Throughout my higher ed career, wherever I have roamed, on the periphery of my attention I have always thought positively about the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP), founded in 1964, with a current student population of 12,400 credit and 1,381 noncredit students. Just as I am a permanent Phillies and Eagles fan, I have a forever regard for Philadelphia colleges and universities. Wherever I have lived (Providence, New York City, Anchorage, Phoenix, Chicago), Philadelphia, my hometown, has always been on my mind and in my heart.
Before I ventured away from Philly, when I was a faculty member and administrator at Arcadia University (then called Beaver College), I was impressed with early partnership activities in the late 70s and 80s between CCP and Beaver. Through the years, I maintained a positive regard for CCP faculty, especially those in English, my academic field. The Philadelphia area has special advantages in attracting top-notch faculty members to all its institutions. As many have observed, the city economy is built on eds and meds — and, I’d add, the arts. Many talented people want to be in this environment.
Now that I have returned to my hometown, I’ve had opportunities to observe CCP at closer range. In one instance I attended a day-long meeting of PHENND (Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development) at CCP’s Career and Advanced Technology Center at 4750 Market Street. This state-of-the-art facility is designed for “creating solutions” and “bringing career training and community building to the forefront of our neighborhoods.” During my visit, I felt the reality of that commitment.
Right now, CCP is without leadership — and leadership matters. On April 10, Donald Guy Generals, CCP president since 2014, in an action clouded in mystery, was ousted by the board of trustees and placed on paid leave. Generals had expected his contract not to be renewed, but he thought that he would stay at the helm at least until its expiration in June, leading the budget presentation to City Council on April 29 and presiding over commencement on May 3.
Perhaps by the time of this article’s publication, the CCP board will have appointed an interim president. The interim appointment is important because CCP will probably have to launch a search, which can take some time. Now more than ever an important Philadelphia higher education institution needs strong, capable leadership.
CCP needs a leader who understands and defends the core values of college independence (whether public or private) and intellectual freedom. In a democracy, government cannot dictate curriculum or teaching practices.
A bad time for a new president search
April 2025 is not the best time to search for an excellent leader. It may actually be the worst time. All of higher education, not just the Ivy League, is under attack. As a teaching college, CCP may not be in jeopardy of losing millions of dollars in research funding, but CCP routinely benefits from federal grantslike TRIO that provide support for counselling and tutoring and other student services. The uncertainty of these resources poses challenges to under-resourced community colleges. In my opinion, all community colleges, including CCP, are already under-resourced.
On April 22, several community college presidents were among more than 150 current higher ed leaders to sign A Call for Constructive Engagement, denouncing “unprecedented government overreach and political interference.” Philadelphia-area signers include President Wendy Cadge (Bryn Mawr); President J. Larry Jameson (University of Pennsylvania); President Wendy E. Raymond (Haverford College); President Valerie Smith (Swarthmore College). Why is CCP not among the community college presidential signers of the document from Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey? Oh, right! CCP lacks a president and therefore a potential presidential signature.
It’s hard to know why the CCP board did not launch a search for their next president at the time they decided not to renew President Generals’ contract. In the current climate a leadership gap is especially troubling.
Although the pool of excellent candidates may be smaller than usual, it’s still possible — and essential — to find a president with the qualities necessary for CCP leadership.
Qualities needed in a new CCP President (interim and permanent)
Courage, integrity and character
In Hail to the Champions of University Values, I focused on the leadership qualities of Temple University President John Fry and Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber.
Courage and integrity are always important in a leader — but never more than now, when core values of higher education and of democracy itself are under fire. Anyone who can’t take the heat should not apply. As Stephen Sample, the former president of the University of Southern California, famously said, “Know the hill you’re going to die on, and don’t try to die on every hill.” While a reasonable practicality is always in order, in the current circumstance where the rule of law has become optional, the death-threatening hills are more numerous.
Right now, CCP is without leadership — and leadership matters. On April 10, Donald Guy Generals, CCP president since 2014, in an action clouded by mystery, was ousted by the board of trustees and placed on paid leave.
CCP needs a leader who understands and defends the core values of college independence (whether public or private) and intellectual freedom. In a democracy, government cannot dictate curriculum or teaching practices.
Character is the most important leadership quality. But it’s also the most difficult to ascertain in conventional presidential searches.
Commitment to CCP mission
A college’s mission statement should be the guiding light for leadership. Here is CCP’s mission:
Community College of Philadelphia is an open-admission, associate-degree-granting institution which provides access to higher education for all who may benefit. Its programs of study in the liberal arts and sciences, career technologies, and basic academic skills provide a coherent foundation for college transfer, employment and lifelong learning. The College serves Philadelphia by preparing its students to be informed and concerned citizens, active participants in the cultural life of the city, and enabled to meet the changing needs of business, industry and the professions. To help address broad economic, cultural and political concerns in the city and beyond, the College draws together students from a wide range of ages and backgrounds and seeks to provide the programs and support they need to achieve their goals.
The next CCP president should continue and strengthen this mission of inclusivity, life-long learning, balancing the liberal arts with career preparation and education for concerned and informed citizenship.
I admire CCP for not joining the community colleges who spend time, energy and political capital on developing four-year degrees. In some cases, these community colleges, especially in rural areas, are not getting adequate cooperation from universities and sincerely wish to serve local students with technical bachelor’s degrees. But too often there is an element of ambition, deviating from the two-year mission for reasons of perceived prestige. With an abundance of affordable four-year degrees available in the Philadelphia area, I applaud CCP for focusing on effective transfer advising for four-year degree achievement and for celebrating and forwarding the two-year mission.
Ability to build bridges
The next CCP president should continue the ongoing work of building bridges between K-12 and between local universities and colleges. The Temple Scholars program is now connecting with Philadelphia middle-school students. Penn has developed strategic outreach to high schoolers. CCP’s new leader should collaborate with Temple, Penn, Drexel and other area colleges to make every Philadelphia student 100 percent college-bound. Yes, every student. Despite popular assumptions, I do believe that college is for everyone, but not our grandparents’ traditional college degree. CCP offers affordable technical options that Philadelphia students should know about early in their schooling.
The CCP president should help to convince the leaders of other institutions that they are not really competitors but collaborators. With more than half of the U.S. population never completing a degree of any kind, the real challenge is to reach those students who are now deprived of higher education.
Finding a new CCP president with the above attributes will not be easy. I urge the CCP board to try some unconventional strategies. Perhaps a public interview process, like the School District of Philadelphia had in 2021, when it brought three potential superintendent candidates to town to meet parents, students and teachers before hiring Tony Watlington. Doing so would be in line with CCP’s mission of inculcating civic responsibility. It would also counter the lack of transparency evident in the former president’s departure.
Consult with CCP faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors and members of the Philadelphia community. Make sure that one of the consulted citizens is Howie Roseman, who, in my estimation, makes the best hiring decisions in Philadelphia — maybe in the nation.
Elaine Maimon, Ph.D., is the author of Leading Academic Change: Vision, Strategy, Transformation. Her long career in higher education has encompassed top executive positions at public universities as well as distinction as a scholar in rhetoric/composition. Her co-authored book, Writing In The Arts and Sciences, has been designated as a landmark text. She is a Distinguished Fellow of the Association for Writing Across the Curriculum.
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