Date of Award
5-2023
Culminating Project Type
Dissertation
Styleguide
apa
Degree Name
Higher Education Administration: Ed.D.
Department
Educational Administration and Higher Education
College
School of Education
First Advisor
Rachel Friedensen
Second Advisor
Fred Hill
Third Advisor
Mumbi Mwangi
Fourth Advisor
Ajay Panicker
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
African American women, higher education, narrative research, stereotypes, mentoring, educational leadership
Abstract
This research study explored the experiences of African American women as they navigated challenges along their pathways to the position of president of colleges and universities. While there has been an increase in the percentage of women of color serving as presidents, the number of African American women holding these positions still needs to be higher. Therefore, this study focused on African American women as presidents in Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). I conducted a narrative inquiry designed to encourage participants to share their stories. I explored two research questions: 1) How have African American women navigated the administrative labyrinth to the presidency of colleges and universities? 2) How have race and gender affected African American women’s pathways to their institutions’ presidencies? The following five themes emerged from the analysis of the data: Breaking with traditions, The desire for success, Professional and personal support, The desire to be president, and Finding one’s way through the labyrinth. The findings show that African American women were steadfast, resolute, and determined to succeed despite the many challenges and barriers along their pathways to the presidency. In addition, the findings revealed that both private and professional mentoring helped the participants and that it was significant for their early aspirations for the position of president.
Recommended Citation
Lamin, Sylvester, "Navigating Challenges: Experiences of African American Women as Presidents in U.S. Institutions of Higher Education" (2023). Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration. 64.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/hied_etds/64
