Community College Review

The survey research described in this report elicited perceptions of 172 chief student services officers at community colleges about student services provided in 1994 based on functions defined by the Carnegie Institute (Raines, 1966). The researchers compare their findings with those reported in 1966, report perceived changes in institutional factors affecting service delivery, and compare the scope and quality of student services functions by small and large institutions. Results indicate service increases at both small and large institutions with little difference in levels of service by college size. Respondents reported perceptions of broad services of good quality and an overall improvement in 10 specific institutional conditions related to service provision.

The research reported here is part of an ongoing study designed to compare perceptions of faculty and students at a two-year campus about faculty-student relationships, attitudes toward younger students, and attitudes toward mixed-age classrooms. Faculty and student focus groups and interviews formed the basis for a survey that elicited perceptions from 183 faculty and 320 students (199 traditional and 121 older). Both faculty and students reported positive attitudes toward the mixed-age classroom and some negative perceptions of younger students. Results reported for students by age group indicate that students do not perceive differences in the way faculty treat older and younger students, even though faculty reported more positive attitudes toward older students.

Descriptive research on California community colleges indicates that women and minorities have been underrepresented in the presidency (Winter, 1964). The research described in this report investigated demographic changes in the presidency at 71 California community college districts and 42 campuses in multicollege districts (the authors compared data from the state's community college directories for 1975, 1985, and 1995). Between 1985 and 1995, the percentage of women holding the presidency almost tripled, and the percentage of minorities had more than doubled. For women, increases in upper level administrative positions that can lead to the presidency have paralleled the increase in presidencies held by women.

The study described here was designed to investigate the propensity of division chairpersons to leave a community college, the levels of satisfaction they feel with their jobs, and their perceptions of role conflict and ambiguity. The researchers used a job satisfaction scale, a propensity-to-leave index, and a role perception questionnaire to collect data from 279 division chairs at community colleges. Over half of the respondents reported high levels of role ambiguity and medium levels of role conflict, and respondents indicated varying levels of satisfaction with 10 job factors. A stepwise regression analysis of the 10 factors, role conflict, and role ambiguity indicated that the following factors influenced the variance in a chair's propensity to leave an institution: role conflict and dissatisfaction with policies, administration, and salary.

This field-based research was designed to analyze the usefulness of a listserv after a teleconference as part of a faculty development activity. Subscribers to the listserv participated in teleconference soffered through the State of Texas Academic Resources Link, and the listserv allowed them to communicate with experts who provided instruction during the teleconferences. Forty-eight of the 77 participants in the listserv (62%) actively contributed to discussions whereas 82% reported that combining a teleconference and a listserv satisfied their development needs more than just viewing a teleconference; 44% reported that the listserv facilitated changes in the way they completed their work.

The author reviews the literature on leadership models for academic institutions and presents the results of an in-depth case study that focused on the participatory leadership environment at an urban community college. Using interviews, document analysis, observations at campus activities, and an analysis of the physical environment, the author gathered data over a six-month period that included interviews with 24 faculty and 12 administrators selected using sequential sampling strategy. This report summarizes the categorical and componential analysis of the faculty interviews, which revealed multiple personal definitions of leadership and multiple views of campus leadership. Those interviewed provided evidence that the participatory model had not overcome a singularly defined view of leadership: Faculty identified fit or alignment issues, silencing of divergent viewpoints, and organizational miscommunication.