Would a Position at a Community College Pigeon Hole Me?

[Like2Ski]

I am a department chair of a large department at a medium-sized public university. I like my job, but I want to continue to climb the administrative ranks to become a Dean, and possibly a VP or provost some day. I have an interview for a Dean position at a community college. I am wondering if the transition to an administrative position at a community college would pigeon hole me to only getting future positions at community colleges instead of universities. I don't want to paint myself into a corner so to speak.

What are your thoughts?

[Parasaurolophus]

I would suspect so, yes. It's pure intuition on my part, though.

[ciao_yall]

I am a department chair of a large department at a medium-sized public university. I like my job, but I want to continue to climb the administrative ranks to become a Dean, and possibly a VP or provost some day. I have an interview for a Dean position at a community college. I am wondering if the transition to an administrative position at a community college would pigeon hole me to only getting future positions at community colleges instead of universities. I don't want to paint myself into a corner so to speak.

What are your thoughts?

The mission of a CC is very different than that of a university. CC's are about teaching and bringing non-traditional students in and helping them succeed. Universities are more about research and attracting traditional-age, 4-year students.

Not sure if "pigeon hole" is the right word, but you will build skills at your CC that may or may not transfer back to a university.

[lightning]

Your bigger problem, right now, is that you are thinking that the CC job might be a professional liability in the future.

If the CC committee gets even a whiff of that attitude, you are not getting the job.

OTOH, yes, it will be professional liability, if your intention is to jump back to the 4-year track.

[apl68]

Your bigger problem, right now, is that you are thinking that the CC job might be a professional liability in the future.

If the CC committee gets even a whiff of that attitude, you are not getting the job.

OTOH, yes, it will be professional liability, if your intention is to jump back to the 4-year track.

Or to put it another way, if you see a few years of CC work mainly in terms of building a resume to move on to a "real" position elsewhere, that will serve neither your goals nor those of the potential employer well.

[Like2Ski]

Your bigger problem, right now, is that you are thinking that the CC job might be a professional liability in the future.

If the CC committee gets even a whiff of that attitude, you are not getting the job.

OTOH, yes, it will be professional liability, if your intention is to jump back to the 4-year track.

Or to put it another way, if you see a few years of CC work mainly in terms of building a resume to move on to a "real" position elsewhere, that will serve neither your goals nor those of the potential employer well.

So, it sounds like you're all saying it would NOT be a step up...that transitioning to a CC would be a poor choice if the ultimate goal is to end up at a 4-year or university.

[Istiblennius]

I agree with everything that has been written here, as it applies to R1 or R2 and private SLAC types of 4-years. If you were interested in regional comprehensive 4-years with primarily undergraduate teaching missions, it is possible to move from an admin position at a CC to a 4-year, provided the missions are similar. At my current regional "directional" state university, we have more in common and work much more closely with our colleagues at our local CCs than we do with the large state universities. But we have an undergraduate teaching mission, and are an access institution. We also share the frustration also with our CC colleagues of having folks come in with no awareness of our mission, talking about research, grad students, and objectives that are valuable but not primary to us. You should think about what you value in an institution and focus your efforts on places that are a mutual good fit.

[the_geneticist]

Your bigger problem, right now, is that you are thinking that the CC job might be a professional liability in the future.

If the CC committee gets even a whiff of that attitude, you are not getting the job.

OTOH, yes, it will be professional liability, if your intention is to jump back to the 4-year track.

Or to put it another way, if you see a few years of CC work mainly in terms of building a resume to move on to a "real" position elsewhere, that will serve neither your goals nor those of the potential employer well.

So, it sounds like you're all saying it would NOT be a step up...that transitioning to a CC would be a poor choice if the ultimate goal is to end up at a 4-year or university.

And no one wants to be used as a "spring board" for someone who was never intending to stay in the first place. 

[mamselle]

And as no-one else has said it, I will: CC's may get tiny bits of research funding here and there, but the upper-level places you're aspiring to would expect you to have experience in the oversight of large grant packages tied to national and international-level scientific research grantors.

Apples and kumquats.

M.

[jimbogumbo]

This would be a terrible choice. Don't do it.

[Like2Ski]

Your bigger problem, right now, is that you are thinking that the CC job might be a professional liability in the future.

If the CC committee gets even a whiff of that attitude, you are not getting the job.

OTOH, yes, it will be professional liability, if your intention is to jump back to the 4-year track.

Or to put it another way, if you see a few years of CC work mainly in terms of building a resume to move on to a "real" position elsewhere, that will serve neither your goals nor those of the potential employer well.

So, it sounds like you're all saying it would NOT be a step up...that transitioning to a CC would be a poor choice if the ultimate goal is to end up at a 4-year or university.

And no one wants to be used as a "spring board" for someone who was never intending to stay in the first place.

That's a silly comment since people apply for jobs every day. I doubt many people take a new job thinking they are now committed for life.

[mamselle]

You'd be very surprised.

M.

[little bongo]

Your bigger problem, right now, is that you are thinking that the CC job might be a professional liability in the future.

If the CC committee gets even a whiff of that attitude, you are not getting the job.

OTOH, yes, it will be professional liability, if your intention is to jump back to the 4-year track.

Or to put it another way, if you see a few years of CC work mainly in terms of building a resume to move on to a "real" position elsewhere, that will serve neither your goals nor those of the potential employer well.

So, it sounds like you're all saying it would NOT be a step up...that transitioning to a CC would be a poor choice if the ultimate goal is to end up at a 4-year or university.

And no one wants to be used as a "spring board" for someone who was never intending to stay in the first place.

That's a silly comment since people apply for jobs every day. I doubt many people take a new job thinking they are now committed for life.

Wow, we went for the derogatory comment pretty quickly, there. All I can say is, I'll start my 12th year at my first and only full-time hire in the fall, and if they find me deceased in my classroom (after a few days, of course, because it would take at least that long to tell if I were dead or not), well, I'd say that wasn't a bad way to go.

[mamselle]

Look for a GCF soon?

After all, we may have crushed a dream there...not wanting to be mean or anything, but the truth will out.

M.

[Antiphon1]

It entirely depends on your long term goals and location.  For some disciplines, community college is just another place to work.  As others have noted, CCs are teaching and vocation focused institutions.  If your state designates community colleges primarily as vocational training institutions with some academic programs as required by accreditation, that job won't help you jump to a university.  Saying that, it is sometimes easier for fine arts and education practitioners to transition from CC to university.  I've worked R1 to CC and back several times as a professor and an administrator, but I'm in fine arts performance and in a state and region where CCs and universities share associations, accreditors and other state level organizations. CC and universities in my area work together frequently and extensively as collaborators in performance and research, so cross pollination between the institutional types is not at all infrequent.  I'd say think carefully about the context and your goals.  Good luck!