This case study of leadership in crisis at Meadow View Community College (fictitious name) was undertaken to add to the practical and theoretical knowledge and understanding of presidential leadership issues that actually occur in American community colleges. The college under study one of nearly one-third of the community colleges in a western state that recently experienced conflict, controversy and crisis in leadership. The leadership crisis was defined as the college president and members of his administration receiving from campus constituents three votes of "no confidence" in approximately two years. The study focused on the problem of what can be learned from a case study of one community college enduring a crisis in leadership. Research questions guiding the study were: (a) what does the literature have to say about leadership and leadership in crisis; (b) how did the crisis in leadership occur at the Meadow View Community College and what were the situational preconditions and catalytic events surrounding the crisis; (c) what were the perceptions of the leadership crisis as viewed by the Board of Trustees, administrators, faculty, staff, student leadership, and the college president; (d) what did Meadow View Community College constituents learn from the leadership crisis experience; and (e) what can this case study of leadership in crisis contribute to the body of knowledge in community college leadership? The case study utilized naturalistic, qualitative research methods, triangulation of data, and rich "thick description" of respondents' constructions of the leadership crisis context. Respondents (N=34) included the college president, board members, administrators, faculty, staff, and student leaders. Events, patterns and themes which characterized the leadership crisis context were described and fixed and variable factors were identified. Findings suggested how the college president and Board of Trustees may have averted the crisis in leadership. / Graduation date: 1998

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