ABSTRACT
Community colleges have traditionally served as beacons and bridges for citizens in need of a second chance, as an alternative to the university, and as a place to gain directed skills. A community college’s leadership is entrusted to a President, a Chancellor, or a Superintendent/President who is held responsible for exercising leadership and authority for guiding a college or a district. Community college leaders need to acquire specific skills and transform those skills to meet the needs of the future. To accelerate the needed change, presidents and their boards must become more assertive and risk-averse when recruiting candidates. They can start by making sure their recruiters are diverse and that the college requires viable and measurable cultural competency training for members of the hiring committees, including community and board members and students. Among all the many challenges facing community college leaders present day and future, none is more significant than the need to accelerate its leaders’ ethnic and racial makeup.
