Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Enhancing Performance: A Best Practices Guide for Innovations in Community Colleges

Enhancing Performance: A Best Practices Guide for Innovations in Community Colleges is a collection of essays from community college leaders across the country addressing challenges facing today's community colleges and providing practical, successful solutions their institutions have implemented. Some of the essays address foundational issues, including the role of innovation, strategic enrollment management, and campus safety strategies on the future of community colleges. In the essays, leaders suggest ways campuses can create opportunities for intentional student-faculty connections, provide revitalized advising services, and support the needs of marginalized student populations. The essays also address the role of community colleges in promoting civic engagement, responding to community crises, and addressing critical need. Each essay challenges us to delve deeper into the issues and find workable solutions. The essay authors are community college leaders who are alumni, faculty, or advisory board members in the doctoral program in Community College Leadership (DCCL Program) at Ferris State University (Michigan). Review A very helpful read. This series of well-curated short essays provides a broad and representative survey of the critical contemporary issues and challenges facing community colleges, drawn from the experiences of institutions from across the nation. Ideas are fresh and innovative, from design thinking in building effective student services to a beliefs-based approach to achieving student success outcomes. They represent some of the best thinking of the emerging generation of leaders who will continue to make community colleges the most relevant institutions of higher education needed to tackle the nation's most significant challenges. This book is an important contribution to the literature, as is Ferris State's contribution to the development of community college leaders as reflected here.--Don Doucette, chancellor, Eastern Iowa Community Colleges; previous Associate Director of the League for Innovation in the Community College By sharing practitioner-focused strategies for innovation at the community college, this book provides a framework for leaders to ground the good decisions and to lead change. The evidence-based approaches described in this book comprise a field guide for future leaders who aspire to make sustainable, student-centered at their institutions.--Jo Blondin, PhD, President, Clark State Community College (Ohio) Enhancing Performance: A Best Practices Guide for Innovations in Community Colleges stands as a testament to the positive and long-lasting impact of Ferris State University's Doctorate in Community College Leadership Program. The book takes a comprehensive look at the key issues facing community colleges today. It is an important read for community college leaders committed to action and to making a difference.--Laurie Chesley, PhD, President, Central Oregon Community College (Oregon) Having worked with the DCCL program for several years I find Enhancing Performance: A Best Practices Guide for Innovations in Community Colleges to be reflective of the high quality and attention to detail seen in the Ferris State University faculty and staff. What a great professional development opportunity for aspiring leaders in community colleges!--Bill Pink, PhD, President, Grand Rapids Community College (Michigan) The sustaining power of community colleges as disruptive innovation is fostered by the ever-evolving "Islands of Innovation" that continue to emerge throughout the community college landscape. This book provides thoughtful insights and practical ideas and reinforces the 1969 writings of B. Lamar Johnson, known as the father of community colleges, that innovation occurs throughout the college.--Rufus Glasper Ph.D, President and CEO, League for Innovation in the Community College; Chancellor Emeritus, Maricopa Community College The 2020 pandemic was a ca