Professional Development Preferences of Community Colleges Student Affairs Mid Level Managers

Community colleges are in a transformational era, navigating issues including
increased accountability for graduation rates and shrinking budgets. Student affairs
professionals are further challenged with managing unstable enrollment numbers,
changing student demographics, crisis response preparation, and supporting students to
completion. Although student affairs mid-level managers play a vital role in developing
and implementing college policy, this employee classification is often overlooked in
regard to research studies. This research study identified the professional development
preferences of community college student affairs mid-level managers. Selection factors
and barriers associated with professional development were also explored.
Using a sequential, mixed methods design, data were collected in two phases.
The first phase consisted of a quantitative survey distributed electronically to
participants. Forty-eight (48) Illinois community college student affairs mid-level
managers completed the survey. The second phase of the study utilized a qualitative
approach. A confidential face-to-face interview was conducted with six (6) participants
to explore the findings of the survey through one-on-one dialogue.
The study determined the value placed upon internal and external professional
development offerings. Internal professional development refers to programs/activities
coordinated by the participant’s institution. External professional development refers to
programs/activities not coordinated by the participant’s institution, but may be sponsored by the institution. Furthermore, five themes were revealed which span the
entire study. Mid-level managers value (1) involvement in professional development,
(2) professional relationships, (3) skill-building, (4) efficient use of time, and (5) college
funding.