Education Commons^™

Women In Leadership Positions In Higher Education: Challenges, Opportunities, And Strategies For Success, Maria Bowen

M.S. in Leadership

This research project is aimed to identify the challenges and barriers women face in higher education while striving to obtain leadership positions and provide possible solutions to resolve the gender gaps found in higher education’s leadership. A literature review was conducted, which informed questions that were asked in an interview setting. Interviews were conducted with leaders that identify as women in higher education and sought to provide personalized accounts of the researched trends. Ultimately, despite higher education being perceived as a progressive industry and having legislature in place to combat gender disparities, leadership positions are not reflective of gender distribution …

The Perceptions And Lived Experiences Of African American Female Faculty At Predominantly White Institutions: A Phenomenological Study, Jasmine L. Jackson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological approach aims to understand the perceptions and lived experiences of African-American female faculty at predominantly White institutions and the strategies used to overcome barriers. The theory guiding this study is intersectionality theory, introduced by Kimberlè Crenshaw, discovering the multilayers of discrimination that women face and providing a template to encourage antidiscrimination. This theory adequately addresses the focus of this inquiry because it highlights the discrimination often experienced by African-American female faculty and the experiences of various individuals from the targeted population. This study's methodology was based on interviews with different African-American female faculty at predominantly White institutions. …

Go On…Shatter It! A Qualitative Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of Gender-Based Prejudices Of Senior-Level Women Administrators At Community Colleges Across Texas, Janene Marie Dotts

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the qualitative transcendental phenomenological study aimed to understand the gender-based prejudices and obstacles and barriers for women pursuing senior leadership roles at community college in Texas. The Role Congruity Theory of Prejudice toward Female Leaders, plays an essential part in understanding how women were perceived when in a leadership position, guides this study. Semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and letter writing were conducted with 14 women who had achieved senior-level administration roles at a community college. By horizontalizing, reducing, and ultimately determining a composite structural description or substance of participants' experiences, Moustakas' phenomenological analysis method was used to …

Women As Leaders In The Bourbon Industry, Candice Cress

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study explored the experiences of women leaders who have made a significant impact in the bourbon industry. Specifically, exploration of the skills and attributes that make them leaders in the bourbon industry are analyzed. Three themes emerged from this study: (a) the influence of mentors on leadership development, (b) navigating a predominantly male dominated field, and (c) experiences of the women that lead to their current roles and achievements in bourbon. The results of this study can support women as they strengthen their leadership skills in preparation for professions that are more difficult for women to make an impact. …

Leadership Journeys: Reflections On Experiences And Challenges From Women In Academic Leadership, Sarah L. Smiley, Andrea G. Zakrajsek, Kathryn L. Fletcher

Journal of Women in Educational Leadership

Although the number of women holding administrative positions in higher education has risen over the past two decades, the gender gap in academic leadership in higher education institutions persists. Barriers exist to prevent women from entering these positions, including those related to workplace culture and personal considerations. This qualitative exploratory study interviewed 38 women leaders in positions ranging from Assistant Dean to President at universities in a mid-west athletic conference. It asked the following research questions: How did they enter academic leadership? What were their experiences in leadership positions? What advice would they offer to other women considering leadership positions …

Career Progression And The Imposter Phenomenon: Experiences Of Female Student Affairs Leaders, Molly Belieu

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study explored the experiences of women leaders who graduated from a student affairs master’s degree program, and advanced to positions of vertical movement to roles of increasing responsibility, wider influence, and greater accountability. Specifically, exploration of this progression, and the influences on their experience of lateral movement, including the impostor’s syndrome. Three themes emerged from this study: (a) the influence of relationships on career progression, (b) navigating the structures of higher education, and (c) experiences of the Imposter Phenomenon. The results of this study can support student affairs preparation programs as they determine the competencies necessary to prepare professionals …

The Effectiveness Of The Virginia Network For Women: A Mixed Methods Study, Stevara Haley Clark, Jenae' D. Harrington, Reshunda L. Mahone, Kristin L. Smith

Doctor of Education Capstones

Over the last 50 years, higher education institutions across the country have experienced growth in enrollment and degree attainment by women. However, despite the increase in educational merit, the representation of women in administrative and leadership roles within higher education is still not equitable to that of men. The Women’s Network, a non-profit subsidiary of the American Council on Education’s Inclusive Excellence Group, aims to identify, develop, advance, and support women in higher education at the local, state, and national levels. The Virginia Network is a state constituency of the Women’s Network that promotes women’s leadership in higher education throughout …

A Phenomenological Study On The Representation Of Female Senior Enlisted Leaders In The U.S. Army's Basic Combat Training Units, Allison Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore retired female senior enlisted leaders’ lived experiences while assigned as first sergeant (1SG) and command sergeant major (CSM) in initial entry training (IET) to ascertain if their experiences shed light on the underrepresentation of female leaders in the basic combat training (BCT) environment. Data collection emphasized factors that led to success in the IET environment, as well as challenges and barriers they may have faced. The theoretical framework that underpinned this study included the social role theory that the expectations for men and women are based on sex differences that …

Experiences Of Women Department Chairs In Engineering: A Narrative Study, Kayla Person

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Within higher education, STEM based disciplines need strong and balanced leadership. Leadership which demonstrates equity and diversity because all perspectives are needed to solve complex issues that face our world today. In 2016, women earned 23.2% of engineering Ph.D.’s awarded, which contributes to the low number of women faculty in engineering (Yoder, 2016). Those women who enter the professoriate increasingly need to navigate the labyrinth within their faculty positions and leadership roles within higher education. A key leadership role, department chair, has numerous responsibilities as both a faculty member and an administrator. Little research has been conducted to showcase the …

Incivility In The Workplace: The Experiences Of Female Sport Management Faculty In Higher Education, Elizabeth A. Taylor, Robin Hardin, Natalie Welch, Allison B. Smith

Faculty Publications

Access to higher education for women has dramatically increased in the United States during the past 50 years. Female college graduates have reversed the figures and gone from being outnumbered by their male counterparts 3 to 2 in the 1970s, to now outnumbering male college graduates 3 to 2. Women also graduate from masters and doctoral programs at a higher rate than men.

However, increases in the number of women obtaining college and advanced degrees has not translated to comparable representation in faculty positions or leadership roles in higher education. This lack of women in leadership positions, as well as …

The Perception Of Chinese Higher Educators Toward Leadership Effectiveness In Regard To Gender, Kanglei Meng

Dissertations

This study examines Chinese educators’ perceptions of effective leadership behaviors in order to determine how teachers in Chinese higher education define effectiveness and whether there is a correlation between this perception and leaders’ gender. Factors considered included conscious and unconscious gender bias, Chinese culture, historical background, and identity. As a male-dominated country, China has been deeply influenced by Confucianism; hence, limited attention has been drawn to female leadership. The author identified and reviewed three women’s revolutions and their positive and negative effects in the past century in order to predict the status of female leadership. The researcher modified the Chinese …

Paths To Leadership Of Native Hawaiian Women Administrators In Hawaii's Higher Education System: A Qualitative Study, Farrah-Marie Gomes

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to obtain a deeper understanding of the pathways to leadership for Native Hawaiian women administrators at the University of Hawaii by exploring and describing the experiences along their education and employment journeys. Eight Native Hawaiian women administrators shared the supports and challenges they encountered along their education and employment journeys, provided advice for Native Hawaiian women aspiring to be leaders, and suggested ways that the University can facilitate the development of more Native Hawaiian women leaders.

Using methods consistent with qualitative research, this narrative study utilized semi-structured interviews, field notes from the interviews and …

In Her Own Words: Make A (Mission) Statement, Diana V. Macri

Publications and Research

Creating a personal mission statement will allow faculty to remain focused on what their core purpose is. Remaining focused on this purpose will facilitate career growth and personal happiness.

Performing And Defying Gender: An Exploration Of The Lived Experiences Of Women Higher Education Administrators In Sub-Saharan Africa, Ane Turner Johnson

Title IX Research and Resources

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the life and career paths of women higher education administrators in sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically, the study sought to interpret the women’s experiences and identities, through the framework of intersectionality and gender performance, as ones that contributed to advancement within contexts traditionally barred to women. This research illustrates commonalities among the participants, elucidating the faith, family, and education as common constructs in their experiences and as mechanisms that propelled career trajectories. A major finding of the research is that the participants both preformed gender and defied it through the enactment of gender …

"American Examples For German Universities: Admitting Women Before World War I", Charles E. Mcclelland

History Faculty Publications

Women were not allowed to enroll a regular students in Prussian universities until 1909, although most other German states had already changed this policy. This chapter analyzes the terms of controversy swirling around the issue, and how American university policies ultimately helped bring about the change.

Hiv/Aids Education: What African Youth Say Is Effective, Steven J. Hite, W. James Jacob, Stacey A. Shaw, Donald E. Morisky, Yusuf K. Nsubuga

Faculty Publications

This study on HIV/AIDS-education programs was conducted with the Uganda Ministry of Education and Sports in a national sample of 76 secondary schools in Uganda. Participants included secondary students (N=883) who critiqued their formal and informal school curricula and offered youth perspectives regarding what teaching mediums and programs of HIV/AIDS prevention are most effective. Results indicated that HIV/AIDS education is not taught in their respective school curricula. Students report on informal ways that are helpful in learning about AIDS, recommend changes to their school's curriculum, and report that reactions from various groups in their lives to HIV/AIDS education in their …