CLAREMONT — A new executive coaching program recently begun at the Claremont Graduate University was designed to help chief executive officers of community colleges tackle the challenges of the largest higher education system in the world.

With the budget cuts, tuition increases and a rising demand for services, the Community College Leadership Development Initiatives at Claremont Graduate University hopes to provide support for community college CEOs.

"The CEO is in an isolated place," said Martha Romero, director of the Community College Leadership Development Initiatives and former community college CEO. "They can't talk candidly or appear to be vulnerable to their board or the people who work with them. Yet, they need a sounding board for ideas -- someone to talk to about the pros and cons of certain actions."

The coaches are retired CEOs and are trained by the Community College Leadership Development Initiatives to be familiar with the dilemmas and issues CEOs face. The coaches serve as a resource with whom the CEO can candidly discuss issues and at the same time maintain the reputation of the institution, staff, faculty, and the credibility of the board of trustees.

"One of the things I would have valued as a CEO is seeing things from a different perspective," Romero said. "For any individual there are blind spots. A coach can help you get outside of your own ideas."

There are 108 community colleges and about 1.5 million students in California community college system. The CEOs are are beset by increasing government mandates, shrinking budgets and rancorous local politics, Romero said. The coaching program hopes to curb the current annual turnover rate of community college CEOs of about 25 percent. The average tenure is five years, she said.

"There is much more student demand right now than funding allows," Romero said. "The leaders are expected to come up with solutions."

But the coaches come with a price tag.

A full coaching package is $3,000 for the coach and a $500 contracting fee for Community College Leadership Development Initiatives. The plan includes 12 coaching sessions, in person or on the phone, and a one-day visit to the college. But expenses, such as travel for the coach, are additional. The Community College Leadership Development Initiatives recommend this package for new CEOs for the first year of their contract.

A half package is available for $1,500 plus the $500 contracting fee, and includes six sessions, plus a on-day visit to the college. Expenses are additional. The Community College Leadership Development Initiatives recommends this package for a new CEO who may have prior executive experience but is going to a new institution or for a CEO facing a particularly challenging situation.

The program was officially launched at the beginning of May and has six coaches trained. A second group of 10 is being trained to join the coaching staff in the fall.