6 | COMMUNITY COLLEGE JOURNAL AACC.NCHE.EDU
I was 40 years old in 2013 when I began
my presidency at Lake Washington
Institute of Technology. I don’t
consider myself a representative of
all Generation X community college
presidents, but as a member of this
tight-knit group, I have some insight
into what’s on our minds.
First, it is important for me to pay
homage to my Boomer colleagues. They
have made an indelible mark on our
community college system. Their legacy
of access and completion will carry on
for generations to come. I am grateful
for their trailblazing, mentorship and
friendship. They have made our colleges
what they are today and we are humbled
to follow in your footsteps. With that
said, Boomer presidents are exiting at an
alarming rate and, frankly, there are not
enough Gen-Xer’s prepared to take the
leadership reins.
Those of us who do step into the
role of president, though, find that we
must blaze our own trail. My generation
has gotten a bad rap about being jaded,
clothed in flannel, listening to grunge
music, but really we have been living in
the Boomer world our entire lives. We
too love the mission of our colleges and
are equally committed to those ideals.
We may lead a little differently, a little
less formally, a little more directly, but
our intentions are the same: to ensure
that America’s community colleges are
alive and thriving for generations to
come. Boomers created the “open door”
and Gen-Xers will ensure that the door is
always open to all of our students, as we
bridge the equity and completion gaps.
DOUBLE-TIME SUCCESSION PLANNING
As a member of the “translator” or “bridge”
generation, I feel an immense responsibility to expedite succession planning not
only for my college’s leadership positions,
but for my state and our national system.
Openings are coming fast and furious and
I want to ensure that my vice presidents
and deans are prepared for future presidential roles. Once they land these jobs,
there is little time for on-the-job training.
Perhaps now is the time for a
much more robust pathway for future
community college leaders. A guided
pathway, of sorts, for the next generation
of diverse leaders necessary for our
colleges to thrive.
We also need to work with our trustees
and executive search firms to ensure that
they are aware of our current shift and
that our next generation of leaders will
look and act differently than their retiring
president. I had an executive recruiter ask
my age for a background check, and when
I told him he exclaimed, “But you’re just a
baby!” This thinking is not helpful in a time
of unprecedented leadership turnover.
KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE
As a Gen-X president, I am aware that
the wave of Boomer retirements affects
all levels of the college. My generation
is one of the smallest generations since
the Great Depression. To whom are we
going to pass the proverbial baton? We
are battling demographic pressures that
include keeping Boomers working for
as long as they want, recruiting Gen-X
successors, and sharing our passion for
the community college mission with
our millennial colleagues.
We must adapt, encourage and entice
millennials to committing their careers
to our colleges as well, for the survival
of our system. That means we need to
speak a multi-generational language; for
example, ask a millennial what Camelot
means, and you’ll probably get a reference
to Sir Lancelot.
Soon enough, the baton will be passed
to the millennials. Communication styles
will shift again as this generation adapts
to the changing times, just as the Boomers
and Gen-Xers have. The dedication we
share for education and our students will
remain. We just need to be sure we’re creating their pathway, just as the Boomers
created ours.
To my Boomer colleagues, thank you as
you pass the baton in the coming years. To
my Gen-X colleagues, hang in there—we
have a lot of important work ahead of us.
And to my millennial colleagues, welcome
to the most rewarding career of your life.
We need you now more than ever.
Amy Morrison Goings is president of Lake Washington
Institute of Technology in Kirkland, Washington.
By Amy Morrison Goings
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