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John E. Roueche Center for Community College Leadership

The John E. Roueche Center for Community College Leadership

A Legacy of Leadership Excellence

Kansas State University is home to the John E. Roueche Center for Community College Leadership. The center carries on his vision to cultivate bold, visionary leaders who will guide community colleges through periods of rapid change.

At the heart of the Community College Leadership Program is Dr. John E. Roueche, one of the nation’s most influential voices in community college leadership. Known to colleagues, students and alumni as both a mentor and friend, Dr. Roueche has always believed in the power of relationships.

His philosophy is simple yet profound: “The human touch matters.” That belief has guided his decades of leadership and continues to shape the program that bears his name.

Over his decades-long career, Dr. Roueche has authored dozens of books and hundreds of articles that shaped the conversation on community college access, student success and institutional transformation. His impact has been felt in classrooms, boardrooms and statehouses across the country, and his legacy continues through the Center that bears his name.

"The Roueche Community College Leadership Program has long been a national leader in the preparation of community college administrators who make a positive difference in their institutions and the communities they serve." – Dr. Jerry Johnson, Chair, K-State Department of Educational Leadership, and Lydia E. Skeen Endowed Professor in Education

The Birth of the Community College Leadership Program

Recognizing the urgent national need for prepared leaders, the Community College Leadership Program (CCLP) was reimagined when it moved to Kansas State University’s College of Education.

Unlike generic doctoral programs in higher education, the CCLP is:

Exclusively focused on community colleges, with a curriculum built around their unique history, mission and challenges.
Accessible to working professionals, delivered through a cohort model with flexible online learning and in-person leadership institutes.
Led by experienced practitioners, bringing together presidents, chancellors and senior administrators who have built their careers in community colleges.

Since its founding, the program has attracted aspiring leaders from across the country, creating a national network of alumni who now serve as presidents, vice presidents, deans, faculty leaders and policy influencers.

Today, it blends tradition with innovation:

Courses updated to align with AACC leadership competencies.
A redesigned, blended delivery format using virtual meeting platforms to meet the needs of today’s busy professionals.
Continued emphasis on preparing the next generation of leaders to guide the nation’s community and technical colleges.

This evolution ensures that the CCLP remains the most community-college-focused doctoral program in the nation.

Nationally Recognized Leadership Network

One of the program’s greatest strengths is its expansive network of alumni and friends. Leaders across the country — presidents, vice presidents, deans and faculty — call themselves part of the CCLP family. This network extends beyond graduation, fostering collaboration, mentorship and a shared commitment to advancing community college leadership nationwide.

The Center and the program have engaged more than 75 distinguished leaders as faculty, guest lecturers and dissertation committee members. These include presidents emeriti, national association leaders and innovators in student success and institutional transformation.

This deep bench of expertise ensures that the program stays current with the most pressing issues facing community colleges today — from equity and student completion to governance, finance and workforce development.

The Ongoing Mission

Today, the John E. Roueche Center for Community College Leadership and the Community College Leadership Ed.D. continue their shared mission: to develop courageous, innovative leaders who will shape the future of America’s community colleges.

By combining rigorous scholarship with applied learning and real-world projects, the program prepares graduates not only to take on leadership roles but to transform the institutions they serve.

The John E. Roueche Legacy

To honor and sustain this legacy, Kansas State University created the John E. Roueche Leadership Legacy Fund. This philanthropic account supports:

High-quality doctoral leadership development
CCLP Leadership Institutes
Community college leadership research and scholarship
Graduate student awards and scholarships

By contributing, alumni and friends keep alive the values John Roueche instilled: connection, learning and transformational leadership.

Give to the John E. Roueche Leadership Legacy Fund

Gifts are tax-deductible and directly support the next generation of courageous community college leaders.

The Leadership Team

The late Dr. Terry U. O'Banion served as President Emeritus and Senior Fellow for the League for Innovation in the Community College and as Senior Professor of Practice at K-State. He was a member of the leadership team until his death in 2025.

John E. Roueche, Ph.D.

The program is founded on the 40-plus year legacy of Dr. John E. Roueche, a renowned scholar in community college leadership development, who served as the Sid W. Richardson Regents Chair and Professor at the University of Texas–Austin (1971-2012), during which time he hooded more than 600 doctoral graduates of whom more than 200 later became community college presidents throughout the nation. Dr. Roueche serves as the Executive Director of the Roueche Center and Senior Professor of Practice. His role is to lead the Center, expand the program nationally, foster program partnerships, and recruit.

Thirty-seven books and 175 articles document Dr. Roueche’s research agenda. At the University of Texas at Austin he directed more than $40 million in competitive grants. The recipient of many awards, Dr. Roueche received the 2016 Harry S. Truman Award from the American Association of Community Colleges and the 2012 Lifetime Leadership Achievement Award from the same organization. Further, the League for Innovation in the Community College named its Distinguished Leadership Award, The John E. Roueche and Terry O’Banion Leadership Award, in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to the scholarly literature related to community college leadership development.

Margaretta B. Mathis, Ph.D.

Mrgaretta Mathis Dr. Margaretta B. Mathis serves as Senior Director of the John E. Roueche Center for Community College Leadership and Professor of Practice, Department of Educational Leadership, College of Education, at Kansas State University. Before joining the community college field, Dr. Mathis served for 25 years in national association management, and in federal and state government relations and policy development, including professional positions with the Institute of Supply Management, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives, and the Arizona Governor’s Community Policy Office. Prior to coming to K-State, she served as Senior Vice President, Roueche Graduate Center; and, as Senior Lecturer, The University of Texas-Austin where she contributed to developing and advising national initiatives, including: Achieving the Dream, Board of Trustees Institute, College and Career Transitions Initiative, Governance Institute for Student Success, Developmental Education Initiative, and Center for Community College Student Engagement’s Survey of Entering Student Engagement. She provides leadership for: graduate faculty in doctoral course development, curriculum updates and quality, and publications; cohort oversight, programming, and scheduling; operations, outreach, and development; dissertation committee assignments, orientations, and oversight; strategic direction, operations, and delivery. She teaches doctoral-level courses and serves as chair and member on CCLP dissertation committees.

Dora Pérez, Ph.D.

Dora Perez Dr. Dora Pérez serves as the Assistant Director of Programs and Projects at the Dr. John E. Roueche Center for Community College Leadership. Dr. Pérez assists in ongoing program development and operations by helping to create and implement processes and procedures to help with the success of doctoral students and faculty.

Dr. Pérez has over 14 years of broad higher education experience serving at El Paso Community College within student services and workforce development. Dr. Pérez also served as the designated international school officer at El Paso Community College. She is a high-energy individual with a strong work ethic aimed at improving student outcomes. She is dedicated to addressing student retention, learning, and improving graduation rates. Dr. Pérez also has experience in leadership, fundraising, staff development, and improving diversity initiatives. Her mission is to make a difference in student’s lives.

She earned a Ph.D. and Masters degrees in Educational Leadership and Administration from New Mexico State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at El Paso. She was honored as a Diversity Impact Program Fellow from the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors.