An Exploratory Study of Self-efficacy in Community College Students

Approximately 6500 elected or appointed trustees govern local community colleges in 36 states. The great majority of these trustees are extraordinary citizens motivated by the opportunity to provide service to their communities and to their colleges. On occasion, a trustee emerges whose motivations do not support the common good; some of these trustees are known as “rogue trustees.” Like the rogue elephant, the rogue trustee runs roughshod over the norms and standards of expected behaviors. They tend to poison the culture of the college, and they can cause enormous damage. In this study 59 presidents share their mini-case studies of what motivates the rogue trustee. The study sheds light on a delicate issue that has been in the community college closet for decades.