In late 2025, staff at the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) reached out to directors of community college leadership doctoral programs at colleges and universities across the country with a request: Send us the best research from a recent class of doctoral graduates.
The goal is to give readers a glimpse into the research that rising community college leaders have conducted to better understand and advance the sector.
opens in a new windowDownload the publication hereopens PDF file (PDF) to read the doctoral graduates’ abstracts. Links to their full dissertations are provided below.
Full Dissertations
Policies and Best Practices in Addressing Digital Equity Gaps: A Multisite Case Study of Leaders Within a Community College Systemopens PDF file
by Vicki Bowman Calfa, Ed.D.
Structural Empowerment and Employee-Driven Innovation in a Community College: Faculty and Professional Staff Perspectives on Organizational Conditions for Innovationopens PDF file
by Samantha Brooke Croft, Ph.D.
Black Community College Students with Nonapparent Disabilities: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Exploring Self-Advocacyopens PDF file
by Vanessa Hall Powell, Ed.D.
Exploring Faculty Engagement and Transfer Student Capital in AAS Degree Pathwaysopens PDF file
by Erica Harper, Ph.D.
Assessment as Sensemaking: Community College Faculty Chair Perspectivesopens PDF file
by Andrew Neuendorf, Ed.D.
Responding to California Community College Enrollment Decline: A Grounded Theory Model to Add a Chief Enrollment Management Officeropens PDF file
by Daniel James Predoehl, Ed.D.
“A Lift-Up, Not a Handout”: Exploring the Impact of Resource Scarcity and Emergency Microgrants on Community College Studentsopens PDF file
by Heather Weinstein, Ed.D.
The Silent Heroes: Exploring the Perspectives and Experiences of Military Spouses Within the Community College Transfer Processopens PDF file
by Jennifer Wisely, Ed.D.