University of North Texas 
Community College Leadership
Higher Education — Community College Leadership
Graduate Academic Certificate program
About
Community colleges are facing an impending leadership crisis. The current generation of college presidents, senior administrators, and faculty leaders are retiring at a rapid rate. With the presidential median age of sixty as of 2012, 42 percent of presidents are expected to retire in the next five years. Upcoming retirements in leadership positions are projected to continue to be higher than normal as a generational change takes place.
This provides community colleges an opportunity to hire or promote energetic new academic and administrative leaders with new ideas and the right credentials that will help colleges respond to the increasing demands on higher education institutions.
Objectives
- Provide currently employed community college professionals who hold master's degrees a certificate that will add depth and breadth to their knowledge of community colleges.
- Provide graduate-level professional development opportunities related to community college mission, finance and administration, leadership, economic and community development, teaching and learning, and contemporary issues.
Apply
- Apply through the UNT Graduate Admissions Website
- An earned master's degree from an accredited college or university
- Submit a resume/curriculum vitae and letter of interest addressing:
- Your reasons for pursuing the community college leadership certificate;
- Your immediate and long-range academic and career goals;
- Your work experience and previous education as it relates to community colleges.
Courses
Courses You Will Take
EDHE 5610 - Finance and Budgeting in Higher Education
- Introduction to major elements of budgeting and finance in higher education. Designed to comprehensively address the budget process in colleges and universities, as well as the impact of budget activities on all areas of planning and operations within a higher education institution.
EDHE 6060 - History and Philosophy of the Community College
- Exploration of the development and the evolution of the community college as an innovation in U.S. higher education. Factors that influenced its creation and development, the historical and philosophical roots and the mission and function of community colleges.
EDHE 6080 - Community College Leadership
- Examination of the theory and practice of leadership as these apply to the comprehensive community college. Topics include motivational theory, communications, group decision making, problem solving, conflict resolution, organizational theory, and career planning and development.
EDHE 6710 - Organization and Administration in Higher Education
- Examination of the theoretical principles of organizational behavior, leadership and institutional culture applied to a functional examination of administrative roles in higher education.
These courses may be applied toward a doctorate in Higher Education, with a cognate area in community college.
Mayra Olivares-Urueta
Executive in Residence
Counseling and Higher Education
Dr. Mayra Olivares-Urueta is a nationally recognized higher education leader, scholar, and advocate with a
deep passion for advancing community colleges. At the University of North Texas, she
serves as full-time faculty, leading the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program in Higher Education. In this role, she advises doctoral students, chairs dissertation committees, and
guides research that informs the practice of higher education leadership. She is currently
Co-Principal Investigator for the Data-to-Action for Parenting Students Grant (D2A TX), a Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board initiative designed to improve outcomes
for parenting students across the state. She also serves on the National Conference Committee for the 2027 Annual Meeting of the National Association
of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), helping to shape the future of the field.
Mayra’s professional trajectory has spanned diverse institutional types—including a state flagship university, a medical center, and her heart’s work: community colleges. She has served in roles advancing student life, academic integrity, health services, and inclusion and belonging initiatives, while also overseeing federally funded TRiO programs. She previously served as registrar and led enrollment management initiatives in recruitment, dual credit, and early college high school, culminating in her appointment as Vice President for Student Development Services at Tarrant County College’s Northeast Campus.
Her scholarship includes publications, book chapters, and national presentations on student success, community college leadership, institutional transformation, and culturally responsive practices in higher education. Her work has appeared in venues such as the Journal of Applied Research in the Community College, Community College Journal of Research and Practice, and through presentations at NASPA, AACC, and TACHE. She is committed to bridging research and practice to amplify the voices and lived experiences of community college students and leaders.
Her leadership has been recognized nationally: she was a Fellow of the Aspen Institute Rising Presidents Program (2020), a National Community College Hispanic Council Fellow (2015), and a recipient of the American Association of Women in Community Colleges’ 40 Under 40 Award (2018). She also served as President of the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE), as an institutional coach with The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, and as Faculty-in-Residence with NASPA’s Community Colleges Division. She served as Chair of the 2025 NASPA Community Colleges Institute, shaping national dialogue around the future of the sector.
Beyond her formal roles, Mayra has contributed to educational and civic service through the Arlington ISD Family Engagement Committee, the advisory board for Townview School for the Health Professions (Dallas ISD), and the Bellwether College Consortium, among others.
Her story is both personal and professional: the proud daughter of Rosario, an immigrant mother and community college student, Mayra is herself a first-generation English Language Learner who persevered through developmental education. Defying statistics, she earned dual bachelor’s degrees in European Studies and Spanish with a French minor, followed by a master’s in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma. In 2013, she completed her Ph.D. in Higher Education at the University of North Texas.
Outside of her professional life, Mayra enjoys strength training, traveling with her family, and attending live concerts (especially The Killers). She is a proud mom, a lover of bold glasses and funky accessories, and never misses an opportunity to cheer on her daughters’ creativity and curiosity. She also has a cavapoo named Luna, who is her loyal shadow and window-watching companion. At the heart of it all, she is supported by an amazing partner, and her work is fueled in part by the future she is building for her children—and for all the students and families coming down the line.
Today, Dr. Olivares-Urueta continues to build on her lived experience, scholarship, and leadership to strengthen higher education systems and expand opportunities for the students who need them most.
Mayra’s professional trajectory has spanned diverse institutional types—including a state flagship university, a medical center, and her heart’s work: community colleges. She has served in roles advancing student life, academic integrity, health services, and inclusion and belonging initiatives, while also overseeing federally funded TRiO programs. She previously served as registrar and led enrollment management initiatives in recruitment, dual credit, and early college high school, culminating in her appointment as Vice President for Student Development Services at Tarrant County College’s Northeast Campus.
Her scholarship includes publications, book chapters, and national presentations on student success, community college leadership, institutional transformation, and culturally responsive practices in higher education. Her work has appeared in venues such as the Journal of Applied Research in the Community College, Community College Journal of Research and Practice, and through presentations at NASPA, AACC, and TACHE. She is committed to bridging research and practice to amplify the voices and lived experiences of community college students and leaders.
Her leadership has been recognized nationally: she was a Fellow of the Aspen Institute Rising Presidents Program (2020), a National Community College Hispanic Council Fellow (2015), and a recipient of the American Association of Women in Community Colleges’ 40 Under 40 Award (2018). She also served as President of the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE), as an institutional coach with The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, and as Faculty-in-Residence with NASPA’s Community Colleges Division. She served as Chair of the 2025 NASPA Community Colleges Institute, shaping national dialogue around the future of the sector.
Beyond her formal roles, Mayra has contributed to educational and civic service through the Arlington ISD Family Engagement Committee, the advisory board for Townview School for the Health Professions (Dallas ISD), and the Bellwether College Consortium, among others.
Her story is both personal and professional: the proud daughter of Rosario, an immigrant mother and community college student, Mayra is herself a first-generation English Language Learner who persevered through developmental education. Defying statistics, she earned dual bachelor’s degrees in European Studies and Spanish with a French minor, followed by a master’s in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma. In 2013, she completed her Ph.D. in Higher Education at the University of North Texas.
Outside of her professional life, Mayra enjoys strength training, traveling with her family, and attending live concerts (especially The Killers). She is a proud mom, a lover of bold glasses and funky accessories, and never misses an opportunity to cheer on her daughters’ creativity and curiosity. She also has a cavapoo named Luna, who is her loyal shadow and window-watching companion. At the heart of it all, she is supported by an amazing partner, and her work is fueled in part by the future she is building for her children—and for all the students and families coming down the line.
Today, Dr. Olivares-Urueta continues to build on her lived experience, scholarship, and leadership to strengthen higher education systems and expand opportunities for the students who need them most.
Matthews Hall 207-C