College Presidents'' Leadership Styles

The community college as an institution is one of the most important innovations in the history of higher education in the United States. This began the transformation of the United State''s population into a learning society where any person can study almost any subject, in almost any geographical region. One of the goals of the community college is to bring together community members in order to assist them as they are challenged by issues relating to critical local needs. The president plays a vital role in the success of each college. His leadership has a great impact on faculty, staff, students, and the community. Leadership styles vary greatly, with a wide range of perceptions of these leadership styles. This study addresses the history of community colleges, the role they play, and the impact of leadership styles. A random sampling of employees at fifteen community colleges were surved as to how they preceived their president''s leadership style. An overwhelming majority demonstrated that the president rated their own leadership style as being much more effective than their employees perceived this same leadership style.