Community college governance is a process for distributing authority, influence, and resources among internal and external constituencies. Having evolved from traditional public school bureaucratic and political models that emphasize control and oversight, community college governance is now a dynamic process with a host of participants. Gone are the days when presidents and trustees acted unilaterally on college issues. Although boards retain the legal authority to govern their colleges, prudent...

This issue will help college leaders inform themselves about legal issues that threaten institutional stability and effectiveness today. Across the nation, community colleges are being sued with increasing frequency over a variety of issues. Officials are confronted with a multitude of federal statutes and court rulings that have made governance and administration more complex and legalistic than ever before. Special-interest groups, like teachers' unions and taxpayers' associations, are increasingly...