Strategic by Design: The Maricopa Leadership Institute

Leaders in higher education are navigating an increasingly complex and rapidly shifting environment. Institutions need leaders who can meet these challenges head-on, guide their campuses through uncertainty, and inspire and stabilize their organizations. One of the most pressing concerns is leadership transitions.   The average tenure of a college president has declined to 5.9 years, down from 8.5 in 2006, according to results from an American Council of Education survey released in 2023. The majority of those surveyed do not expect to remain in their current role over the next five years. Despite this, more than half report they are not preparing a successor. Succession planning remains inconsistent, and many institutions rely on interim appointments for critical leadership roles.   

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) has examined this issue in the community college sector. According to a 2023 report, the average age of a community college CEO was 57.8 and more than half planned to retire within five years. The report notes that it remains unclear whether current leadership development efforts have prepared new CEOs for the increasing complexity of the role.

Maricopa Community Colleges, one of the largest systems in the country, has not been immune to these pressures. Dr. Steven Gonzales, Maricopa’s current chancellor, was appointed permanently in 2022 after serving as interim for two years. Since then, he has hired nine of the 10 college presidents, a new general Counsel, chief operating officer, executive vice chancellor and provost, and senior vice chancellor of external affairs.

Maricopa serves over 140,000 students annually across ten individually accredited colleges. The system receives no operational funding from the state, relying instead on property tax and tuition. It operates in a competitive urban environment alongside private colleges and the nation’s largest public university. In this context, the chancellor introduced a new initiative: an internal leadership development program.

Planning began in Fall 2023, and the first tier of the Maricopa Leadership Institute (MLI) launched in June 2024. The planning team continues to meet regularly to refine the program and develop additional tiers.

MLI aligns with AACC leadership competencies and is designed through a community college-specific lens. The program is guided by these design principles:

The MLI was designed with multiple tiers to meet a variety of leadership development needs. The first tier, Actualizing Leadership, targets mid-level leaders aspiring to move into dean or vice president roles. Admission was competitive, requiring an application, resume, letter of recommendation, and interview.

The inaugural cohort launched in June 2024 with a four-day in-person intensive, followed by seven monthly sessions. Presenters included Maricopa leaders and external partners who blended theoretical frameworks with practical tools. Participants completed a capstone project, identifying a Maricopa “pain point” and proposing a solution with system-wide impact.