Social Justice in Higher Education: A Case Study of Senior Level Leadership and Community Engagement

• In Event: Roundtable Session 32
  In Roundtable Session: Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Social Justice Issues in Higher Education and Leadership Preparation Programs

Abstract

Complex social conditions such as unemployment, crime, lack of healthcare, absence of affordable housing, and failing schools characterize many urban communities in the United States. Universities located in these communities are often called upon to be an important resource to help improve these complex social conditions. Previous research tells us little about the specific role that senior level leaders play in the university-community engagement agenda. This is a qualitative case study that uses interviews of senior level administrators to investigate the university-community relationship and the role these senior leaders play in a community engagement agenda. The data are analyzed with two theoretical frameworks; Pierre Bourdieu’s theoretical concept of habitus as well as a framework of leadership for social justice.

Authors

• Cynthia Miller Veraldo, University of Cincinnati

• James W. Koschoreck, Northern Kentucky University