Spring 2008

Over the last year, ICCD has focused its support for applied research on two areas: the community college leadership competencies that inform our assessment and programming, and program design and evaluation. Elsewhere in this newsletter is a summary of research on the benefits of team attendance at short-term leadership programs. We are also supporting research that examines the outcomes of campus-based leadership programs. Are they alleviating the shortage of community college leaders they were established to address? Are they cost effective?

ICCD is also supporting a dissertation on spiritual leadership. While the American Association of Community College's competencies never mention spiritual leadership, Kristen Jones, Dean of Academic Development and Library Services at Linn-Benton Community College and a doctoral candidate at Oregon State University, connects it to several illustrations of professionalism, such as "demonstrating transformational leadership through authenticity, creativity and vision." It will be interesting to see if the women presidents she interviews make that connection as well.

Finally, ICCD supported a survey by Dr. Richard Romano and Dr. Barbara Townsend in 2007 that asked graduate students in community college leadership programs what they knew about the competencies, whether or not they were addressed in their curriculum and which competencies were important to their professional development.

All reports from studies or dissertations supported by ICCD will be posted or linked to our web site, which we hope will increase their impact among community college leaders.
 
For the guidelines for ICCD’s applied research grant program, go to http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/iccd/research/ or contact ICCD at ICCD@cornell.edu.
  
Barbara Viniar, Ed.D., is the executive director of ICCD. Viniar is pictured above.