Exploring How Community College Presidents Make Human Resources Decisions for Financial Aid Departments in an Era of Uncertainty

Community college presidents play a critical role in making decisions that shape the organizational cultures and policies of their institutions. This study explored the perceptions of 15 public community college presidents in Texas. Using focus groups and grounded theory methods, this research applied analytical frameworks focused on human resources in education to examine how community college presidents make decisions about financial aid departments. In doing so, this study also shares mechanisms that community college presidents use to encourage professional development for financial aid staff. Findings show that the decision-making process of community college presidents is highly influenced by the “culture of compliance” that many financial aid departments experience as a result of state and federal regulations. The findings also highlight the need for presidents to engage in relationship building within and outside of the institution to encourage professional development opportunities for staff. Implications for higher education practice are offered.