Leadership perspectives on diverse student needs at three urban community colleges in the south

Urban community colleges provide access to postsecondary education's most diverse and underserved student populations. Students enrolled in these institutions often face academic, financial, and social challenges that shrink their odds of success. Leaders from three urban community colleges in the Southern United States shared the importance of addressing these students’ unique needs to improve student outcomes. Relationship building, reimagining institutional efforts, and seeking campus‐wide commitments were cited as ways that administrative leaders can remove both tangible and intangible barriers thwarting underserved students’ success.