I have been an educator for over thirty years. Before my career turned to association management, my professional home was at community colleges in Missouri, Maryland, and New Jersey. From my first years in community colleges until today, there are two refrains that commonly begin any discussion about community colleges. The first attests to the large number of students that enroll in community colleges and the second is the fact that community colleges face innumerable challenges in providing an affordable and effective education for these large numbers of students. Given these persistent realities, it stands to reason that outstanding leadership in community colleges is imperative.

Trustees, presidents, academic administrators, and student affairs administrators all have important leadership roles to play. Board members are beginning to see that “ensuring academic quality is a fiduciary responsibility” (Ewell, 2006, pp. 8-13). They are becoming much more aware of their responsibility to insure that there is transparency about the efforts of the institution and that the efforts measure up to expectations. The role of presidents has become increasingly one of the chief fund raiser. However, the president’s leadership in insuring student success has become part of a national conversation and expectation. Academic administrators are feeling the pressure from the faculty and from outside sources as well. The academic administrator has a dual task of supporting faculty in their work of teaching their disciplines well as well as insisting that faculty work with administration in responding to the demands for more accountability. Student affairs administrators have traditionally taken responsibility for the environment. From admissions to graduation, the well-being of students falls within the bailiwick of student affairs. But more recently, accountability for student learning has become as important for all areas of student affairs as the physical and co-curricular accommodations traditionally provided for students.

Shared Responsibility

These designated leaders should not have to bear the entire responsibility for leadership during these challenging times. I’m reminded of the sage advice Dr. Alicia Harvey-Smith shares in the NASPA 2005 publication, The Seventh Learning College Principle. Dr. Harvey-Smith spoke to the role of student affairs to “lead from the center.” After reading her thoughts on this, I contacted a number of college presidents and other administrators to whom student affairs reported, and academic colleagues of student services administrators to solicit their thoughts on their expectations for student affairs professionals.

Expanding Role of Student Affairs

In these comments we see the expanding expectations of the roles of student affairs professionals as campus leaders.

"Community college presidents are seeking student services professionals who are grounded in the theory and field of student development. But more importantly, these professionals will need an understanding of accountability in today’s environment. That means that student services will need to measurably demonstrate how they are assisting the institution in meeting its mission of learning retention, and addressing community needs.”
—Tom Flynn, President Monroe Community College, SUNY System, Rochester, NY

"Our Dean of Students (now Vice President of Student Services and Enrollment Management) strikes a nice balance between accessibility for students and support for the academic mission of the college.”
—Matt Reed, Dean of Liberal Arts, County College of Morris in Morris County, NJ

Dr. Harvey-Smith points to this in The Seventh Learning Principle when she says “. . . the emerging role of student affairs in learning organizations is one of integration and connectivity with the college; it also includes clearer ties and partnerships between student affairs and academic and instructional divisions (Harvey-Smith, 2005, p. 90).

In this same vein of working toward the mission of the institution as a whole and leading from where you are, Mary Kay Shartle-Galotto, Executive Vice President for Academic and Student Services at Montgomery College in Maryland, spoke to the credibility of student affairs within the academic community when she said that “these individuals [student services professionals] are at last being recognized for the essential success and support that they have always provided.”

Diversity in Student Affairs

Again, Dr. Harvey-Smith refers to leadership among student affairs professionals when she states that “Transformations will more likely take hold as a result of diverse leadership and the involvement of different constituencies” (Harvey-Smith, 2005, p. 93).

In speaking about the roles and influence of student affairs, Dr. Cliff L. Wood, President of SUNY-Rockland Community College, in NY, responded that “In all arenas of the college, it is critical that the student affairs staff reflect the make up of the student body and all staff must be comfortable in a multicultural setting.”

Professional Development for Leadership

With expanding expectations in light of the challenges we face in all of higher education, and especially in community college leadership, I expect that the need for professional development in leadership and management skills will increase. To meet these needs, NASPA has expanded its offerings of the James E. Scott Academy for Leadership and Executive Effectiveness by adding a special institute for those who aspire to be senior student affairs administrators. In the January Institute for Aspiring Senior Student Affairs Administrators, we addressed the fact that during these powerful times, a particular brand of leadership is needed. The transferable skills that student affairs and student services professionals can bring to current and future challenges are the skills needed for our uncertain and exciting future.

In closing, I assure you that NASPA leadership is acutely aware of the needs and interests of student services professionals in community colleges. To this end, the association will continue to be responsive in its attention to your unique professional development needs. Your leadership potential is infinite, and NASPA’s efforts to support you are boundless.

References

Ewell, P. (2006, November/December). Do We Make the Grade? Trusteeship, 14(6), 8-13.

Harvey-Smith, A. B. (2005). The Seventh Learning College Principle: A Framework for Transformational Change. Washington, DC: National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.

About the Author

Gwendolyn Jordan Dungy
Executive Director,
NASPA—Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

Gwendolyn Jordan Dungy is Executive Director of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), the leading professional association for student affairs administrators and practitioners in higher education. She is the chief executive for the association's national office in Washington DC with responsibility for the business affairs of the association and represents the association on public policy with other higher education associations and external audiences. She supports the Board of Directors in implementing its strategic plan and serves as a leader and spokesperson for student affairs administrators in higher education. In her role as Executive Director of NASPA, she is a member of the Washington Higher Education Secretariat comprised of close to fifty leading higher education associations. Dr. Dungy has a B.S. in English, M.S. in Counseling, Ph.D. in Educational Policy Making and Administration from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and later obtained an M.A. in English Literature from Drew University in New Jersey.