Community colleges face leadership gap over next 5 years – UF study
GAINESVILLE, Fla.—Community colleges could face a critical leadership gap as administrators born during the early baby boom era retire over the next five years, according to University of Florida education researchers.
Dale F. Campbell, director of the community college leadership consortium at the UF College of Education, said a recent survey of community college presidents predicts that, between now and 2010, there will be a shortage of staff members available for work in departments of academic, student and business affairs.
“Community colleges could be highly vulnerable and experience major fiscal impact if we do not act now to develop programs to meet this need,” said Campbell, a UF professor in educational administration and policy.
More than a third of the nation’s 965 public community college presidents listed in the 2005 Higher Education Directory participated in Campbell’s survey. Eleven community college leaders from seven states then met with Campbell at a forum in Jacksonville, Fla., to explore new strategies to resolve the looming leadership gap. The college registrar, identified in the survey as one of the positions most critical to the future of their institutions, was singled out for special study.
Campbell’s survey findings and conclusions reached at the leaders’ forum are the basis of his recent research report published in the Community College Journal. The Chronicle of Higher Education also has covered his findings.
Campbell said opportunities and programs for career exploration and training for those interested in pursuing administrative and professional positions at the community college level are lacking.
“Applicant pools for community college registrar positions, for example, tend to be limited to experienced classified support staff without academic credentials or younger professionals without the specialized experience required in the field,” he said.
In his report, titled “The New Leadership Gap,” Campbell advises college presidents to identify and train current staff members who have the potential to move into these positions. He also recommended that university leadership programs develop partnerships with colleges and professional organizations to provide accessible graduate master’s and certificate programs in critical shortage areas.
“Top college administrators must be made aware of the new leadership gap of administrative and professional positions, and colleges should begin exploring new strategies for effectively managing job recruitment and the hiring process,” Campbell said.
