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Reviewed by:
  • Understanding Community Colleges ed. by John S. Levin, Susan T. Kater
  • J. Luke Wood and Robert T. Palmer
Understanding Community Colleges. John S. Levin and Susan T. Kater (Editors). New York, NY: Routledge, 2013, 263pages. $46.95 (softcover)

Understanding Community Colleges is an edited volume by John Levin and Susan Kater which addresses the challenges, opportunities, and future directions of community colleges in the United States. With 15 chapters divided into four sections, the book covers an array of topics, constantly challenging readers to employ critical analysis and theory to “understand” community colleges. We find this volume to be a timely and warranted addition to the community college literature base.

In chapter 1, Ken Meier provides a historical overview of the community college mission. Meier noted that the mission has a “history of ambiguity” due to regional and student diversity that necessitates differing foci to serve local economic and community needs. A key component of this chapter is Meier’s presentation of the historical trajectory of the community college mission (pre-1960s). In chapter 2, Lindsey Malcom examines student diversity in community colleges. Drawing upon Perna’s (2006) hybrid economic-ecological model of college choice, much of the chapter is spent discussing why large proportions of diverse students enroll in community colleges. The chapter closes by noting that “access” to college is not synonymous with student success. In chapter 3, Joan Hirt and Tara Frank explore the role of the student development framework (a focus on the whole student) and the consumerism framework (treating students as consumers) on student service design and delivery. The authors then provide an overview of how these two frameworks are manifested in enrollment management, support for learning, student support, and cocurricular planning.

In chapter 4, Linda Hagedorn and Leaf Zhang address the status and future of international students in community colleges. They note that shrinking state and local funding coupled with 4-year college recruitment has required community colleges to increase international enrollments as a strategy for fiscal solvency. They provide a historical overview of international study, articulate the benefits and challenges of international enrollment, and discuss college-choice rationales for international students. In chapter 5, Virginia Montero-Hernandez and Christine Cerven address student development considerations for adult populations. This chapter provides a strong overview of the obstacles facing adult populations. They also challenge community colleges to become “adult serving institutions” by better understanding adult development, motivation, performance, involvement, and goal selection. Chapter 6, authored by Dolores Perin, addresses issues faculty may have in teaching academically underprepared students. The crux of Perin’s chapter is that contextualization (establishing connections between content and practice) should be paramount when designing developmental curriculum. In chapter 7, David Ayers and Michael Ayers discuss academic program planning needs for community college students. An important aspect of this chapter is the use of human capital theory to overview challenges associated with program planning from a policy and practice perspective. The authors also use this context in urging [End Page 216] readers to consider ethical implications for program planning.

Chapter 8, by Pamela Eddy is the standout chapter in this volume in our assessment. Using historical time frames, she traces how leadership theories have intersected with the management of community colleges as divided into five management eras: the bureaucratic era (1900s to 1930s), the patriarchic era (1940s to 1950s), the unionization era (1960s to 1970s), the shared governance era (1980s to 1990s) and the collaboration era (2000 to present). In addressing the manifestations of management styles during each era, she delineates factors (e.g., political, economic, human resources) that contributed to these shifts in management styles as well as movements in leadership theory that supported these management trends. Eddy’s chapter is followed with a complementary chapter (by Marilyn Amey) on leadership theory and community colleges. The core of her chapter centers on the presentation of leadership theory nomenclature organized around individual oriented theories (e.g., cognitive theory, sense making, emotional intelligence, intercultural competence) and organizationally oriented theories (e.g., change and entrepreneurism, organizational development and chaos, and collaboration). In chapter 10, Carrie Kisker and Susan Kater discuss the nuances of governance in the community college. In particular, their chapter...

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