Leadership development among undergraduate college women is essential to institutions of higher education and to society. Research has indicated that sex-bias and sex-stereotypes are abundant, with men frequently being labeled as the more prominent gender in leadership roles and situations. Opportunities for women to emerge as leaders have not been as plentiful as they have for men, often limiting the self-awareness that women may have of their own strengths. The purpose of this study was to identify the leadership development factors associated with individual women leaders at a state institution of higher education. The methodology used in this study focused on personal interviews with women who had been selected for the Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges (Who's Who) 1998-1999 membership. Two-hour individual sessions were arranged for 20 undergraduate women student leaders. An interview protocol was designed to ask seven questions to each of the participants to answer five research questions regarding influences that affected their undergraduate leadership development. While 18 women participated in the study, a total of 17 stories are included in this dissertation after one woman decided not to share her study following her interview. The results from this study indicate that higher education did not create leadership in the women who participated. Colleges and universities nurture and develop pre-existing leadership characteristics that women bring with them from their pre-college experiences. Institutions also provide mechanisms to allow women to become aware of their leadership strengths. The intent of this study was to share the individual stories of women's leadership development. Prominent leadership development themes emerged from the analysis of the interviews. Values, attitudes, behaviors, and personal attributes were most influential to the leadership development of the majority of undergraduate women who participated in this study. The institutional environment and family members of many of the participants were also very influential to their undergraduate leadership development. The women reported that peers, faculty, staff, administration, and society in general had little or no influence on their leadership development. / Ph. D.

This qualitative study describes the experiences of Black undergraduate women who are involved in a Black student organization at a public predominantly White institution (PWI) beyond the freshman year. Understanding how these students are involved, the meaning they make of their participation, and how they simultaneously manage extracurricular activities, and their academic responsibilities is essential to providing Black women with support that will help reduce barriers to persistence. Questions about their level of involvement provide insight into how these students perceive their participation in student organizations. The following research questions are aligned with the theoretical suggestions made within Astin’s Theory of Student Involvement and Patricia Hill Collins’ Black Feminist Thought: How do Black undergraduate women describe their experience as members of a Black student organization on a predominantly White campus?, How do Black undergraduate women make meaning of their extracurricular involvement in a Black student organization on a predominantly White campus, How do Black undergraduate women simultaneously manage their extracurricular involvement and academic responsibilities while trying to reduce barriers to college retention, What perception do Black undergraduate women have regarding the role extracurricular involvement in a Black student organization plays in their persistence and academic outcomes? For this study, I utilized three tenants from Black Feminist Thought Framework (Collins, 2000) in collaboration with the Student Involvement Theory (Astin, 1984) to provide a critical lens during the investigation of Black undergraduate women who are involved in a Black student organization. The emerging themes from the study indicated the importance of Black student organizations on white campuses and the type of experiences Black undergraduate women have as members of such groups. Staff members indicated a lack of university services and support in retaining and assisting these students. The emerging themes of the study are creating culturally relevant experiences, taking on leadership roles, strategies to manage academic and extracurricular activities, Benefits of Involvement, controlling narratives and definitions. Findings from this dissertation study have the potential to contribute to the literature on Black undergraduate women and their experiences in culturally relevant student organizations. / Educational Administration

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