The Academy of Art University

Date: Dec 31 1969
Major: Education (This Major's Salary over time)
hD in Leadership for Higher Education. Not worth the paper it?s written on?

Four years ago all the rave was a study, in which Capella bought into and advertised for recruitment into this program, a study by AACC (American Association of Community Colleges) declaring a

critical shortage of community college leadership.

Unfortunately this can't be further from the truth, but also through my own research has never been the case, nor is there any outlook of any kind pointing to a shortage of personnel, especially here in California. Speaking directly to a researcher who took part in the study with AACC, he said (and I paraphrase here) ?we looked only at a few states and looked only at the numbers of retiring administrators. We did not compare that against the applicant pool applying for such positions.? In other words, AACC?s research premise was thus: there are 750 Major League professional baseball players in the world and 90% will be retired in 10 years. Therefore there is a critical shortage of Major League professional baseball players!

AACC even said, and I quote: ?We did not look at California, would you like to do that for us?? Well, I did. Calling into 22 of 71 community college districts throughout California, polling from metropolitan, suburban, and remote districts, not one HR administrator agreed with AACC, with one even stating ?AACC is from Mars if they think there is any kind of shortage with administrative personnel.? One district administrator commented that their big problem is sorting through the tons of qualified applications for each position open. One position, a Dean at Santa Barbara Community College, received over 150 qualified applications.

Calling into five other states, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Utah and Arizona, I found the same response from HR administrators: no critical shortage of leadership personnel predicted. One HR administrator from Arizona, jokingly but half serious, replied (and I quote): ?AACC is not from Mars if they think there?s any type of leadership shortage?they are from Pluto!? Another HR administrator from New Jersey commented: ?There is always a shortage of leaders with more talent than God and more money than Bill Gates.?

I work at a university and currently in higher education. Unfortunately it?s a faith-based institution where you had better be a life-long member of the church if you apply for any administrative position. In California, as with my friend currently in the this PhD program who got a promotion to President of San Jacinto College, Roger Schultz, these degrees in Leadership for Higher Education might get you a promotion. It will not open the door to an outsider. Go do something of real value before you think about this worthless program.

After 12 years of adjunct for three California community college districts I have recently stopped doing that (oh how many times I?ve heard the carrot before the stick? ?well, we MIGHT have some tenure-track positions open soon!?) There are two things I used to do weekly: 1) apply to a California community college, and 2) play the California lottery. There is now one thing I do every week: 1) play the California lottery. And I?m damn glad I do! I?m up $62 bucks this year!