There are some good reasons why the VCCS is structured the way it is. Having a state-level governing board oversee a strong statewide system of colleges is the state’s way of assuring that the level of funding and quality of programs are available for all sections of the state. While every college in the system is different, the funding for the colleges and quality of programs are quite similar. While some VCCS presidents may disagree, there are not "haves and have-nots" in the VCCS. This is important, for, as anyone who is familiar with the state’s public school systems is aware, the quality of schools in some sections of the state has suffered drastically in relation to other sections because of funding, or the lack thereof.

A second reason for the VCCS’s approach is that the decision was made to have the Virginia community colleges funded primarily by state tax dollars, thus guaranteeing that all sections of the state would have a community college. If Virginia had relied primarily upon local tax dollars, as some states do, it is likely that some sections of the state could not have afforded a community college. It is almost a certainty that some sections would not have gotten a college when they did, were it not for the VCCS.

But those who helped structure the VCCS knew that if a community college were to serve its community, it must have representatives of the community committed to the college. This was accomplished through the establishment of local college boards. College board members were to be the local college’s "eyes and ears" for identifying community concerns.

Virginia, then, has the best of all worlds: a strong system with outstanding colleges in every section of the state and local college boards that work to assure that each college represents the needs of its community.

Let us, for the moment, think of the state board-local board relationship as similar to the chancellor-president relationship. No one would suggest that the chancellor is unimportant in the VCCS. Indeed, the chancellor is the legally appointed head of the system just as the state board is the legally appointed governing board for the system. Looking at the other side of the same coin, no one would suggest that the 23 presidents are unimportant, for they are the chief executive officers of each of the state’s 23 colleges. The chancellor and the presidents are important. Their roles, however, are quite different. The same is true with the state board and local board: both boards are important, but their roles are different. I would go so far as to suggest that both the college boards and the state board have their own sphere of influence.

Indeed, I believe it is a big mistake if both college and state board members do not realize that both the state board and local boards are important; they need each other, and both are needed if the VCCS is to fulfill its mission and achieve its potential. Indeed, the VCCS and its colleges have the same objective: to improve the communities and the lives of the people served by the colleges.

Community colleges are not all alike: they are influenced by the political, economic, social, and, increasingly, the technological environments in which they function. Successful community colleges must be responsive to the unique needs of their communities. Only people on the scene—college board members in this case—are in a position to monitor the unique needs of their community and communicate those needs to the president of the college. There are 275 college board members in the VCCS. If each one talks to 5 people in a week about Virginia’s community colleges, then almost 1,400 people will have gotten the good word in a week’s time.

There are several contributions made by college board members to the VCCS and thus to society. A major contribution of the college board is that its members are in touch with the local community. As one VCCS president puts it, our college board "is extremely astute about understanding and articulating the needs of the . . . community we serve." Another president, in commenting on the contributions of college board members, suggests that "they are invaluable in helping translate the college mission, programs, and services throughout the college’s service region, and [they] provide input on programs and services as needed, as well as [helping] evaluate existing programs." Another president finds that the college board members are "excellent baro-meters of community views, especially on issues that are controversial or sensitive." For another president, the college board serves as "a vehicle through which I gather information regarding the perceptions the community has of the college and of my own presence in the community."

A second major contribution is in the political arena, especially at the local level. Any president who has ever had to face a group of tight-fisted county supervisors or city council members—and all 23 presidents either have or will face just such as group—finds great comfort in having an astute, well-respected college board member at his or her side. I know that while president of Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC), I would have never gotten a dime from one of our counties had it not been for the help I received from a member of the college board. One VCCS president notes that "board members have been very helpful" in our obtaining local funds. Another president describes the members of the college board as "wonderful ambassadors" for the college with the boards of supervisors. Yet another president notes that college board members serve as advocates for the college when it is time for supervisors or council members to vote on the local funds budget.

College board members can also open doors that might otherwise be closed in various segments of the community for the president and for the college. For example, a female board member may well be able to introduce a male president to segments of society that he would not be in touch with otherwise. College board members who are minorities may have invaluable insights into the community that a non-minority president would not have. As one president notes, college board members introduce her to "the movers and shakers" in the community.

The college board can offer advice and suggestions to the state board, especially on local issues that the state board may not be familiar with. This is a role that must be approached with caution. College board members should not bypass presidents and the chancellor, no matter what the issue is or how well connected the local board member might be. The temptation to bypass the president is especially strong in those cases when college board and state board members are close friends or neighbors.

Finally, college board members are often the only people presidents can turn to for advice, comfort, and, occasionally, sympathy. The presidency is often a lonely position. Boards members hear new ideas from presidents and their representatives and react to those ideas. One VCCS president finds that members of the board are people "with whom I can discuss confidential and sensitive issues and receive candid responses with the full knowledge that the discussions will remain confidential." Another president in the system notes that the relationship with the board is "open and supportive."

Local board members like state board members, devote their time, energy, knowledge, experience, and talents to improving Virginia’s community colleges. The VCCS is a very strong system because its parts are strong. We have a state board that makes policies; we have a chancellor and 23 presidents who carry out those policies; and, we have 275 local college board members who are in touch with their local communities and who are committed to the community college’s mission. Together, we form a team; the strength of the VCCS team comes, in part, from the contributions of its various segments. All members of the VCCS team are important, and, as a result of all segments working together, the strength of the system as a whole far exceeds the strength of its parts. We need each other and the state and nation need committed board members as Virginia’s 23 community colleges and the System office prepare to lead the state and nation into a new century, a century in which the community college will be more important than it has ever been.

George B. Vaughan is Professor of Higher Education and editor of the COMMUNITY COLLEGE REVIEW at North Carolina State University. His forthcoming book (fall of 1999) will examine a number of common mistakes that cause community college presidents to lose their effectiveness. He served as a community college president in Virginia for 17 years, 6 as president of Mountain Empire and 11 as president of Piedmont Virginia. While president of Piedmont Virginia Community College, he was named one of the 50 of the most effective community college presidents in the nation.