League for Innovation in the Community College March 2018 | Page 23

I
t was supposed to be about developing the leaders leadership skills, taking on a committee assignment, or
of tomorrow. That was the intent when the San Diego embarking on a management trajectory.
Community College District laid the groundwork for a
series of Leadership Academies serving faculty, staff, and More than 475 participants have taken part in the Leadership
administrators in 2009. The academies, however, have been Academies since the fall of 2009, and many more employees
building more than leaders. The program also has helped have participated in the independent workshops, seminars,
hundreds of employees—ranging from groundskeepers to mentorship program, and other features within the overall
academic department heads—network with each other and Professional Development Program.
build lasting working relationships in a sprawling district
that includes three college campuses and San Diego “The San Diego Community College District’s Professional
Continuing Education, as well as support services and district Development Program is designed to build the leadership
headquarters. skills and capabilities of the San Diego Community College
District management, faculty, and staff, as part of a succession
They have opened silos and exposed staff members to how planning model,” Chancellor Carroll said. “A steadily growing
other departments operate, the challenges they confront, network of Leadership Academy graduates has demonstrated
and the solutions they discover. The result: Employees at the the success of this program, which has provided them with
San Diego Community College District have become an even both techniques for working efficiently and effectively, as well
stronger family. as being able to relate to all levels of staff in a collegial and
productive manner.”
BUILDING TOMORROW’S LEADERS
The Classified Leadership Development Academy has
sparked intense interest, largely due to the wide array of
participants. The 27 participants in the class of 2016 included
SDCCD Leadership Academies serve faculty, staff, and
administrators across the district.
dispatchers with the college police department, a student
services technician at San Diego Mesa College, an accounting
technician at San Diego City College, a groundskeeper/
The Leadership Academy series—which includes the gardener at Facilities Services, and a Web designer at the
Management Leadership Development Academy, the district’s headquarters, among others.
Supervisory Leadership Development Academy, the
Classified Leadership Development Academy, and the Faculty “The academy gave me greater perspective and allowed
Leadership Development Academy—is a key element in me to see how my job and my responsibilities are having an
the district’s expansive Professional Development Program. impact on students throughout the district,” said Jessica Lee,
Leadership development has long been a top priority of the who has been with the district for 17 years, the past five as a
district’s Board of Trustees, and district Chancellor Constance senior secretary in Instructional Services. “It really emphasized
M. Carroll spearheaded the program to meet the district’s connecting with our counterparts at the different colleges and
strategic plan goal of establishing professional development continuing education.”
“
opportunities and resources to anyone interested in building
The academy gave me greater perspective and allowed
me to see how my job and my responsibilities are having
an impact on students throughout the district ...
MARCH 2018
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