1. Finding and Developing Exceptional Community College Leaders Michigan Community College Association Trustees Summer Institute July 23, 2015 Joshua S. Wyner Vice President Executive Director, College Excellence Program The Aspen Institute

2. The Aspen College Excellence Program works to advance higher education practices, policies, and leadership that significantly improve student outcomes in four areas: Completion. Do students earn degrees and other meaningful credentials while in college? Equity. Do colleges work to ensure equitable outcomes for minority and low- income students, and others often underserved? Labor market. Do graduates get well-paying jobs? Learning. Do colleges and their faculty set expectations for what students should learn, measure whether they are doing so, and use that information to improve? Aspen College Excellence Program

3. Agenda 1.What we know about community college excellence 2.Framing the leadership challenge 3.Original research on the qualities of exceptional leaders from the Aspen Institute and Achieving the Dream 4.Strengthening the hiring process 5.Aspen’s technical assistance

4. The Aspen Prize 1,000+ public community colleges Round 1 Round 2 150 semifinalists Round 3 10 finalists 4 Aspen Prize Selection Process Prize winner(s) and finalists with distinction 10 finalists 150 semifinalists

5. The Aspen Prize Exceptional improvements over time in completion Outcomes of Prize Finalist Colleges Increase in the number of credentials awarded at Valencia College, 2002-2011 AA, AS/AAS Degrees and Certificates/Diplomas Awarded 84% increase over 6 years 46% increase over 6 years 66% increase over 6 years

6. The Aspen Prize Exceptional short-term labor market outcomes for graduates Outcomes of Prize Finalist Colleges Average salaries of recent graduates compared to the average for all new-hires in the region (top three performers) Regional average 40% above avg. 79% above avg. 82% above avg.

7. The Aspen Prize Exceptional long-term labor market outcomes Outcomes of Prize Finalist Colleges Average salaries of graduates 5 years after graduation compared to the average for all workers in the region (top three performers) Regional average 55% above avg. 38% above avg. 65% above avg.

8. Lessons from the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence Themes characterizing the institutions that achieve exceptional outcomes for students: 1 2 3 4 5 Strong Leadership and Organizational Culture Guided Pathways to Continuing Education and Well-Paying Jobs Intentional Focus on Improving Teaching and Learning Strategic Data Use to Improve Practice and Close Equity Gaps Partnerships and Structures Aligned to Defined Student Outcomes

9. Framing the Challenge Environment is changing rapidly… Changing student demographics Increasing accountability Diminished state budgets Expanding technology Increased competition Turnover is accelerating: 500 new community college presidents in next five years (AACC) Little shared clarity about what constitutes quality in community college education and excellence in outcomes Inadequate understanding of how to create change at scale

10. Framing the Need Our nation’s future depends on our higher education system delivering ① many more degrees ② of higher quality ③ at an affordable per-pupil cost ④ to a more diverse population.

11. Research in partnership with Achieving the Dream

12. Original Research: Crisis & Opportunity In partnership with Achieving the Dream, Aspen explored three core questions: What are the qualities of excellent community college presidents? What qualities do trustees value in hiring? What skills do education and professional development programs emphasize?

13. Five Qualities of Exceptional Leaders Deep Commitment to student success and access Willingness to take risks Excellent internal change management ability Strong, broad vision for the college, reflected in external partnerships Skill in fundraising and resource allocation tied to student success goals Question: What qualities on this list are most frequently present among current presidents? Why are these attributes more commonly observed?

14. Five Qualities of Exceptional Leaders Deep Commitment to student success and access Willingness to take risks Excellent internal change management ability Strong, broad vision for the college, reflected in external partnerships Skill in fundraising and resource allocation tied to student success goals Question: What qualities on this list are least frequently present among current presidents? Why are the less common attributes so infrequently observed?

15. Strengthening the Hiring Process Gap Analysis: Hiring Ideally… Excellent presidents demonstrate urgency and are willing to take risks to improve student success. Excellent presidents focus about half of their time on internal operations, implementing change strategies aimed at improving student outcomes. Excellent presidents focus much of their external efforts on building partnerships that can support improvements in student outcomes. Excellent presidents inspire and empower others to succeed, relishing not their own success as much as the success of others who are essential to improving student outcomes.

16. Tools for Hiring Leaders who Advance Student Access and Success funded by the Kresge Foundation

17. Strengthening the Hiring Process 10 Characteristics of Exceptional Presidents

18. 7 Tools for Hiring Exceptional Presidents Tool #1: Protocol to Align Priorities to Hiring Criteria Tool #2: Job Announcement Language Tool #3: Scenario-Based Writing Exercise Tool #4: Questions for In- Person Interviews Tool #5: Rubric for Evaluating Candidates Tool #6: Scoring Sheets to Aggregate Assessments of Candidates Tool #7: Protocol for Reference Checks

19. Strengthening the Hiring Process: Set Strategic Priorities & Hiring Criteria Tool #1: Protocol to Align Priorities to Hiring Criteria 1.What are the college’s strategic goals related to student access and success? 2.How well is the college achieving student access and success? 3.What kinds of changes within and outside the college will the new president need to accomplish to achieve the student access and success goals? 4.What are the five to ten most important qualities the board must identify in the college’s next president to achieve your student success goals? 5.Where is the college most likely to find a leader who will demonstrate these qualities?

20. Strengthening the Hiring Process: Recruit Candidates Tool #2: Job Announcement Language Sample first line: “The President leads the institution in advancing students toward attainment of their educational and career-readiness goals by effectively marshaling its instructional and support resources to improve student outcomes.” Language related to being “results-oriented”: “The President will develop a culture of inquiry and evidence to support a results-oriented approach across the institution.”

21. Strengthening the Hiring Process: Assess Candidates - Examples Tool #3: Scenario-Based Writing Exercise “You discover soon after assuming your presidency that surveys of the college’s recent graduates and data from the state about post-graduation earning and employment rates reveal that (1) 20% of graduates are unemployed and (2) graduates’ average salaries are significantly lower than salaries of others with associate’s degrees in the college’s service area. How would you as president respond? With whom would you share the data and how? What steps would you consider to improve these outcomes? How quickly can things be turned around so outcomes for graduates improve?”

22. Strengthening the Hiring Process: Assess Candidates - Examples Tool #4: Questions for In-Person Interviews “How should a college president view student access and success relative to other priorities?” “Please discuss how you think about systematically bringing about change in a college culture to improve student access and success...” “What dimensions of implementation pose the greatest challenge for a community college? Can you provide an example? How did you handle that challenge?

23. Strengthening the Hiring Process: Assess Candidates - Examples Tool #5: Rubric for Evaluating Candidates

24. Strengthening the Hiring Process: Assess Candidates - Examples Tool #6: Scoring Sheets to Aggregate Assessments of Candidates

25. Strengthening the Hiring Process: Confirm the Choice Tool #7: Protocol for Reference Checks Language related to “taking strategic risks”: “What was the most significant change the candidate brought about during his/her tenure? How did the candidate accomplish that?” Language related to “communicating effectively”: “Was the candidate able to communicate in ways that influenced stakeholders to support key strategic objectives?”

26. Strengthening the Hiring Process What in the hiring process could lead to selecting risk- averse leaders? How could that be changed? What is hardest about assessing change management ability? How might that be overcome?

27. Technical Assistance Facilitate board of trustees meeting and/or search committee Customize the hiring tools to fit unique circumstances On-call availability to consult on hiring process including document review Financial support available thanks to grant from Kresge Foundation

28. More information: Lessons from the Aspen Prize What Excellent Community Colleges Do (Harvard Ed Press, 2014) Crisis & Opportunity: Aligning the Community College Presidency with Student Success (executive summary and full report) Hiring Exceptional Community College Presidents: Tools for Hiring Leaders Who Advance Student Access and Success Visit us online www.aspeninstitute.org/college-excellence Twitter: @AspenHigherEd

29. For more information, contact: Joshua S. Wyner The Aspen Institute One DuPont Circle NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20036 Josh.Wyner@aspeninstitute.org (202) 736-2286 www.aspeninstitute.org/college-excellence