Finding and DevelopingExceptional Community

College Leaders

Michigan Community College AssociationTrustees Summer Institute

July 23, 2015

Joshua S. WynerVice President

Executive Director, College Excellence Program The Aspen Institute

The Aspen College Excellence Program works to advance higher education practices, policies, and leadership that significantly improve student outcomes in four areas:

• Completion. Do students earn degrees and other meaningful credentials while in college?

• Equity. Do colleges work to ensure equitable outcomes for minority and low-income students, and others often underserved?

• Labor market. Do graduates get well-paying jobs?• Learning. Do colleges and their faculty set expectations for what

students should learn, measure whether they are doing so, and use that information to improve?

Aspen College Excellence Program

Agenda

1. What we know about community college excellence

2. Framing the leadership challenge

3. Original research on the qualities of exceptional leaders from the Aspen Institute and Achieving the Dream

4. Strengthening the hiring process

5. Aspen’s technical assistance

The Aspen Prize

1,000+ public community collegesRound 1

Round 2 150 semifinalists

Round 3 10 finalists

4

Aspen Prize Selection Process

Prize winner(s) and finalists with distinction

10 finalists

150 semifinalists

The Aspen Prize

Exceptional improvements over time in completion

Outcomes of Prize Finalist Colleges

Increase in the number of credentials awarded at Valencia College, 2002-2011AA, AS/AAS Degrees and Certificates/Diplomas Awarded

2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-140

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

AA Degrees

Certificates and Diplomas

AS and AAS Degrees

84% increase over 6 years

46% increase over 6 years

66% increase over 6 years

The Aspen Prize

Exceptional short-term labor market outcomes for graduates

Outcomes of Prize Finalist Colleges

Average salaries of recent graduates compared to the average for all new-hiresin the region (top three performers)

Lake Area Technical Institute (SD)

$20,540

$28,756

Regional

average

Walla Walla Community College (WA)

$23,211

$41,548

Regional

average

Brazosport College (TX)

$31,086

$56,576

Regional

average

40% above avg.

79% above avg.

82% above avg.

The Aspen Prize

Exceptional long-term labor market outcomes

Outcomes of Prize Finalist Colleges

Average salaries of graduates 5 years after graduation compared to the average for all workers in the region (top three performers)

Walla Walla Community College (WA)

$36,803

$57,044

Miami-Dade College (FL)

$45,664

$63,016

Brazosport College (TX)

$46,832

$77,272

Regional

average

Regional

average

Regional

average

55% above avg.

38% above avg.

65% above avg.

Lessons from the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence

Themes characterizing the institutions that achieve exceptional outcomes for students:

12345

Strong Leadership and Organizational Culture

Guided Pathways to Continuing Education and Well-Paying Jobs

Intentional Focus on Improving Teaching and Learning

Strategic Data Use to Improve Practice and Close Equity Gaps

Partnerships and Structures Aligned to Defined Student Outcomes

Framing the Challenge

Environment is changing rapidly…• Changing student demographics• Increasing accountability• Diminished state budgets• Expanding technology• Increased competition

Turnover is accelerating: 500 new community college presidents in next five years (AACC)

Little shared clarity about what constitutes quality in community college education and excellence in outcomes

Inadequate understanding of how to create change at scale

Framing the Need

Our nation’s future depends on our higher education system delivering ① many more degrees ② of higher quality ③ at an affordable per-pupil cost ④ to a more diverse population.

Research in partnership with Achieving the Dream

Original Research: Crisis & Opportunity

In partnership with Achieving the Dream, Aspen explored three core questions:• What are the qualities of

excellent community college presidents?

• What qualities do trustees value in hiring?

• What skills do education and professional development programs emphasize?

Five Qualities of Exceptional Leaders

• Deep Commitment to student success and access

• Willingness to take risks

• Excellent internal change management ability

• Strong, broad vision for the college, reflected in external partnerships

• Skill in fundraising and resource allocation tied to student success goals

Question: • What qualities on this list are most frequently present

among current presidents?

• Why are these attributes more commonly observed?

Five Qualities of Exceptional Leaders

• Deep Commitment to student success and access

• Willingness to take risks

• Excellent internal change management ability

• Strong, broad vision for the college, reflected in external partnerships

• Skill in fundraising and resource allocation tied to student success goals

Question: • What qualities on this list are least frequently present

among current presidents?

• Why are the less common attributes so infrequently observed?

Strengthening the Hiring ProcessGap Analysis: Hiring

Ideally…  Excellent presidents demonstrate urgency and are willing to take risks to improve student success. 

 

Excellent presidents focus about half of their time on internal operations, implementing change strategies aimed at improving student outcomes. 

 

Excellent presidents focus much of  their  external efforts on building partnerships that can support improvements in student outcomes.

 

Excellent presidents inspire and empower others to succeed, relishing not their own success as much as the success of others who are essential to improving student outcomes. 

 

Tools for Hiring Leaders who Advance Student Access and Successfunded by the Kresge Foundation

Strengthening the Hiring Process10 Characteristics of Exceptional Presidents

7 Tools for Hiring Exceptional Presidents

Tool #1: Protocol to Align Priorities to Hiring Criteria

Tool #2: Job Announcement Language

Tool #3: Scenario-Based Writing Exercise

Tool #4: Questions for In-Person Interviews

Tool #5: Rubric for Evaluating Candidates

Tool #6: Scoring Sheets to Aggregate Assessments of Candidates

Tool #7: Protocol for Reference Checks

Strengthening the Hiring Process:Set Strategic Priorities & Hiring Criteria

Tool #1: Protocol to Align Priorities to Hiring Criteria

1. What are the college’s strategic goals related to student access and success?

2. How well is the college achieving student access and success?

3. What kinds of changes within and outside the college will the new president need to accomplish to achieve the student access and success goals?

4. What are the five to ten most important qualities the board must identify in the college’s next president to achieve your student success goals?

5. Where is the college most likely to find a leader who will demonstrate these qualities?

Strengthening the Hiring Process:Recruit Candidates

Tool #2: Job Announcement Language

• Sample first line: “The President leads the institution in advancing students toward attainment of their educational and career-readiness goals by effectively marshaling its instructional and support resources to improve student outcomes.”

• Language related to being “results-oriented”: “The President will develop a culture of inquiry and evidence to support a results-oriented approach across the institution.”

Strengthening the Hiring Process:Assess Candidates - Examples

Tool #3: Scenario-Based Writing Exercise

“You discover soon after assuming your presidency that surveys of the college’s recent graduates and data from the state about post-graduation earning and employment rates reveal that (1) 20% of graduates are unemployed and (2) graduates’ average salaries are significantly lower than salaries of others with associate’s degrees in the college’s service area. How would you as president respond? With whom would you share the data and how? What steps would you consider to improve these outcomes? How quickly can things be turned around so outcomes for graduates improve?”

Strengthening the Hiring Process:Assess Candidates - Examples

Tool #4: Questions for In-Person Interviews

• “How should a college president view student access and success relative to other priorities?”

• “Please discuss how you think about systematically bringing about change in a college culture to improve student access and success...”

• “What dimensions of implementation pose the greatest challenge for a community college? Can you provide an example? How did you handle that challenge?

Strengthening the Hiring Process:Assess Candidates - Examples

Tool #5: Rubric for Evaluating Candidates

Strengthening the Hiring Process:Assess Candidates - Examples

Tool #6: Scoring Sheets to Aggregate Assessments of Candidates

Strengthening the Hiring Process:Confirm the Choice

Tool #7: Protocol for Reference Checks

• Language related to “taking strategic risks”: “What was the most significant change the candidate brought about during his/her tenure? How did the candidate accomplish that?”

• Language related to “communicating effectively”: “Was the candidate able to communicate in ways that influenced stakeholders to support key strategic objectives?”

Strengthening the Hiring Process

• What in the hiring process could lead to selecting risk-averse leaders? How could that be changed?

• What is hardest about assessing change management ability? How might that be overcome?

Technical Assistance

• Facilitate board of trustees meeting and/or search committee

• Customize the hiring tools to fit unique circumstances

• On-call availability to consult on hiring process including document review

• Financial support available thanks to grant from Kresge Foundation

More information:

• Lessons from the Aspen Prize

• What Excellent Community Colleges Do (Harvard Ed Press, 2014)

• Crisis & Opportunity: Aligning the Community College Presidency with Student Success (executive summary and full report)

• Hiring Exceptional Community College Presidents: Tools for Hiring Leaders Who Advance Student Access and Success

Visit us online

www.aspeninstitute.org/college-excellenceTwitter: @AspenHigherEd

For more information, contact:

Joshua S. WynerThe Aspen Institute

One DuPont Circle NW, Suite 700Washington, DC 20036

Josh.Wyner@aspeninstitute.org(202) 736-2286

www.aspeninstitute.org/college-excellence