Members of boards of trustees of North Carolina community colleges : their selected personal characteristics and attitudes toward institutional role and governance

The purpose of this study was to determine for the State of North Carolina: (l) the personal characteristics of local community college board members, (2) the attitudes of board members toward functions of the local community college, and (3) the relationships between personal characteristics and attitudes. The population potential of this study included 178 board members serving in the State of North Carolina during the spring of 1973• A total of 152 board members, or 85.29 per cent, responded to a questionnaire designed to obtain the necessary data. The study revealed that in the spring of 1973 the typical board member serving North Carolina community colleges was a white male about 55 years old and a resident of a small town or rural area. He had earned at least a bachelor's degree and a median family income between $25,001 and $32,000, with almost one-half reporting a family income of more than $32,001. He was active in a professional or managerial occupation and reported a parental status of one to three children. The majority of board members reported that they had resided in the county where the college he served was located for over 30 years and had two to three years experience on public school boards. Over 90 per cent had over three years experience on community college boards