Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Mississippi State University. Department of Instructional Systems, Leadership and Workforce Development. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed. D) -- University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2005. / Title from title page screen (viewed on Sept. 6, 2005). Thesis advisor: Russell L. French. Document formatted into pages (xi, 102 p.). Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 83-89).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, March, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 139-159)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--North Carolina State University. / Includes vita. Originally issued in electronic format. UMI number: 3223137. Includes bibliographical references (p. 104-122). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Presidents of Community Colleges and the administrators who reported directly to them were the subjects for this study based on the Four Frame Leadership Theory of Bolman and Deal (1990b). The Leadership Orientation (Self) Survey (LOS) was mailed to 169 community college presidents and administrators in the presidents' direct report teams. The final usable response rate of 69.82% to the survey fell within the acceptable range for education as defined by Boser and Green (1997). In addition, the subjects were asked to write about the most difficult challenge they had faced in their current position and how they handled that challenge. The purpose of this study was to determine (a) the usage of leadership frames from both groups; presidents and their administrative teams, (b) if gender or years of experience in their current positions were factors in leadership frame usage in each group, and (c) if there was a relationship between a president's frame usage and the frame usage of the members of the direct report team. The major findings were: 1. The presidents and administrators displayed the highest mean scores for the human resource frame with the mean scores of the three remaining frames (structural, political, and symbolic) clustering as a second unit of responses. In the narrative segment of the survey, the most frequently rated central theme among the presidents and the direct reports was the political frame. 2. The results from statistical analysis of the responses from both groups (presidents and the administrators who directly reported to them) did not show any statistically significant difference among frame use based on gender or number of years of experience in their positions. 3. The correlation coefficients did not indicate that there was a relationship in either direction regarding leadership style between the two groups (presidents and administrators). A phenomenological analysis of the scenario statements from these two groups indicated that presidents who used the political frame as a central theme tended to have administrators who also used the political frame as one or as a pair of central themes. Presidents who used the symbolic frame as a central theme tended to have administrators who used all four frames as central themes in their narratives. 4. A fourth finding was the discrepancy in the ability of the leaders to use multiple frames as demonstrated in the results from the quantitative and qualitative findings. The quantitative data suggested that these leaders were practicing the techniques of multi-framing more than one-half of the time. Contrary to this finding, the qualitative data showed that 5 of 30 scenario statements showed paired frames being used as central frames. 5. One additional finding based on the qualitative statements by presidents and their administrators revealed much thought and intentional practice in the leaders' ability to build teams.

The American democracy is experiencing strain from the erosion of democratic norms and its political, judicial, social, and economic institutions. In short, the American democracy shows signs of democratic deconsolidation. Community colleges are higher education institutions that help consolidate the U.S. democracy by representing democratic values such as equality and opportunity. The purpose of my study was to explore how selected community college presidents understand and articulate the responsibility of their institutions to prepare students for a meaningful role in the American democracy. Qualitative narrative inquiry methods, including in-depth semistructured interviews and document analysis, were used to collect data for the study. Three primary themes emerged from the data that addressed the purpose of this study: 1) community college philosophy: blueprint for a vision, 2) consolidating local democracies, and 3) citizens as students, students as citizens. These three themes supported further interpretation of the data that was organized under these headings, 1) the community college democratic mission, 2) community colleges help deepen democracy, and 3) the role of community colleges in the American democracy: public goods, private goods. In summary, my research found that first, my participants believed that community colleges have a responsibility to the American democracy and this responsibility is reflected in their community college mission. Second, my participants framed the American democracy as a continual work in progress and that community colleges help deepen democracy. Third, for my participants, community colleges are not merely distinct in their institutional mission and philosophy, but in their role in supporting the American democracy.

In 2005, according to the American Association of Community College (AACC) and the National Institute of Leadership Development, women signify 259 community college presidents nationally. Hockaday and Puyear (2000), Weisman and Vaughan (2002) reported in 2002 that more women held presidencies at community colleges when compared to other types of higher education institutions. Statistically, the number of women holding the position of president more than doubled, yet, women continue to remain disproportionately under-represented in administrative and policy-making positions, according to Corrigan (2002). The purpose of this study was to identify the leadership styles, career path, effectiveness, and length of time from completion of terminal degree to presidency that identified the road to become a female community college president. The Gregorc Style Delineator™ (Gregorc, 1982) was used to determine the styles of women community college presidents relating to leadership. The constructs, known as styles were displayed as Concrete Random, Concrete Sequential, Abstract Sequential, and Abstract Random. Descriptive statistics were used to address the preferred leadership styles. Contingency tables described the value obtained from the Gregorc Style Delineator™ (Gregorc, 1982), path of promotion, and length of time. The Participant Information Sheet collected information on institutional demographics, significant events that influenced the participant to become a community college president, and their effectiveness. Five research questions guided this study and were interpreted using various research methods. Results from this study reflect that Concrete Random is the preferred leadership style of the participants. Furthermore, this research suggests that women community college presidents are multitaskers, visionaries, and motivators who inspire those working with them to achieve all goals set for the institution. These attributes and skills are displayed in Concrete Random and Concrete Sequential styles. Moreover, it was identified that a successful president should develop the skills and competencies necessary to meet the growing needs of the community, culture, educational, and political climate. The results of the study may serve as a guide to a community college engaged in a search for a president. In addition, these findings may provide direction for institutions that strive to offer leadership development opportunities for professors and administrators. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this research study was to enhance understanding of successful conflict management by community college Presidents through highlighting and describing conflict experiences with the faculty union or the board of trustees in a community college context. The following questions guided the research: (a) How do community college Presidents describe the experience of conflict management in the community college context? (b) How does conflict management competence manifest itself in conflict situations? and (c) How do community college Presidents develop the competencies to manage conflict? The research design included an interpretive social science philosophical approach and phenomenological method. Seven community college Presidents representing a variety of geographical areas participated in two different semi–structured interviews. Three pervasive themes describing the experience of successful conflict management emerged from the data in response to research question one. These themes were (a) diversity, (b) inevitability, and (c) perplexing. In response to research question number two, three pervasive themes emerged from the data which were (a) avoid personalizing the conflict, (b) stay focused on college mission and students, and (c) inform and engage the board of trustees. Enhance content knowledge was the one pervasive theme that emerged for research question number three. Findings from this study highlight key themes to assist current and aspiring Presidents that seek to gain understanding of successful conflict management in the community college context. / Graduation date: 2012

This study describes perceptions of the president's role in organizational change in each of ten colleges in two metropolitan community college districts. The purposes included (1) tracing major administrative reorganizations from the fall of 1975 to the spring of 1985, (2) ascertaining perceptions of the reasons for those reorganizations, and (3) obtaining perceptions of the role of the president in those reorganizations.