Dissertation
Experiences & perceptions: a phenomenological study of the personal journey of California community college faculty who advanced into dean positions
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Drexel University
Jun 2013
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-4280
Abstract
California community colleges are facing an impending leadership crisis due to a lack of formal preparations related to leadership training practices, proper budgetary resources, and misconceptions associated with administration, which could prevent the preparation of individual advancement into academic leadership roles. Currently, formal succession training and leadership development practices within California community colleges are sparse at best. This phenomenological research study investigated the experiences of seven California community college deans to understand their perceptions of the process involved in advancing from a faculty position into the academic deanship role. The perceptions and experiences, gathered from in-depth interviews, observations, and artifacts analysis, related to how the participants experienced the transition, what they did individually to make the transition, and how they perceived what the institution did to assist them in the transition. The anticipated benefit of this study is to uncover ways to inform future leadership decisions for community college administration. By recounting their personal stories, the participants established that individuals are the driving force behind their career advancements, that training and preparations for leadership are informal, that mentoring plays a significant part in the transitions of faculty to dean, and that the transition itself presents a variety of challenges. The results of the study, based on the findings included: leadership expectations do not correspond to leadership training opportunities, succession training and leadership development is informal, mentoring is significant, and individual impetus is overarching. The research conclusions were: transitioning from a faculty member to a deanship can be challenging; mentoring is a positive and welcomed experience; the desires to pursue the role of dean are driven by the individual and not the institution; preparing for the dean role can be achieved through multiple avenues; and training for leadership roles is largely, if not entirely, informal and initiated by the faculty member. Finally, recommendations for community college leaders and future research are also discussed.
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Details
- Title
- Experiences & perceptions
- Creators
- Melissa Joann McManus - DU
- Contributors
- W. Edward Bureau (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Education (1997-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 4280; 991014632419904721