The Professional Experiences of African American Women Middle-Level Managers at Four-Year Predominantly White Institutions Who Aspire to Be Senior Student Affairs Officers

• In Event: Interventions Influencing Student Sucess
  In Roundtable Session: Leadership Journeys in Higher Education

Abstract

African American women’s enrollment in college is rising on college campuses. It is critical to have staff members that reflect the diversity of students. Particularly for student affairs staff, the development of a diverse staff team is critical for student success. Students look to staff as role models and want to see others who look like them. Additionally, the leaders on a college campus make decisions that impact students’ experiences. College administration must have leaders who can represent the diversity of the students on the college campus today.
The purpose of this qualitative interview study is to explore the professional experiences of African American female middle level managers working at four-year predominantly White institutions who aspire to advance to senior student affairs positions. A middle level manager is defined as a person who has worked more than six years and less than 15 years in the field of student affairs on the college campus (Ackerman, 2007). It is important to study this population as it is currently underrepresented in senior student affairs officer roles. The narratives of these women need to be heard because they exist as part of marginalized groups at predominantly White institutions (PWIs).
A consistently stated goal of PWIs in recent decades has been to increase the quality and representation of African American administrators. However, a critical concern still exists and there must be an emphasis placed on creating a campus climate that is supportive for African Americans (Bridges, 1996). When comparing administrators of color to their White counterparts, they have been overrepresented in low-level positions while White males specifically have been overrepresented in higher administrative positions (Chenoweth, 1998; Konrad & Pfeffer, 1991).
The qualitative research process is inductive with an emphasis on collecting data to inform concepts, theories and hypotheses (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). For this research study, Black feminist thought and the Human Resource Frame of Bolman and Deal will be employed as the conceptual framework lens for understanding the professional experiences of African American middle level managers at four-year predominantly White institutions. The intersections of race and gender will be explored as well as the institutional role in helping or hindering these women who desire to advance in their career
Qualitative research is most concerned with understanding how people make meaning of their experiences (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The voices of African American women middle level managers are absent from the literature and need to be heard to provide insight on their career paths in student affairs. Ultimately, these voices will shed light on how to improve the diversity of student affairs administration.

Author

• Melanie Louise Mitchell, California State University Long Beach