In this chapter, the authors identify key challenges for community colleges concerning faculty and professional staff, as identified by consensus or through gaps inSince the inception of the junior college idea late in the nineteenth century (Rudolph, 1990), community college missions have evolved greatly, as have the perceptions of just what makes up the "community" each should be serving. A diverse cadre of educated professionals is needed to carry out this evolving mission. In addition, some experts would argue that conceptions of community college quality should be gauged not only by student learning outcomes but also by employees' professional growth and their sense of being valued. Indeed, creating a learning environment for both students and college employees may well be an additional aspect of the community college's evolving mission. To make better sense of this and other challenges, the discussion in this chapter focuses on literature from the 1990s. The identified challenges and potential solutions make it clear that there is much work to be done for everyone with an investment in the future success of community colleges.There is considerable consensus that three unfolding developmentsa shortage of qualified faculty to meet growing student demand, a movement toward a "learning paradigm" in community colleges, and the pervasive influence of technology-will leave a lasting imprint on a new generation of community college faculty. In addition, professional staff in community colleges-degreed employees who are neither faculty nor
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