The Academy for Collegiate Excellence (ACE) is entering its fourth successful year as a venue to grow the internal leadership potential at Collin College. Collin College is in the Collin County Community College District. This district comprises campuses in Plano, McKinney, and Frisco, Texas, as well as two satellite campuses at Allen High School and Rockwall High School. The Academy was designed and created as one method to begin addressing the need for a formal succession plan.

There is a large body of research that points to a leadership crisis within our community colleges. In a 2001 “Research Brief” from the American Association of Community Colleges, it was noted that by 2007 forty-five percent of current presidents planned to retire, and that new college presidents were unprepared to deal with some of the key aspects of the presidency. It was also predicted that all levels of community college leadership would retire at “above average rates.”(1) In addition, the unprecedented growth and diversity in community college organizational structures and missions makes evident the need to develop pipelines that provide competent and diverse leaders.

Collin College, now 22 years old, is a reflection of the research. The college is experiencing an increase in the number of administrators who are, or soon will be, eligible for retirement. Many of these employees have been with the college since the beginning and early years, and they maintain a wealth of skills, talent and institutional intelligence. It is not always readily apparent how these leaders will be replaced when they exercise their option to leave.

Collin’s administration believed it was imperative to begin focusing on and grooming the rising stars within the organization that could be the most likely candidates to move into higher level administrative positions. ACE was designed to largely draw upon the skills, wisdom and expertise of those in college leadership, and those who could provide a more global view of the college and its future.

How the Curriculum Was Designed

The committee charged with the design of ACE looked to the community-based leadership programs to determine possible designs and components. They also examined the internal needs of the institution:

• What do community college leaders need to know?
• What do Collin leaders need to know?
• What would make all ACE Fellows stronger candidates for moving into higher-level positions?
• What program components are necessary to ensure that ACE Fellows “get it”…that the skills and qualities needed for an administrative leadership role make sense?
• What is the role of the president and how are board relations maintained?

Selection Process

The entire application and selection process begins in early April and ends at the end of May. The minimum criteria for application to the program include several measures. Applicants must:

• Be full-time faculty or staff;
• Have a master’s degree; and
• Have three years of higher education experience. (In 2007, the requirement changed to three years of experience, at least one of which is to be at Collin.)

To be considered, applicants must submit a completed application, a letter of interest that includes a statement of long-range goals, a resume, and a confidential letter of support from their immediate supervisor. In 2007, the letter of interest was changed to a two- to three-page essay describing the extent of the applicant’s leadership experience, leadership skills, supervisory experience, short- and long-term goals, and specifically how admittance to the program would aid in the achievement of those goals and how their participation would benefit the college.

Applications are reviewed by the program’s two co-directors and a previous co-director. Recommendations are made to the college leadership team (the president, vice presidents, associate vice president and provosts). The leadership team reviews and confirms the list of recommended applicants. Each year the class has been capped at 15, though there have been as few as nine successful applicants in a class.

Program Components

Experience quickly taught the developers of the program that the original six monthly institutes were not enough to effectively cover the information and material that was required. The basic program has evolved from six half-day sessions to ten half-day sessions, with questions being raised, even now, about the need for more. The sessions are held one Friday afternoon a month from August through April. Graduation ceremonies and portfolio presentations are held in May.

After a kick-off luncheon in August introducing the new ACE Fellows, the monthly sessions include the following topics, in a variety of formats:

• Orientation,
• Identification of group projects,
• StrengthsQuest – identifying leadership strengths,
• Interpersonal dynamics,
• History and role of the community college,
• Understanding operational aspects of the college,
• Board relations,
• Financing and budget,
• Economic development,
• Community relations,
• Conflict management,
• Administrative IQ,
• Higher education law,
• Ethics,
• Fund raising,
• Legal supervisory SNAFUs, and
• Resumes and interviewing for the administrative position.

ACE requirements for program completion:

• Attend the orientation, all sessions, graduation, and other selected, scheduled events.
• Provide an evaluation of each session.
• Maintain a journal of their experiences, including a personal introspective of each session.
• Attend at least two board meetings.
• Participate on at least one committee outside their normal realm of responsibility.
• Meet with a mentor at least once a month.
• Attend one meeting with the college president.
• Present a 5-minute portfolio overview at the ACE graduation. The portfolio is to include, but is not limited to, their journaling, reflection on articles, mentoring experience, committees, special assignments/projects.

Each session has an evaluation component and there is a final, overall program evaluation.

Lessons Learned

There were lessons learned along the way proving that strategic placement of topics within the curriculum was extremely important. As an example, the first year that StrengthsQuest was implemented, it was placed in the March institute. This was the seventh session within the eight institutes. Feedback gleaned from program participants indicated that understanding leadership strengths of fellow group members earlier in the process would have proven beneficial for group dynamics. Adding an institute in August, at the beginning of the academy, provided the flexibility necessary to accommodate both the early positioning of StrengthsQuest and to increase the number of institutes for further learning opportunities.

The ACE Fellows are required to work on a group project during the nine months they are in the program. The first year, projects identified by college administration were assigned to pre-determined groups. The second year, the Fellows could choose between two specified projects. After further refinement, the ACE Fellows became part of the selection process. A facilitator took the group through a brainstorming session and a narrowing of projects to the five with the greatest potential for college impact. Two were chosen, and the ACE Fellows selected the project of most interest to them. It should be no surprise that the list of potential projects that the participants generated was much more impressive and creative than those that had been handed to them in previous years. As such, the deliverables were outstanding and are being considered for implementation throughout the district.

A mentoring component was added in the second year subsequent to feedback that revealed a need for the ACE Fellows to have a more intense, one-on-one relationship with representatives from the college administration. Members of the leadership team and other selected administrators are now mentoring an ACE Fellow for the duration of the academy.

Where to Begin

Any institution interested in implementing a leadership program should first decide specifically what the true purpose of the program should be and what needs such a program would fulfill. Does the institution want a program that will prepare employees to be leaders wherever they are and at any level within the organization? Does the institution want a program that will create a candidate pool from which administrative leadership can be cultivated and tapped for promotion? These questions will be significant for developing the program design, and the answers will be critical in determining the content of the curriculum.

Programs such as the Academy for Collegiate Excellence can be beneficial to institutions as they develop ways to strengthen leadership in community colleges.   As employees become more familiar with higher levels of operation and governance, they develop a different vantage point from which to make departmental strategic decisions and plans. Whether your goal is to groom individuals to move into administrative positions or if you want to increase the leadership capacity at all levels, internal programs can strengthen the institution as a whole.

Footnotes

(1) Shultz, Christopher. “The Critical Impact of Impending Retirements on Community College Leadership. Research Brief.” AACC/Leadership Series, No. 1. November 6, 2001. http://www.aacc.nche.edu.

About the Authors

Mary McRae, Ph.D.
Vice President of Student Development
Collin College
Plano, Texas

Mary McRae, Ph.D. is currently the vice president of student development at Collin College in Texas. Under her leadership, the Student Development Division received an exemplary rating by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Since beginning her tenure at the district in 1986, Dr. McRae has also served as Dean of Students.

Dr. McRae served on the Collin County Council on Family Violence, and is currently serving on the Junior League of Plano’s Advisory Committee. She was a member of Leadership Plano Class XX and was selected as one of the 21 for the 21st Century by Inside Collin County Business.

Dr. McRae received a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of North Texas and her Master’s degree is from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

Dr. McRae can be reached at mmcrae@ccccd.edu.

Roberta Jackson
Assistant Director, Professional Development
Collin College
McKinney, Texas

During her 14 years of employment with Collin College, Roberta Jackson has held various positions, including Coordinator, Resource Development, Coordinator, Business and Community Relations, Assistant Director for the tech prep program, and Director, Texas Resource Center for Work Transition Programs. Since 2004, Roberta has worked as the Assistant Director in the district’s Office of Professional Development.

Roberta has served as the volunteer Regional Administrator of the Northeast Kansas Women in Ministries, and as a strategic planning consultant to the board of directors of Cair-Paravel Latin School in Topeka, Kansas.

Roberta has a Bachelor of Science in Business and Public Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas. She received her Master of Science in Business and Human Relations from Amberton University in Dallas.

Roberta Jackson can be reached at rljackson@ccccd.edu.