The lived experience of community college academic deans who have taken a non traditional pathway
Date
2008
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Abstract
This qualitative study examined the lived experiences of community college academic deans who have taken a non traditional pathway to the position. Data were collected and analyzed from interviews of eleven academic deans who entered the community college through a non traditional pathway. Non traditional pathway was defined as no time spent as a full time or part time faculty member or any other position in education. The goal of the study was to describe the structure of the phenomenon of being a non traditional dean entering and working in a community college environment. The deans' stories of transition to the community college included the reasons why the deans came to the community college, their motivators, their values and self confidence, the strategies they used to gain acceptance and fit in, and the recognition that their pathway was non traditional which made them unique in the community college. The structure of the phenomenon is a story of altruism and entrepreneurism, credibility and acceptance, assimilation and adaptation, and replication. The essence of the phenomenon is a story of paradoxes balancing the traditional beliefs and values of educators, the business perspective and values of the deans, and the alignment of those values and beliefs to accept those from a non traditional pathway. The deans were motivated to come to the community college by their desire to give back and their need for challenge and risk taking. Before they transitioned, they recognized the need to establish credibility through the appropriate academic credential, teaching experience, and identifying the interchangeability of their skills. As they assimilated into the culture, the deans were surprised by the culture of education, identified the gaps in their skills, and identified strategies to fill those gaps. They also identified the need for establishing and maintaining good relationships. The deans reflected on the skills and abilities needed to be an academic dean. Finally, the deans reflected on the community college as a closed system and whether or not their non traditional pathway could be replicated.
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Subject
academic deans
community college
community college
closed system
community college leadership
lived experience
nontraditional pathway to position
pathway to position
community college education
school administration