I came across a recent piece on the Inside Higher Education website about the structure and functions of community college administration, including explanation of the different positions and what they do, along with some advice for faculty who are thinking of entering administration.
In fact, it was the Texas Community College Teachers Association blog that brought the Inside Higher Ed article to my attention with this intro:
The two jobs-”skill sets” as they are often portrayed-are very different. But many experienced faculty members at least flirt with the idea of going into administration. In fact, TCCTA sponsors a highly successful conference each summer called “Leading from the Middle,” which is designed in part for those making the switch, or perhaps just thinking about it. The list is long of those who may be brilliant at one vocation, but disastrous at the other.
And here’s a taste of what you’ll find in the full Inside Higher Education article:
Student Affairs (often combined with enrollment management) — this is the rest of the student experience. Admissions, Financial Aid, counseling, judicial affairs, residency/immigration, athletics, student clubs. Typically, moving into a ‘generalist’ role — dean of students, say — requires previous service in a specialized role, like counselor.
I never worked in college administration; I only dealt with administrators in my capacity as a college instructor and also as a graduate student.. I often sympathized with the difficulties administrators had to deal with, but I felt that a small minority of them were less than competent.
