ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a discussion of leadership in the community college context. It reviews much of the community college leadership literature and argues that a multidimensional understanding of leadership is necessary if the people are to truly support current community college leaders and the challenges they face. In the late 1990s, conceptions of community college leadership that were based on top-down leadership models began shifting to learner- and community-based paradigms that scholars believed would better meet organizational demands. Because community college presidents emerge via a variety of routes, it is important to view leadership development holistically. The lack of opportunity for participation in national programs given resource limitations or lack of sponsorship limits the impact of programs in community colleges. The relatively small proportion of leaders of color serving in community colleges may exist partly because boards of trustees often act as gatekeepers to presidential positions.
