A change in primary leadership for a community college presents distinct challenges for its employees. The case study research reported in this article is based on emotions and sensemaking data that were collected at an urban community college in the midst of a presidential transition. Analysis of the data led to a primary focus on the period of time that began with the announcement of change and concluded with the announcement of the arrival of the new president. Findings included identification of a time during which negative emotions seemed to dominate, later termed the hot zone. During the hot zone, organizational meaning fragmented, but there was not yet enough information to begin an identifiable sensemaking process; this phenomenon is discussed against the backdrop of existing sensemaking literature and a posteriori use of the Kubler-Ross (1969) grief construct for understanding specific emotions reported. Implications for practitioners include planning for the reduction of time in the hot zone, reaffirmation that negative emotion accompanies even positive change, and consideration of the impact of initial actions taken by new presidents. Implications for research and theory are also included.