Book Review: Insider’s Guide to Community College Administration

Abstract

R. Jensen & R. Giles. (2006). Insider's Guide to Community College Administrauon (2nd ed.).Washington, DC: Community College Press. 99 pp. $38.00 (paperback). ISBN: 0871 173751.In their book, The Insider s Guide to Community College Administration, Jensen and Giles (2006) examine the process of seeking an administrative position at a community college. Although this publication has an academic tone at times, it usually reads like a conversation between a seasoned mentor and a promising junior mentee. The book offers readers a series of case studies that provide literary snapshots of different issues and problems encountered in obtaining and then holding an administrative position. The book also provides a rich and balanced picture of higher education administration and explains why a person must be aware of the pitfalls that surround the transition into leadership positions.The content of each chapter is carefully presented to lay the groundwork for understanding the work that is critical for success at each level of administration and the challenges of this work. In spite of the challenges, Jensen and Giles leave no doubt in the reader's mind that administrative work in a community college is very rewarding and satisfying. The Insider 's Guide to Community College Administration provides a set of detailed challenges that administrators have faced in their careers, but the book also describes the successful pathways that administrators have traveled, providing future administrators with examples and encouragement. The examples are presented by Jensen and Giles as opportunities for teaching, learning, and engaging rather than as cookie-cutter methods for application in every scenario.In the first chapter, Jensen and Giles examine the choice of transitioning into an administrative position and the kind of plan needed to make the move up the educational management ladder. Subsequent examples provide a glimpse into the pitfalls and successes that may lie ahead for an administrator. Additionally in chapter 1, Jensen and Giles describe the characteristics necessary for the successful chief executive officer, and they explain how those characteristics are different for leaders at single-campus colleges and multicollege districts.In chapters 2 and 3, Jensen and Giles offer insights into the daily lives of the administrator. These chapters are especially important to the individual considering a move into an administrative position. The authors make a good case for the claim that the division dean is the classic middle-management position at a community college. …