Keywords

African American Women Presidents, Administrative and Leadership Persona, Higher Education Stakeholders, Support Systems

Abstract

For more than three decades, the number of African American women college and university presidents remain the most underrepresented group of executive leaders in the Academy (ACE, 2017). Researchers have conducted studies to gain an understanding about the disparate representation of African American women in executive leadership roles in higher education. Findings from the results of numerous studies reveal negative perceptions based on racial and gender bias as the primary barrier to the overall advancement of African American women in the Academy (Bailey & Trudy, 2018; Johnson, 2021). Findings also reveal the depth and breadth of leadership support as a major challenge to sustaining a successful tenure as the chief executive officer of a higher education institution (HEI) (Lanier et al., 2020).

The purpose of this archival research study is to gain insight and understanding about the experiences of African American women presidents during their tenure as the head of higher education institutions. Utilizing the theoretical framework of Stakeholder Theory involving knowledge and information sharing, mutual trust, involvement in the decision-making process, and alignment of stakeholders’ interests in strategic planning, archival research methodological tools and artifacts of public speeches (i.e., inaugural addresses, other writings), public interviews (i.e., media platforms), and public documents (i.e., articles, books, autobiographies, biographies) (Ambar, 2016; Simmons, 2023) are used to understand their career journeys. Archival research findings indicate early upbringing as the foundation of the values adhered to by the presidents. Archival findings also indicate that presidential support systems are an integral component of their ability to reach and sustain their executive positions. Archival research findings indicate the necessity of engagement with professional development programs aided by the influence of their mentors as one of the most important components of their career advancement strategies. To that end, African American women in leadership capacities are influenced by both internal and external factors that shape their career journey.

Completion Date

2024

Semester

Summer

Committee Chair

Bartee, RoSusan

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College

College of Community Innovation and Education

Department

Educational Leadership & Higher Education

Degree Program

Educational Leadership, Higher Education Track

Format

application/pdf

URL

https://stars.library.ucf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1386&context=etd2023

Language

English

Rights

In copyright

Release Date

August 2025

Length of Campus-only Access

1 year

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Campus-only Access)

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

Accessibility Status

Meets minimum standards for ETDs/HUTs

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Restricted to the UCF community until August 2025; it will then be open access.

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