Five Ethical Paradigms for Community College Leaders

Abstract

This article encourages community college leaders to employ ethical paradigms when constructing and considering alternative courses of action in decision-making processes. The authors discuss four previously articulated paradigms (e.g., ethic of justice, ethic of critique, ethic of care, and ethic of the profession) and propose an additional paradigm-the ethic of local community. The ethic of local community is a communitarian and utilitarian frame embodied by the philosophical underpinnings and mission of the community college. Questions designed for praxis are proffered following a discourse on how each paradigm is defined and described in extant literature.

Football and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

“…In this chapter, we highlighted a number of questions that leaders can consider when determining the future of continuing football at the community college level. The benefits of football and the potential drawbacks from these benefits were examined through the ethic of local community (Wood & Hilton, ). This lens provided some lines of thinking for leaders to consider.…”

“…Community colleges are community‐based organizations designed to serve the needs and interests of their local communities. The ethic of local community was proposed by Wood and Hilton () as an overarching framework for decision‐making in community colleges. This perspective was based on observational insights about how decision‐making processes actually occur in community colleges.…”

“…With this in mind, a leader operating from an ethic of local community should consider: What are the implications or ramifications of continuing football for the local community of this decision for that dilemma? What potential courses of action would promote the best interest or greatest good for the local community? How will the community perceive or react to the issues and potential courses of action? (Wood & Hilton, , p. 209). Beyond these questions, leaders must also consider more specific questions about the legitimacy of eliminating or continuing football in light of the following four benefits for community colleges.…”

Student Stop Out and Retention at a Hispanic-Serving Institution in Southern California: The Role of Background, Academic, and Environmental Factors

“…Studies have shown that environmental factors external to the college context also influence Latinx students’ decisions to remain enrolled (Arana et al, 2011; Crisp et al, 2015; Kruse et al, 2015). Specifically, single parent status, having dependent children, and working full time correlate negatively with student outcomes, as these issues pull students away from full social and academic integration on campus, impacting their sense of belonging, desire, and ability to remain in college (Wood et al, 2012). Nora et al (1996) found that Hispanic female students who reported taking care of a family member were 83% more likely to drop out than similar peers without such commitments.…”

Historical Analysis of California Community College Decisions on Whether to Adopt Online Proctoring Software During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…There is significant literature on administrator decision making in community colleges (Freeman et al, 2021;Head, 2015;Oliver & Hioco, 2012;Wood & Hilton, 2012). However, there is a gap in literature focused on community college administrators' decision making about online proctoring software adoption.…”