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Reviewed by:
  • Community College Faculty: Overlooked and Undervalued
  • Michael T. Miller, Professor and Head
Barbara K. Townsend and Susan B. Twombly. Community College Faculty: Overlooked and Undervalued. ASHE Higher Education Report, Vol. 32, No. 6. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007. 184 pp. Paper: $28.00. ISBN: 978-0-7879-9777-9.

The border wars between Kansas and Missouri seem to have little relevance in the collaboration between Missouri's Barbara Townsend and Kansas's Susan Twombly, Both long-time, leading authors and scholars in the field of community college studies and higher education, their collaboration in the ASHE Higher Education Report Community College Faculty: Overlooked and Undervalued reflects a deep understanding of the current issues that broadly impact faculty working in the community college sector.

Drawing on existing literature, the authors developed six categories of discussion. Building upon an initial profile of faculty, they then dissect the faculty role in categories of work, careers, institutional variables, teaching, and the discourse on community college faculty. Although brief, the book provides an excellent introduction to the challenges and opportunities facing community college faculty.

The initial section of the text profiles community college faculty members and their activities, dividing the discussion among full-time and part-time faculty. Using National Survey of [End Page 519] Postsecondary Faculty data (2004), they paint a picture of community college faculty as largely White (80%) and equally distributed between men and women; they highlight their discussion with the realization that only one-third of all community college faculty are full-time.

Part 2 describes community college faculty roles in higher education's traditional three-part mission of teaching, research, and service. They excel in their discussion of professional development programs and present the not-surprising finding that community college faculty members are largely responsible for instructional activities, e.g., teaching. The authors should be applauded in this section for ably arguing that teaching is "the centerpiece of community college professional identity" (p. 53) and that professional development designed to enhance teaching ability is vitally important to these colleges' lives.

Part 3, "Dimensions of the Community College Faculty Career," is a comprehensive look at how community college faculty members are trained and assume their roles. This section seems largely influenced by Twombly's previous work on administrative labor markets and is probably one of the best discussions available on the search process, preparation, and skills of community college faculty. The chapter's major shortfall, however, is that it exists in a vacuum, not acknowledging the changing student demographic on community college campuses. It suggests, rather inadvertently, that being hiring and growing into the profession may be done without considering unique student needs. However, this may open the door for further discussion about the alignment of faculty abilities, interests, and skills at all levels of higher education and student learning abilities.

The fourth section of the text examines the institutional variables that impact and influence faculty life and work in community colleges. With many possible variables to consider, the authors focused on bargaining agreements, shared governance, the organization of academic programs, rewards, and legislative actions. This section was certainly one of the strengths of the book, as they integrated a massive amount of literature and ideas into a readable and informed critical discussion that will be of particular use and value to community college administrators and researchers.

In the fifth section, Townsend and Twombly become somewhat philosophical, considering the question of whether community college teaching is indeed a profession. The question has less practical application than many other sections of the book, but it raises important questions that can and ultimately will be related to motivation, labor demand, respect, training, and so forth. They also introduce the discussion of baccalaureate degrees being offered by community colleges and the possible impact this programmatic offering might have on the professoriate. An area in which Townsend has previously written, this section is among the most tempting to expand and will most certainly continue to be at the forefront of discussions on trends involving the community college.

The final chapter allowed the authors an opportunity to consider the status of research, scholarship, and perception about community college faculty from multiple perspectives, notably that...

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