Analyzing Leadership Practices of Enrollment Management at Fletcher Technical Community College

The study problem was the lack of available information regarding leadership in enrollment management at community colleges. As legislators continue to increase tuition in Louisiana to offset holes in the state budget, leaders in enrollment management at community colleges are being heavily relied upon to successfully recruit and retain students to generate revenue; hence, identifying the essential leadership practices the professionals employ is critical because the student revenue enables leaders to address the academic needs of institutions. An explanatory qualitative case study was the research methodology used for the study. The purpose of the explanatory qualitative case study was to analyze and understand the effect of enrollment management leadership practices employed by the dean of student affairs at Fletcher Technical Community College in Houma, Louisiana. A group of five members of the Office of Student Affairs, two members of the Chancellor's Cabinet, and the dean of student affairs were interviewed using an interview protocol to gather data relevant to fulfilling the purpose of the study. A focus group with three students from the institution was conducted to identify common and divergent themes associated with the phenomenon. Student services reports were used as supporting documentation to produce triangulation to enhance confidence in ensuring the findings of the study. The 10 commitments of the 5 practices of exemplary leadership from Kouzes and Posner's leadership model was the formally tested instrument used in the study to identify the most essential leadership skills expressed by the dean of student affairs. The study revealed that the majority of the participants experienced positive effects from the dean of student affairs' frequently expressed leadership practices. Outcomes of the dean's leadership practices included participants viewing her as a role model and a visionary. Participants' experiences with the dean yielded favorable results, which included motivation and enthusiasm as products of the dean expressing the leadership practice of encouraging the heart. Based on the results, future research is warranted in the area of leadership in enrollment management at community colleges with respect to building leaders from within the organization and engaging disengaged employees to create a synergy among staff.