Abstract
Purpose. The purposes of this study were to determine those state mandates that were perceived by chief student services officers as having an impact on their ability to implement programs and services at the California Community College level and to determine the degree to which the mandates help or hinder them in their duties. The study further examined the chief student services officers' recommendations for alternative solutions to those state mandates that were identified as a hindrance. Methodology. This qualitative descriptive study utilized a modified version of the Policy Delphi to answer the research questions as presented. Purposive sampling was used to identify a target population. The population for this study consisted of chief student services officers from California's 109 community colleges. Three rounds were used for data collection. Findings. Twenty-nine mandates were identified as a hindrance and twenty-three mandates were identified as helpful. Of the hindering mandates, two were perceived to hinder greatly, one mandate fell between hinders greatly and hinders and four mandates were perceived to hinder. Of the helpful mandates, one was perceived to help greatly, two fell between helps greatly and helps, and seven were perceived as helpful. Hindering mandates were primarily perceived to limit budgetary flexibility or interfere with an administrators' ability to hire additional staff. Helpful mandates were primarily perceived to provide or protect funding, and to protect the college during the student disciplinary process. When probed about alternatives to state mandates perceived as a hindrance, most panelists suggested eliminating the laws, or making slight adjustments to the existing law. Recommendations for action. It is clear that there is a disconnect between the California community college system and the state's political process. To bridge this gap, the community college system needs to develop lobbying efforts. Public relations efforts to mitigate the effects of voter-approved initiatives are also needed. Community colleges should join forces with other local agencies to fight for changes to Proposition 13. California should consider the re-establishment of a consultation committee to provide the community college system with input into the policy-making process. Chief student services officers are inundated by externally imposed mandates, yet it does not appear that they have a collective effort to influence change. Flexibility is greatly needed if community colleges are expected to produce outcomes. Flexibility will only be achieved through proactive political action.