As community colleges continue to define their mission statement, expand their services, and operate in the new global economy, this study explains the multiple dimensions of impact of the nation’s first community college leadership development program, The Community College Leadership Program (CCLP) at The University of Texas at Austin. Over the last 40 years, the program has consistently employed a targeted method of student recruitment, used a cohort learning model, incorporated an internship experience as part of a self-directed pedagogy, and imparted a system of core competencies derived from Mintzberg’s (1973) The Nature of Managerial Work. This study examines factors of the CCLP experience that contribute to successful careers in the community college and also identifies potential applications for utilizing similar tactics in leadership development programs. A qualitative research approach, incorporating mixed-methodologies, is used in this study. The first part of this investigation includes interviews with distinguished graduates, researchers, and other notable persons involved in the community college field, as well as Dr. John E. Roueche, program director. Additional analysis depicts social networking graphs of the positions and geographical placement of distinguished graduates in order to frame the national impact of this program on community colleges at large. Findings include those themes of community college leadership development which may prove useful in guiding the direction of other such programming and curriculum. Additional emphasis is placed on the future of the community college, the advancement of minority candidates to positions of leadership, and key attributes of successful community college leadership. / text