Perceptions of presidential roles of community college chief executive officer

This study tested the hypothesis that the perceived roles as described by presidents of Maryland's community colleges were consistent with the transformational leadership framework established by Roueche, Baker, and Rose in their 1989 text Shared Vision: Transformational Leadership in American Community Colleges. Data were obtained from interviews with 12 presidents and with two to three members of their cabinets, using an open-ended question format.;Roueche et al. (1989) identified the factors of vision and orientations toward influence, motivation, people, and values in their transformational leadership framework. These are "the leadership attributes which college CEOs possessed that enabled them to be identified by colleagues as transformational leaders" (p. 41).;Ten of the 12 presidents interviewed in the process of this study perceived their roles as leaders. Nine of these ten presidents were supported in these perceptions by their cabinet members; the tenth president was perceived as a manager by his cabinet members. Two presidents described themselves as managers and they were supported in their perceptions by their cabinet members.;However, based upon responses received during interviews, seven presidents were identified as possessing the five factors and 34 associate attributes of transformational leadership set forth by Roueche et al. as a hallmark of a visionary leader. Responses provided by four of the remaining five presidents and their cabinet members indicated that these presidents possessed and practiced four of Roueche, Baker, and Rose's five attributes. The remaining president, who perceived himself as a manager, was supported in that perception by his cabinet members.;Orientations toward Roueche's et al. five factors appear as elements of presidential roles on seven of Maryland's community college campuses. In addition, these seven presidents appear to include elements of transactional and situational leadership and managerial factors in their roles. Presidential empowerment of cabinet members appeared to be the major factor in establishing their transformational leadership roles on these seven campuses.