A Learning-Centered Ph.D. for Community College Leaders

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1 World Wide Web Edition September 2003 Volume 16, Number 9 A Learning-Centered Ph.D. for Community College Leaders Terry O Banion and Jonathan Kaplan, Walden University Two major waves of historic proportion are engulfing community colleges, and the future of the community college will be determined, in great part, by the action or inaction leaders take to address this situation. On the one hand, in the words of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), there is a leadership crisis, a challenge that needs immediate attention. On the other hand, there is an emerging commitment to learningcentered education, an approach that has captured the attention of hundreds of community colleges across the United States and Canada. These two waves present an opportunity for the convergence of a new idea: a learning-centered Ph.D. for community college leaders. The Leadership Crisis In 2002, AACC convened a national summit of community college leaders to address problems and issues related to leadership needs in community colleges. The summit report did not mince words: Community colleges are facing an impending crisis in leadership. This alarm was sounded on the basis of a leadership survey conducted by AACC in 2001 that warned Nearly half of responding community college presidents indicate they will be retiring in the next six years; and Thirty-three percent of presidents estimate that one-fourth or more of their chief administrators (the ranks from which community college presidents rise) will retire in the next five years. If one-half of the approximately 1,200 community college presidents retire in the next six years (600) and onefourth of the chief administrators, say three vice presidents, retire in the next five years (900) that is 1,500 new leaders needed in the next five to six years. With this demand to produce new leaders in these numbers, does the community college sector have enough doctoral programs to keep up with the need? Not likely. AACC reported in the May 27, 2003 issue of Community College Times that the number of advanced degrees conferred in community college administration decreased 78 percent between 1983 and While no data are available on the number of doctoral degrees conferred annually, the common wisdom suggests that the established programs cannot begin to meet the demand. Furthermore, when the number of deans, division chairs, program officers, and faculty who comprise the pipeline for leadership positions requiring the doctorate is factored in, there is clearly a significant and pent-up demand for advanced, specialized degrees. Considering the vast numbers represented by these positions, leadership crisis may be an understatement. Learning-Centered Education Since the early 1990s, all sectors of education but particularly the community college have embraced the idea of placing learning first as the core business of the educational enterprise. Martha Smith and Andrew Meyer, President and Vice President for Learning, respectively, at Anne Arundel Community College (MD), said in a June 2003 issue of Learning Abstracts: The Learning College concept of putting learning first in all decisions was a movement long overdue in higher education. Also referred to as the Learning Paradigm, the new emphasis on learning encourages colleges to place learning first in every policy, program, practice, and in the use of personnel. The Learning Paradigm reflects the work of Robert Barr and John Tagg in their seminal article in Change magazine in 1995; the Learning College reflects the work of Terry O Banion in his book A Learning College for the 21st Century, published by the American Council on Education and AACC in Learning-

2 centered education appears to be a more encompassing term that includes the two just noted along with all other manifestations of the idea such as learning outcomes, learning communities, learning organizations, and so forth. Indeed, the idea of placing learning first in every policy, program, practice, and in the use of personnel is a powerful idea that is transforming community colleges all across the United States and around the world. Recent national conferences on the Learning College idea have been held in Australia, Scotland, Singapore, India, Jamaica, the Netherlands, and the United Arab Emirates. In the United States, hundreds of community colleges are engaged in redesigning the historical architecture of education and creating innovative structures and practices to place learning front and center. Supported by new research on learning and by requirements of accrediting agencies for all colleges to address student learning outcomes, the Learning College idea should become embedded in community college culture as one of the most significant developments in the early decades of the 21st century. A Learning-Centered Ph.D. Walden University has provided the crucible for the timely convergence of the challenge of the leadership crisis in community colleges and the opportunity for expanding learning-centered education at the graduate level. The outcome: a new learning-centered Ph.D. program for community college leaders. Named by U. S. News & World Report in 2001 as one of the nation s best online graduate schools, Walden University is accredited by the North Central Association and owned by Sylvan Learning Systems. Walden offers doctoral programs in a range of disciplines and enrolls roughly 6,000 graduate students in master s and doctoral programs, many of them specializing in education. The mission and values of Walden University are amazingly congruent with the mission and values of the community college, which provides a solid foundation on which to create this new program. Walden s mission statement could be a page from a community college catalog: Walden University provides adult learners with broad access to the highest quality postsecondary education.... Walden s learner-centered programs prepare its graduates to achieve professional excellence and to effect positive social change. All Walden value statements reflect core values shared by the community college, as illustrated in one example: Walden University believes all adult learners should have innovative educational access, especially those who are without opportunity in other venues. Walden University programs and students are supported by the latest innovations in information technology including a Writing Center, Research Library in collaboration with Indiana University, Academic Advising, Textbook Service, Technical Support Help Desk, and a Concierge Service that guarantees individual attention. These special services are especially important for students who work independently and who do not have to give up their jobs to obtain an advanced degree. With guidance from a faculty mentor, students navigate a rigorous curriculum created by community college professionals. And quality control benchmarks have been embedded throughout the process to allow students to complete a dissertation to meet Walden s high standards. But the most important hallmark of the new Community College Leadership (CCL) doctoral program at Walden University is the design perhaps unique in the history of graduate education that makes it a learning-centered Ph.D. The special elements of this program, launched in September of 2003, are embedded in the Learning Framework, the Student Learning Plan, the Emphasis on Community College Culture, and the Special Community College Faculty. The Learning Framework. Students in the CCL specialization at Walden must be highly able independent learners capable of charting their own learning pathway within the framework of a rigorous curriculum with the guidance of a faculty mentor who is an expert in the community college arena. In addition, students must have a minimum of three years experience in the community college field and the potential to become a community college leader.

3 The distinctive learning framework consists of five Knowledge Area Modules (KAMs) that address the key components deemed necessary by community college leaders. Each KAM is couched in a process that engages the student in explorations of Breadth, Depth, and Application. In the Breadth component, the student critically examines the basic theories of the specific subject area. In the Depth component, the student explores more closely an aspect of that subject area focusing on current research. In the Application component, the student creates a project to apply what has been learned in the Breadth and Depth components. The theoretical base of the Breadth component becomes a foundation for examining current research in the Depth component, and together these form a conceptual and research base for informing practice in the Application component. The KAM has been designed this way to strengthen the connection between theory and practice to create scholar-practitioners with the knowledge, ability, and perspective to lead the community college of the future. The parameters of each KAM component have been designed by community college experts to include learning objectives, content overviews, recommended references, and suggestions for study topics and applied projects. At the same time, students customize their learning activities to meet their priorities with the guidance of a Faculty Mentor. This framework is applied, contextual, and authentic learning at its best self-directed and mentor guided an innovative model of learning-centered education. The framework is anchored in a culture of evidence, in that each of the KAM components requires a demonstration of competence usually a comprehensive paper or project critiqued by the student s Faculty Mentor or other assessors. In addition to these core learning experiences, all students take two online orientation courses, a series of online research courses, and participate in 32 days of residency programs. An internship can be substituted for the independent research studies. The model allows students to design a program to broaden, deepen, and apply their skills in the context of the specific positions to which they aspire, whether the goal is to become a president, chief academic off i c e r, chief student affairs off i c e r, chief business off i c e r, or simply to perform their current duties more effectively. The Student Learning Plan. Students in the Walden program take responsibility for their own learning by completing two key documents as a first step in learning how to navigate the curriculum and the learning activities: the Professional Development Plan and a series of Learning Agreements. The Professional Development Plan is a contract with Walden University spelling out in detail the student s goals, strengths and weaknesses, resources, and, most importantly, overall plans for achieving their goals. Taking charge of their own learning is sometimes overwhelming for students, even experienced community college leaders who may have become comfortable with previous graduate courses where all the requirements are spelled out for them. At Walden, Faculty Mentors and Academic Advisors do not dictate the program of study; rather, they act as guides. They work with students to help them identify and formulate their questions, seek out ways of finding answers to those questions, and forge links between the program of study and the student s professional goals and interests. In the two online orientation courses, the first focused on designing the P rofessional Development Plan and the second on writing the first Learning Agreement, students develop the skills and confidence to begin to take control of their own learning. Learning Agreements are also contracts, prepared for each of the Knowledge Area Modules by the student with guidance from the Faculty Mentor. The Learning Agreement is a summary statement of what the student plans to accomplish in each of the three components (Breadth, Depth, and Application) of the KAM including an indication of how the components are interrelated. For each of the three components, the student lists the objectives, the references, and a description of how competence will be demonstrated. The Faculty Mentor and other Assessors provide feedback and guidance on the proposed framework the student has created to ensure that the plan meets the standards of graduate education.

4 With the Professional Development Plan and the Learning Agreements for each KAM in place, the student is making decisions and aligning work to meet personal and professional goals; the Faculty Mentor and other Assessors serve as guides, resources, and gatekeepers to guarantee quality work. Emphasis on Community College Culture. The curriculum framework for the Community College Leadership specialization was designed by some of the leading community college professionals in the field and provides a rich array of opportunities to explore leadership issues within the context of community college culture. In addition to the online orientation courses and the online research courses, the primary content of the curriculum is addressed in five KAMs three core and two specialized all focused on the special characteristics and issues of the community college. The core KAMs include Principles of Societal Development, Principles of Human Development, and Principles of Organizational and Social Systems. The specialized KAMs include The Contemporary Community College and Leadership and Strategic Planning in the Community College. A brief review of how the Principles of Societal Development work will illustrate the emphasis on community college culture and issues. In the Breadth component of this KAM, the student makes a critical evaluation of historical and recent societal change theories and their local and global implications and demonstrates competence with a detailed research paper. Armed with this broad knowledge and understanding of societal change, the student then selects a special area of interest to explore in the Depth component under the general rubric of Current Research on Societal Development and the Community College. The Depth component acts as a pivot or hinge between the Breadth component and the Application component. The student might elect to examine the research on the growing demographic and multicultural diversity in the community in which his or her college is located, relating the research to a theory or theories studied in the Breadth component. In the Application component, the student examines and critiques a particular community college s role in addressing issues related to social development. For example, students who have chosen to examine the research on demographic and cultural diversity as a manifestation of societal change might then elect to complete a case study of how the needs of students of various age groups or ethnicities are being addressed at their community college and propose a program that might meet these needs even better. Or the student might pursue a study of research on current trends in employment and how community colleges can prepare students for the new job market. All three components require a demonstration of competence, and the student must show how the three components are linked, thus encouraging critical thinking and integration throughout the KAM. In the other two core KAMs, again a broad theoretical foundation is laid upon which the Depth and Application components can build to address specific issues related to the culture of the community college. The two specialized KAMs address community college culture and issues at all three levels: Breadth, Depth, and Application. Within the framework of this unique approach to curriculum and learning, students explore key concepts and issues that will prepare them for the basic roles of leaders. At the same time, the framework provides leeway for students to explore more focused topics to prepare them for specific leadership positions to which they aspire. A Special Community College Faculty. Students in the CCL specialization at Walden will have opportunities to work with some of the foremost community college leaders of our time. Each student is assigned a Faculty Mentor who will be an experienced and recognized national leader to guide the student through the KAM curriculum and on through the dissertation. Students will also work with other community college leaders on the faculty in the residency program, through assessments they provide, and on the dissertation committee.

5 The Charter Faculty are as follows: Mark Milliron, President and CEO, League for Innovation in the Community College Kay McClenney, Director, Community College Survey of Student Engagement George Baker, J.D.M. Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, North Carolina State University-Raleigh Christine McPhail, Professor of Higher Education, Community College Leadership Doctoral Program, Morgan State University George Boggs, President and CEO, American Association of Community Colleges Jon Alexiou, Director, Community College Initiatives, The Chauncey Group International Sandy Shugart, President, Valencia Community College Alfredo G. de los Santos Jr., Research Professor, Arizona State University Main and Senior League Fellow, League for Innovation in the Community College Members of this group created the curriculum for the program, and almost all will serve as Faculty Mentors in the first year of the program. Additional faculty are currently being added to assist with what is expected to be a rapidly expanding program. The new Walden University Community College Leadership specialization is dedicated to addressing the leadership crisis in the nation s community colleges within the context of a learning-centered philosophy. The Learning Framework, the Student Learning Plan, the Emphasis on Community College Culture, and the Special Community College Faculty are all key components of a new learning-centered Ph.D. for community college leaders. Potential leaders who are self-directed learners, and who wish to engage in deeper learning about leadership and the community college, will not only be the first graduates of this new program. They will become the new leaders of the 21st century community college. Terry O Banion is the Director of Walden University s Community College Leadership Program. Jonathan Kaplan is the Vice President of Walden University. For further information about Walden s CCL doctoral program, please contact Lawrence Baird at Walden University at or explore Wa l d e n s website.