Taking On and Moving Through Critical Spaces in Higher Education: Storying Women in Leadership

• In Event: Women's Way of Leading and Mentoring: Opening Critical Spaces for Future Orientation in Higher Education

Abstract

Objectives:
While the contemporary landscape of higher education has changed, the number of women and ethnic minorities entering administration in higher education is still lagging (Turner, 2008; Lloyd-Jones, 2011). Black women in particular are disproportionately represented in the higher echelons of higher education institutions (Turner, 2008; Author, 2011/2012). Even then, little is known of how Black women administrators who assume such positions provide opportunities for others along that administrative pipeline (Alfred 2001; Jean Marie, Williams, & Sherman, 2009; Fries-Britt & Kelly, 2012), or how they use these positions to create critical and inclusive spaces (Sujana & Sheridan, 2018; Alessandro & Leautier, 2016).
Perspectives/Theoretical Framework:
Intersectionality provides a complex lens through which one can speak to the many expressions and implications of power for marginalized groups (Choo & Ferree, 2010; McKinnon, 2013). We use intersectionality to explore how race, gender, status, and age intersect to frame multiple forms of oppression that affect their identities, professional trajectories, leadership access, thinking and practice.
Methods:
To understand the leadership practices and experiences of Black women administrators in their respective environments we utilized shadowing as the key method for this study. Shadowing is an observational technique used in qualitative research to obtain a first-hand understanding of the day to day events, dynamics, and activities within a particular setting or organization and the specific roles of the individuals within that space (McDonald, 2005). The underlying purpose of such a method is the need to collect data that provide critical insights into the ‘what’, ‘how’, ‘why’ of social roles, practices, action, and settings. We also interviewed each of the participants after shadowing them.
Data Sources:
Criteria for inclusion in this study were that the women faculty had to identify as Black or African American working in a position of leadership within the US academy or similarly situated organization (Board of Governors). The three women were interviewed and recorded. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. Field notes were also collated and compiled. Transcriptions were processed by an independent transcriber and verified by the co-researchers. These data were coded, organized and thematically analyzed.
Results and Significance:
Interviews with these three female leaders speak to the many ways (mentoring, partnering, and sharing) in which they utilized these positions to “open-up” the academy to others that had been marginalized. Based on these findings, we argue first for the framing of leadership positions, as critical spaces, through which leaders can confront and alter oppressive structures. We also see this notion of critical leadership spaces, as separate, but related to, the notion of leadership (as a practice), as central to the space. The connection here is that having a role in leadership is critical to bringing about institutional change. These roles provided them with a lens to appreciate their impact. They were able to observe, act, envision and implement by virtue of being in this critical space and by design bring about valuable change in higher education.

Authors

• Deirdre Cobb-Roberts, University of South Florida

• Talia Randa Esnard, The University of the West Indies - St. Augustine