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The purpose of this study was to describe the career paths of female senior student affairs officers (SSAOs) in American four-year institutions of higher education. Specific topics investigated included (a) demographic profile, (b) entry level and SSAO stepping stone positions, (c) work experience, (d) formal education, (e) promotion path, (f) career goals, (g) characteristics of the employing institutions, and (h) common career barriers.The population consisted of all 356 female NASPA members employed as SSAOs in American four-year institutions of higher education during the fall of 2000. A survey instrument designed by the researcher was used to gather data.The average age of female SSAOs when they were first appointed to this position was 41 years. The vast majority (81%) was White, and the most frequently reported marital status was married/partnered. Almost one-third of the SSAOs reported jobs in residence life as their entree into student affairs work. Jobs in the dean of students' office were the most frequently reported SSAO stepping stone positions. At the time they were first appointed SSAOs, they had worked an average of 14 years in higher education. Over half (51 %) held a doctorate. Over half (58%) received an internal promotion to their first SSAO position, and over half (57%) accepted this position at private institutions. For over half (55%), becoming an SSAO was a primary career goal at the time they were first appointed to this position. Close to two-thirds (66%) reported no barriers in achieving the first SSAO position.Major conclusions included: (a) student affairs positions that provide exposure, visibility, and connections provide a common career path to the SSAO position; (b) a doctorate has become a virtual necessity for women who aspire to be SSAOs; (c) women in general and minority women in particular have made gains in reaching the SSAO position. / Department of Educational Leadership

The objective of this study was to identify if women have made statistically significant increases as top-level administrators in institutions of higher education during the period 1983-98. The research focused on the following areas: (1) Have women made significant increases as administrators during 1983-98? (2) Have women made significant increases in their proportion of total administrators during 1983-98 in the following areas: (a) comprehensive institutions, (b) doctoral institutions, (c) liberal arts institutions, and (d) research institutions? (3) Has the proportion of women administrators in private institutions increased significantly more than the proportion of women administrators in public institutions for 1983-98?

The purpose of this research has been to investigate the current situation of selected women in administrative positions in community colleges. This study proposed: (1) to develop a profile of selected women in community college administration positions in the United States community colleges to identify the kind of women who aspire to and succeed in community college administration; (2) to determine areas in which these selected women feel they need more training in order to advance or maintain a position in community college administration; (3) to examine the problems and rewards that these selected women find in their careers in community college administration; and (4) to determine how these selected women feel about themselves as women and administrators. The population for this study were women chosen for the Leaders for the 80's Professional Development Project sponsored by the American Association of Women in Community and Junior Colleges and the League for Innovation in the Community College. From this group of 309 women, 228 responded to the Women in Community College Administrative Positions Questionnaire. The data were aggregated from the usable questionnaires and analyzed by frequency distribution with percents to report findings. The study showed this national sample of women either in educational administration or slated for administration represented a new generation of female educational administrators. Many have been hired since the advent of affirmative action policies and antidiscrimination laws went into effect. These women, women in most professions, have made progress in the last decade. Unquestionably, there are many reasons for this progress, including the existence of affirmative action legislation, the resurgence of the women's movement, and growing awareness levels on the part of women, both collectively and individually, of their own potential, capabilities and aspirations. If the progress for women in educational administration is to continue, they must look first to themselves, through their influence, determination, and competency. This study has shown that these selected women are very traditional and conventional in both their personal and professional lives.

This study identified and compared characteristics in the career progression of African-American college presidents of institutions in the continental United States. The study was concerned with personal, educational and professional characteristics of these senior level administrators. From a population of 141 individuals, 73 presidents participated in this study. Frequencies, means, percentages, chi-square, crosstabulations and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were employed in the analysis of data. The level of significance was set at 0.05.

The focus of this study is a search for the voice of African American community college trustees as they work to impact the changes community colleges must make over the next quarter century. It examined the lived experiences and perceptions that selected African American community college trustees have of their roles as trustees and the impact they think they are having on the setting of priorities in the governance of their respective colleges. This topic is significant since, arguably, community colleges are the quintessential democratic institutions in society; their doors are open to everyone. In various ways, community colleges are dynamically responding to the demographic changes that are occurring in American society. Among those changes are an increasing number of African American students entering college, especially community colleges, and an increasing number of African Americans becoming community college trustees. This study found that the elected African American community college trustees who participated in this study are fully integrated into the governance processes of their colleges, but do not think of themselves a being assimilated into the culture of their boards. They believe that they bring a double consciousness to their roles as trustees and that it allows them to perceive governance issues from the perspectives of insiders who are comfortable with the status quo and from the perspective of outsiders who have been traditionally removed from the locus of institutional power. Participants see themselves as representatives of the interests of their colleges as well as representatives of the interests of groups and individuals who have little or no voice in the affairs of their colleges. Participants are long-time community leaders whose influence extends beyond their colleges into their communities; they see themselves as servant leaders dedicated to working for change in society. / Graduation date: 2005

This study examined the career paths of women administrators serving as chief academic officers in Christian colleges and universities which belong to the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). The CCCU is a professional association of evangelical Christian institutions dedicated to integrating faith and learning. The exploration included each administrator's demographic information; her early, adolescent, college, and graduate school experiences; early vocational experiences; the effect of marriage and motherhood on her career; critical factors she identified as important in achieving her current position; and the importance of spiritual convictions or Christian faith in career decision making. Sixteen of the eighteen identified women holding the rank of chief academic officer agreed to participate in the study. The typical woman administrator was 50, married, and the mother of one or more children. She most likely had received her education in the humanities, with the terminal degree of choice being a Ph.D. She had served at her current institution for more than five years, but in her current administrative position for less than five. As an adolescent she excelled in the humanities, less so in math and science, and was involved in many extracurricular activities, including music endeavors, leadership, and her local church. She had received the most encouragement from her mother, although both parents expected her to do her best in school. For post secondary education, she had benefited from a mentor, had excelled easily, and had taken no time off between her bachelor's and master's degrees or between her master's or doctoral degrees. Although she had aspired to teach and received most of her early vocational experience in the professoriate, she had not aspired to be an administrator. As an adult, she had married in her 20's and had children before the age of 30. She had an unusually supportive spouse and believed her marriage to be a key factor in her career success. Her family and professional roles were potentially conflicted and required her to "juggle" her responsibilities. She believed the influence of her mentors, faith influences, and chairing an academic department were critical experiences that had led to her position in administration. Regarding her spiritual convictions and disciplines, she adamantly believed both affect her daily work and personal life. CCCU women administrators are deeply committed to their Christian higher education callings, highly educated, persistent, spiritually minded, and devoted to their families.

The primary purpose of this investigation was to identify and describe the current role of the executive vice president in higher education. The subpurposes of the study were to determine (1) the duties of the executive vice president, (2) the decision-making responsibilities associated with the position, (3) the degree of agreement between presidents, executive vice presidents, and written documents regarding the duties of the office, and (4) the extent of numerical increase or decrease of the position. An analysis of the findings led to the following conclusions that (1) there is close agreement between presidents and executive vice presidents regarding the duties and requirements of the position of executive vice president; (2) there is little agreement between presidents of differing types and sizes of institutions and between vice presidents of such differing institutions; (3) a majority of institutions have written job descriptions for the position but few of these documents actually describe the position with detail; (4) this study also generated a composite job description; and (5) finally, demonstrates that the position of executive vice president has grown at a significant rate over the past decade.

This study sought to determine female college and university athletic directors' perceptions of position power according to selected job-related characteristics, through development and use of a nineteen-item survey instrument. The study was conducted during the 1991-1992 academic year and consisted of an initial study to determine content validity of the survey instrument, followed by construct validity and reliability determination utilizing a pilot study group of twenty female intercollegiate athletic directors.

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