Filling the Gap: Leadership Development for Mid-Level Student Services Professionals

Leadership development of the next generation of community college leaders is an
issue of continuing concern. Much of the focus has been on growing leaders to assume
the presidency. Little attention has been paid to developing the next generation of student
services leaders. This next generation will come from those who hold mid-level positions.
The focus of this dissertation is designing a leadership development program for
community college mid-level student services professionals.
The program design in this dissertation uses the logic model approach to program
development. First, the outcomes are created, then appropriate supporting activities are
developed, and, finally, the resources needed to support the program are identified.
Starting with the end in mind allows for more creativity and out-of-the-box thinking
regarding program design.
The program designed in this dissertation focuses on competency development and
includes adult education pedagogies such as contextualized learning, action learning, and
transformative learning. The competencies highlighted in the program design are conflict
management, general knowledge of student development theory, developing effective
teams, knowledge of federal and state compliance standards, assessment/evaluation of
student services, and increased self-awareness.