UCLA

As unemployment rates have declined over the last decade, community college enrollments have also declined (American Association of Community Colleges, 2015; National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 2017a). Since institutions in the California Community Colleges system are funded based on enrollment, enrollment declines lead to funding reductions for these already cash-strapped institutions. The objective of this research was to understand the role of teamwork around enrollment management at a California community college with a positive enrollment history. The theory of distributed leadership guided the investigation into leadership practices and processes at the institution. A total of 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees at Western Community College (a pseudonym), including six administrators, five faculty members, and four classified staff members. Document analysis focused on accreditation and enrollment reports, collective bargaining agreements, planning documents, meeting minutes, and the college website.

Three themes emerged from the data: the distribution of leadership, contested top-down leadership, and adaptation to state policy pressures. First, leadership was found to be distributed among senior administrators, deans, department chairs, and Enrollment Management Committee members, but not classified staff members. Followers exerted influence on the leadership around enrollment management. Second, the internal culture of top-down management influenced leadership around enrollment management and was a challenge to the process. And third, adapting to state policy pressures influenced leadership around enrollment management, and administrators saw this as the greatest challenge facing the enrollment management process. The results of this study imply the need for community college administrators to employ collaborative leadership approaches in enrollment management, for campus members to be steadfast in advocating for ethical change, and for system leaders in the California Community Colleges to provide intensive support for colleges adapting to statewide policy changes.