Community college management has typically been cast as bureaucratic, allowing functional responsibilities of various offices to respond directly to specific needs and to respond directly to specified supervisors. One of the most popular and well-received depictions of this casting was offered by Birnbaum (1991), who aligned the clarity of community college mission with clean lines of authority.The intention of the Birnbaum description was to demonstrate that the evolution of the contemporary community college was based largely on the ability of these colleges to demonstrate and live a mission and philosophy grounded in clearly articulated ideas and activities. Community colleges were designed as teaching institutions that provided relevant curriculum to their local communities. However, much within the higher education landscape has changed both in philosophy and operation, especially in the dynamic arena of community college education. Changes include an increased reliance on state instead of local revenue, reliance on and attention to philanthropic support, a growing role in transfer education, service to international populations, a third or fourth generation of faculty who use a great deal of intentionality in selecting their occupations, and a commitment to facility sophistication that includes a broader variety of services, types of facilities, and technology. The result is a changing and challenging approach to leadership and decision making.