Up and Running

Community colleges are facing a leadership crisis spurred by the retirements of baby boomers from leadership positions at all levels. There is a critical need to prepare leaders to deal with 21st century challenges, such as dramatically improving student outcomes, tackling funding issues, and addressing college affordability. There is also growing recognition that having internal candidates prepared to take on leadership roles may lead to a smoother leadership transition. Up and Running: Starting and Growing a Leadership Program at a Community College by Susan J. Tobia and Judith L. Gay is a roadmap for creating a leadership program to meet the needs of colleges as well as the professional interests of employees. Drs. Tobia and Gay share the basics of starting a program including the application and selection processes, budget, and program format, as well as areas including team building, thinking styles, decision making, conflict resolution, and diversity/inclusion. An extensive set of templates, examples, and key suggestions make it easy to customize a program to meet the needs of any institution.

Up and Running gives insight into the authors’ own journey into the creation of the leadership program at the Community College of Philadelphia and inspires readers to replicate similar programs at their own institutions., The dearth of sustainable leadership programs in community colleges is causing many institutions’ trustees and administrators to question their colleges’ ability to address critical issues in a timely manner, let alone innovate and stay relevant in a vastly changing community, state, nation, and world. A road map for institutional leadership, such as Up and Running: Starting and Growing a Leadership Program at a Community College, grounded in the mission, vision, and values of one’s own college and with ownership by its employees makes ongoing systematic change possible., It is undeniable that strong and innovative leadership at our nation’s institutions of higher education is instrumental in ensuring our colleges and universities remain beacons of hope for the next generation of changemakers. In our rapidly changing world, academic leaders must embrace some risk-taking and foster ingenuity on their campuses. But it is only through the acquisition of specific skills that these leaders can succeed while fulfilling our mission as educators to provide quality, accessible and affordable learning opportunities to all. Up and Running: Starting and Growing a Leadership Program at a Community College is an invaluable and necessary tool for those of us charged with mentoring professionals in academia and creating pathways that will prepare them for the leadership roles of tomorrow., Up and Running: Starting and Growing a Leadership Program at a Community College by Susan Tobia and Judith Gay is a valuable resource focused on helping community colleges and/or other higher educational institutions address the next generation of educational leaders who will be needed to ensure community colleges remain responsive to the needs of their respective communities. A practical guide, it provides the elements necessary for a large or small, urban or suburban or rural college to assist in succession planning., My experience in the Leadership Institute at Community College of Philadelphia was truly remarkable. The opportunity to explore the structure of the College from the position of a student allowed me to gain a fundamental understanding of my own leadership approach as well as the confidence to construct, propose, support, and implement new ideas and initiatives. When I eventually took the role of Department Chair, the leadership training and skills that I developed in that program were immediately and immensely beneficial. 

Susan Tobia, Ph.D., is the former Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs at Community College of Philadelphia. She served as the lead facilitator of the College’s Leadership Institute for 11 years.Judith Gay, Ph.D., is Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff at Community College of Philadelphia. She was charged by the president with starting the leadership program at Community College of Philadelphia and has served as a presenter.