Leadership Development programs available for women at community colleges.

In this qualitative case study, surveys, and semi-structured interviews of six women leaders at three community colleges was conducted. The focus of this study was to gain an understanding of what types of leadership development opportunities are essential to ensure the development of women leaders in community colleges in Illinois. This development is necessary so women are well positioned to assume senior leadership roles in these unique institutions.
Women’s underrepresentation in community college leadership positions, particularly at senior management levels, could be due to the lack of leadership development training. To understand the issues surrounding women’s underrepresentation, leadership training, and leadership opportunities, this research identified six women leaders from three Illinois community colleges. The institutions were selected based on size—small, medium, and large; and the leaders were selected based on level of leadership—one a female president and the other a senior administrator reporting to the president who was also female. This study focused on four issues: (a) if there had been any gains in representation for women leaders at community colleges in general, and within Illinois, specifically; (b) what experiences helped women achieve higher administrative positions; (c) what training is available for women in Illinois community colleges; and (d) is there a relationship between the participants’ Skills Inventory and their leadership role. The study provides recommendations for community colleges, suggestions for building a leadership development program based on current programs, and recommendations for future research. The information gathered from this study has provided valuable insights as to what types of programs are available, and perhaps more importantly, what types of programs need to be developed to ensure the development of women who can effectively lead community colleges in the future.