What do women CAOs use for professional development?(chief academic officer)

Of all upper-level administrative positions in higher education, chief academic officer (CAO) of a community college has the highest percentage of women. Women have risen from 16% of community college CAOs in 1985 to 42% in 2002, a very critical mass.

Did professional development help them rise to CAO? Which sorts of professional development did they choose, and which do they consider important to their careers?

Dr. Brent Cejda discussed these questions at the Women in Educational Leadership Conference in Lincoln NE in October. He's an associate professor of educational administration at the University of Nebraska--Lincoln and executive director of the National Council of Instructional Administrators (NCIA).

Using the 2002 Higher Education Directory and an instrument from Today's Community-College Administrators by Amey and VanDerLinden, he surveyed all 202 community college CAOs in nine states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. Of the 115 who responded, 46 (or 40%) were women.

"These 46 women are most likely the next community college presidents," he said. Other women can learn how they built their skills. So can those who plan and allocate resources for professional development.

Between president and faculty

Community college presidents often come from the ranks of CAOs, who stand between the president and the faculty.