Preparing students for civic life is inherent in the mission of community colleges as is the civic role of the institution itself. Community college leaders are called upon to lead their institutions including the fulfillment of this civic role (American Association of Community Colleges [AACC], 1988, 2000). Yet civic literacy is on the decline (American Council of Trustees and Alumni, 2024) and civil discourse has become overshadowed by civil disobedience on some college campuses.
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Preparing students for civic life is inherent in the mission of community colleges as is the civic role of the institution itself. Community college leaders are called upon to lead their institutions including the fulfillment of this civic role (American Association of Community Colleges [AACC], 1988, 2000). Yet civic literacy is on the decline (American Council of Trustees and Alumni, 2024) and civil discourse has become overshadowed by civil disobedience on some college campuses.
Dr. Deanna Villanueva-Saucedo
Villanueva-Saucedo (2026) conducted research into the civic mission of community colleges and how college leaders perceive their role in today’s volatile and hyper-political environment. Sixty-three community college presidents and vice presidents from the desert southwest (California, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico) were surveyed.
Leaders’ decision-making is anchored in personal and institutional values.
Leaders described a values-based lens to guide decisions generally as well as the civic engagement work of their institution. This lens included both institutional values and policies as well as personal values including the desire to do the “right thing” for students and community.
Partnerships are the fundamental components of how community colleges execute the civic role of their institution.
During interviews, community college leaders described the power of relationship building with a variety of local leaders, community groups, municipalities, feeder schools, and tribal nations as a necessary component of their role in the community. College leaders also acknowledged the difficulties and conflicts this can pose in a challenging political environment. This was supported by survey data that showed local, state, and national politics scoring as “somewhat” influencing the civic role of the institution. The political climate was the top cited answer in an open-ended question asking about barriers to executing the institution’s civic role.
Dr. Terry Calaway
Community college leaders describe the civic role of their institution as educating students to participate in democratic life.
Leaders often described their desire to do more with their civic responsibility and the challenge of fully engaging students and staff, yet college civic efforts were not always coherent or unified. Additionally, civics were not always included in a college’s mission, vision, values, plans, or curriculum which hindered efforts to fully institutionalize civic engagement.
Resource constraints and risk management impact the decision-making of community college leaders regarding their institution’s civic role.
Community college leaders described weighing many different factors when deciding how to fulfill their civic mission. This is where internal institutional factors came into play, including balancing competing institutional initiatives with staffing and financial constraints. As one Vice President stated, “It all comes down to resources.”
Navigating a shifting national political environment while managing local dynamics.
External factors were also part of the consideration of community college leaders including the current political environment. As one president reported, “I believe there are national challenges right now, specifically, so if you’d talked to me six months ago, my answer would maybe have been different.”
The competencies expected from leaders could evolve to support the critical civic role of the community college sector. Samples of what civic-based competencies could include:
- Civic and Community Leadership — Demonstrate a deep commitment to the community college’s public purpose by advancing civic learning, democratic engagement, and community well-being.
- Civic Responsibility and Democracy Commitment — Lead with integrity to uphold the college’s civic mission; foster environments that support civic literacy, civil discourse; and build partnerships that expand access to democratic processes and community well-being.
- Civic Engagement and Public Good — Integrate civic priorities into institutional strategy and decision-making; evaluate how policies and programs advance community well-being.
- The recommendation to include civic engagement and an understanding of the civic mission of community colleges was extended to community college leadership development including the Community College Leadership Programs (CCLP), the League for Innovation in the Community College’s Executive Leadership Institute (ELI), AACC’s Future Presidents Institute, among others. These executives described a powerful role these development programs can fill by including civic engagement and the factors influencing our work in a hyper-political environment.
Dr. Deanna Villanueva-Saucedo serves as associate vice chancellor/Center for Excellence in Inclusive Democracy, Maricopa Community Colleges.
Dr. Terry Calaway is president emeritus, Johnson County Community College and serves as chair, Kansas State University’s Community College Leadership Program National Advisory Board.
The Roueche Center Forum is co-edited by Drs. John E. Roueche and Margaretta B. Mathis of the John E. Roueche Center for Community College Leadership, Department of Educational Leadership, College of Education, Kansas State University.
This article originally appeared in April 2, 2026 edition of The EDU Ledger.
