Pamela L. Eddy, Ph. D. Central Michigan University

1
Pamela L. Eddy, Ph. D.Central Michigan
University

• Grocery Store Politics Leading the Rural
  Community College

2
Problem Statement

• The position of community college president can
  be isolating given the lack of peers at similar
  high positional levels on campus.
• Rural community colleges are often isolated from
  other institutions and cities.
• How do rural community college presidents
  construct their leadership given their rural
  locales?

3
Research Questions

• How do community college presidents describe
  their leadership within a rural locale?
• What challenges are present? What benefits?

4
Theoretical Framework

• Cognitive theories of leadershipLearning
  PremiseVaill (1997)Learning OrganizationsSenge
  (1990)Learning to LeadHeiftez Laurie (1998)
• Leadership as Learning A Developmental
  ModelAmey (2005)Leadership as Learning
  Development Model

5
Data Collection and Analysis

• Part of a larger study of community college
  presidents and organizational change
• Site visits with one-on-one audio taped
  interviews
• Hermeneutic Phenomenology
• Van Manen (1990)Understanding the essence
• of the rural leadership
• experiencedescriptive and
• interpretive

6
Case Sites

• Two rural two-year colleges located in the
  Northeast
• Donaldson State College
• population 4,629 student FTE 2500
• President Justine Brooks, 1999
• Total of 15 campus interviews
• Mountain State College
• population 2,148 student FTE 3000
• President Martin Harvey, 1998
• Total of 13 campus interviews

7
Findings

• Less anonymity
• Reliance on relationship building
• Smaller local peer network
• Influence of previous mental maps on situated
  learning
• Leadership Orientations

8
Anonymity

• Brooks On a personal note, theres no anonymity
  for me in the community. Something that I had not
  been prepared for in any way. Its not that I
  need to be anonymous, but you run out in your
  jeans and sweatshirt to get something for dinner
  and somebody talks to you about an issue on
  campus.

9
Anonymity

• Harvey I prefer face-to-face dialogue to get my
  message across. Not a planned meeting, just
  walking around and talking to critically placed
  faculty and staff.

10
Relationship Building

• Harvey Just because I had the vision, I
  couldnt implement it. I needed to do something
  before that. I needed to develop a consensus.
• Chair on Harvey He may pop an idea on you. I
  serve on a board with him and I remember one
  night a the meeting he bent my ear about some
  campus issues and asked for advice.Hes out
  there actively seeking to influence.

11
Relationship Building

• Brooks I need to pay attention to politics. I
  need to pay attention to the communityYou name
  the group, Ive spoken to them.
• New faculty on Brooks I think she made a point
  of getting to know people, what they did.

12
Network/Resources

• Brooks I think in terms of professional
  resources, Ive got a lot. The states central
  office will help me, my professional network
  will help me.
• Harvey I read a lot of periodicals and I try to
  draw parallels that are transferable.

13
Learning from the Past

• Harvey Im really into technology and computer
  applications and the like. I came here prepared
  to do a lot of that. I was up front about that.
• Brooks I think one of the most significant
  things we did was put together a process for
  reviewing all of the academic and non-academic
  programs and offerings on campus. previously
  served as a enrollment management consultant

14
Learning Orientations

• Harvey
• Stage Two
• Members seen as intellectual leaders
• Inclusive groups/diversity represented
• Development of shared values
• Stage Three
• Members assume collective leadership
• Leader frames reality, first for self, then for
  others
• Leader questions own assumptions

15
Learning Orientations

• Brooks
• Stage One
• Directed leadership
• Bureaucratic operations
• Members leader-centered waiting for directions
• Stage Two
• Inclusive in gathering information/input
• Beginning to develop communitysplit faculty
• Establishing visionher plan of work

16
Conclusions

• Rural location makes Presidents role more
  visible, both within and outside the college
• Resource issues pressbut community connections
  strong since obvious
• Approach to leadership is uniquebased on number
  of elements, including previous
  positions/experiences
• Need to rethink how we conceptualize
  leadershiprole of organizational learning and
  learning to lead

17
Implications

• Role of fit
• Big fish in a small pond
• Need for strong relationship skills across a
  broad spectrum of constituents
• Place for grow your own leadership development
  program
• Heightened expectations of campus members

18
(No Transcript)
19
(No Transcript)