Signals in the Silence: Black Women Aspiring Deans and the Discursive Disconnect in Higher Education Leadership Recruitment

• In Event: Aspirations, Achievement, and Attainment: Unforgetting Structural Barriers

Abstract

This qualitative research article explores how three Black female aspiring deans interpret and respond to recruitment messages in five (5) current (2024-25) higher education job announcements for education deanships. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and content analysis of selected job postings, the study investigates the dis/alignment between institutional messaging and the professional aspirations, identities, and values of Black women in the leadership pipeline. Using lenses of job choice theory and intersectionality, our analysis finds significant disconnects between what is communicated in job announcements and what Black women aspiring to the deanship seek in the roles and the organization. While recruitment materials often attempt to signal inclusivity, the lack of structural specificity, intersectional framing, and authenticity renders many announcements uninviting or alienating.

Authors

• Noelle W. Arnold, The Ohio State University

• Lori Patton Davis, University of California, Los Angeles