Reform initiatives have challenged community college leaders to reconsider what is right and wrong while also challenging our organizational cultures, advancing a new understanding of our mission, and forcing us to reconsider how we engage in the work of educating a public that needs us now more than ever.

This chapter offers time-tested advice for new presidents, including how to build and maintain strong relationships with trustees, how to address the persistent concerns of student success and remediation, and how to access the college's economic condition as well as how to oversee and maintain strong funding channels.

A framework for understanding the human side of leadership, especially wounding and leadership struggles, is described with an emphasis on stories of community college presidents. Practical advice and recommendations are offered to better equip aspiring and practicing community college presidents for leadership challenges. A key message is that…

This chapter provides a portrait of women's representation in the leadership ranks of community colleges. The study analyzed audiotaped and transcribed interviews with six women community college presidents. Each of the women had been leading her institution for less than five years; one participant was serving in her second presidency. Findings…

This chapter examines challenges and options available to community college presidents as their institutions increasingly rely on unstable revenue streams. Presidents, particularly those at institutions with limited access to strong local tax support, require new and expanded fiscal leadership skills.

A shift in the fundraising landscape has prompted community college presidents to take a more proactive approach to winning the hearts and dollars of potential donors. This chapter focuses on how college presidents and foundation CEOs can work together to gain support from funding sources.