About the Program

The primary features of the Kansas State University Community College Leadership Program (K-State CCLP) have been created by collaboration with many national community college leaders and include:

The CURRICULUM, created by national experts with vast experience in the community college, focuses exclusively on community college history, philosophy, issues, organization, programs, policy, and leadership. It is the most community college-centric curriculum ever created by a university.
FACULTY MEMBERS with extensive experience in and knowledge of the community college serve as faculty, professors and members of dissertation committees in the KSU CCLP. Over 75 nationally-known leaders have participated as guest lecturers in the program including Rob Johnstone, Founder & President, National Center for Inquiry & Improvement (NCII); Jerry Sue Thornton, President Emerita, Cuyahoga Community College; Richard Winn, President of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges; Lynn Tincher-Ladner, President & CEO of Phi Theta Kappa; Suzanne Walsh, President of Bennett College and former Deputy Director for Postsecondary Success at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; and Gerardo de los Santos, Ph.D., President and CEO Emeritus, League for Innovation and Senior Fellow, Civitas Learning. These lecturers and many other national leaders serve as members of dissertation committees in the KSU CCLP.
The KSU CCLP is offered in a COHORT MODEL of approximately 20-25 students to encourage collaborative learning and networking. In addition to professors who will meet on the local community college campus for the blended classes, a local cohort coordinator provides logistical support and assistance with dissertations.
To encourage active and practical learning the local community college hosting the cohort serves as a LEARNING LABORATORY with real-life issues serving as projects and products for course and internship content. In this way, the cohorts serve as campus catalysts to explore and implement change and action. From the initial orientation, doctoral students identify and foster shared values and a culture for their respective cohort and institution.
The professors come to the students for the FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES thus making this program highly accessible to working professionals. The face-to-face courses are augmented by online and Zoom discussions and assignments. The program includes two one-week leadership institutes, community and technical college site and association visits, and internal/external internships that provide for applied research and practical applications to ongoing coursework.
The program places high priority on recruiting women and ethnically DIVERSE MEMBERS to ensure that future leaders reflect the demographics of community college students.
The KSU CCLP is designed to be COMPLETED IN THREE YEARS and focuses on early explorations of issues that lend themselves to a dissertation. In addition, the research courses in the program support the creation and completion of applied research and dissertations.
The degree is a DOCTOR OF EDUCATION (Ed.D.) to prepare leaders for practical leadership. Although there has been a great deal of research about leadership in general, some publications dealing specifically with community college functions that require leadership, and competencies required for effective community college leadership, there has not been a sufficient focus on the practical issues that community college leaders face—often on a daily basis—and the impact their responses can have on a college. The CCLP at Kansas State University fills this need.
The program is designed so COHORTS CAN BE CREATED IN ANY REGION where there are enough students to enroll. The program draws faculty from senior leaders and seasoned educators from across the country to meet expanding program needs. Cohort members are part of a national network of community college leaders and aspiring leaders.
The entire program is VETTED BY the CCLP ADVISORY BOARD, comprised of national leaders, to ensure the program stays relevant to the changing issues and needs of community colleges.

From the initial orientation, doctoral students identify and foster shared values and a culture for their respective cohort and institution. By using college/district/state data and projects, students have opportunities to apply theory, participate in learning communities of inquiry, and gain from the knowledge and experiences from incoming faculty and other national leaders who serve as distinguished lecturers.

"The Roueche Community College Leadership Program has long been a national leader in the preparation of community college administrators who make a positive difference in their institutions and the communities they serve." – Dr. Jerry Johnson, Chair, K-State Department of Educational Leadership, and Lydia E. Skeen Endowed Professor in Education

The Leadership Team

John E. Roueche, Ph.D.

The program is founded on the 40-plus year legacy of Dr. John E. Roueche, a renowned scholar in community college leadership development, who served as the Sid W. Richardson Regents Chair and Professor at the University of Texas–Austin (1971-2012), during which time he hooded more than 600 doctoral graduates of whom more than 200 later became community college presidents throughout the nation. Dr. Roueche serves as the Executive Director of the Roueche Center and Senior Professor of Practice. His role is to lead the Center, expand the program nationally, foster program partnerships, and recruit.

Thirty-seven books and 175 articles document Dr. Roueche’s research agenda. At the University of Texas at Austin he directed more than $40 million in competitive grants. The recipient of many awards, Dr. Roueche received the 2016 Harry S. Truman Award from the American Association of Community Colleges and the 2012 Lifetime Leadership Achievement Award from the same organization. Further, the League for Innovation in the Community College named its Distinguished Leadership Award, The John E. Roueche and Terry O’Banion Leadership Award, in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to the scholarly literature related to community college leadership development.

Terry U. O'Banion, Ph.D.

Terry U O'Banion Dr. Terry U. O’Banion, President Emeritus and Senior Fellow for the League for Innovation in the Community College, serves as Senior Professor of Practice at K-State. Dr. O’Banion has been a consultant to special projects for the League, MetLife Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Chauncey Group International, Educational Testing Service, and more. Author of 17 books and over 200 monographs, chapters, and articles on the community college, Dr. O’Banion has consulted in over 1,000 community colleges. He oversees faculty evaluations and orientations, and contributes to program quality, publications, outreach, and development.

Margaretta B. Mathis, Ph.D.

Mrgaretta Mathis Dr. Margaretta B. Mathis serves as Senior Director of the John E. Roueche Center for Community College Leadership and Professor of Practice, Department of Educational Leadership, College of Education, at Kansas State University. Before joining the community college field, Dr. Mathis served for 25 years in national association management, and in federal and state government relations and policy development, including professional positions with the Institute of Supply Management, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives, and the Arizona Governor’s Community Policy Office. Prior to coming to K-State, she served as Senior Vice President, Roueche Graduate Center; and, as Senior Lecturer, The University of Texas-Austin where she contributed to developing and advising national initiatives, including: Achieving the Dream, Board of Trustees Institute, College and Career Transitions Initiative, Governance Institute for Student Success, Developmental Education Initiative, and Center for Community College Student Engagement’s Survey of Entering Student Engagement. She provides leadership for: graduate faculty in doctoral course development, curriculum updates and quality, and publications; cohort oversight, programming, and scheduling; operations, outreach, and development; dissertation committee assignments, orientations, and oversight; strategic direction, operations, and delivery. She teaches doctoral-level courses and serves as chair and member on CCLP dissertation committees.

Dora Pérez, Ph.D.

Dora Perez Dr. Dora Pérez serves as the Assistant Director of Programs and Projects at the Dr. John E. Roueche Center for Community College Leadership. Dr. Pérez assists in ongoing program development and operations by helping to create and implement processes and procedures to help with the success of doctoral students and faculty.

Dr. Pérez has over 14 years of broad higher education experience serving at El Paso Community College within student services and workforce development. Dr. Pérez also served as the designated international school officer at El Paso Community College. She is a high-energy individual with a strong work ethic aimed at improving student outcomes. She is dedicated to addressing student retention, learning, and improving graduation rates. Dr. Pérez also has experience in leadership, fundraising, staff development, and improving diversity initiatives. Her mission is to make a difference in student’s lives.

She earned a Ph.D. and Masters degrees in Educational Leadership and Administration from New Mexico State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at El Paso. She was honored as a Diversity Impact Program Fellow from the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors.