while continuing to strengthen and mobilize their colleges and the sector as engines of equitable opportunity, economic mobility and civic vitality.”
The report introduces the framework for AACC’s leadership development programs and details the findings from the Leadership Design Lab.
“What we heard made it very clear there is a need to further support the work of presidents by finding ways to increase their capacity to anticipate change and adapt quickly with coherence and purpose,” Pollard continues. “We fully recognize that we also must adapt our own ways of learning and developing as leaders to ensure that resilience is intentional and not just reactionary.”
AACC’s reimagined professional development offerings will address the needs identified in the Leadership Design Lab.
“These sessions solidified the need for modernized professional development offerings and helped inform the strategy for our new programs,” Pollard says. “The report’s findings revealed to us that this work continues to evolve at a rapid pace for both individual leaders and for the sector as a whole.”
The report notes that the framework for AACC’s reimagined programs will stand on four foundational pillars that include:
- Leadership Formation – individual introspection on character and identity
- Skills Development – leadership competencies
- Experiential Learning and Mentorship – real-world skill application
- System Implementation – aligning teams, culture and goals
Lead Through the Noise: A special edition of AACC’s Future Leaders and Presidents Institutes programming September 28-30 in Washington, D.C.
In addition to the report, Pollard notes that AACC’s leadership suite is being revamped.
“We will continue to provide the foundational leadership programming that we are known for. In fact, the newest edition of the ‘AACC Community College Leadership Competencies’ will be released this summer. I believe our programming will be greatly enhanced by this intentional reimagining,” Pollard says.
The 5th edition of the “AACC Community College Leadership Competencies” will be available on July 31.
