he purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of African American women who have obtained senior leadership positions in Predominantly White Higher Education Institutions. Data were collected through open-ended, phenomenological-oriented interviews with 12 African American women holding senior level positions in both academic and student affairs in the north and southeast parts of the United States. This study focused on the perceived institutional barriers that have contributed to the under-representation of African American women in higher education senior administration and strategies that were used to overcome perceived barriers. Critical Race Theory was used as a lens to explore the perceived barriers and experiences of African American women in academe. The qualitative data from this study yielded the concepts of leadership preparation, perception of race and gender, institutional challenges, and personal strategies for success. Ultimately, this study will further discussions regarding how higher education institutions can be more proactive in preparing and promoting qualified African American women in senior administrative positions.
","abstract_html":"<p>he purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of African American women who have obtained senior leadership positions in Predominantly White Higher Education Institutions. Data were collected through open-ended, phenomenological-oriented interviews with 12 African American women holding senior level positions in both academic and student affairs in the north and southeast parts of the United States. This study focused on the perceived institutional barriers that have contributed to the under-representation of African American women in higher education senior administration and strategies that were used to overcome perceived barriers. Critical Race Theory was used as a lens to explore the perceived barriers and experiences of African American women in academe. The qualitative data from this study yielded the concepts of leadership preparation, perception of race and gender, institutional challenges, and personal strategies for success. Ultimately, this study will further discussions regarding how higher education institutions can be more proactive in preparing and promoting qualified African American women in senior administrative positions.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Robinson, Kimberly Ann"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Education in Education Administration (Ed.D.)","degree_level":"Dissertation (open access)","degree_discipline":"Department of Leadership, Technology, and Human Development","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Hsiu-Lien Lu","Marian Tabi"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2012,"date_issued":"2012-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2012-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:27:26Z","subjects":["ETD","Under-Representation","Educational Leadership","Critical Race Theory","Race","Gender","Higher Education Administration","Race and Ethnicity"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/811","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Hsiu-Lien Lu","Marian Tabi"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Robinson, Kimberly Ann"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2013-09-16T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of Leadership, Technology, and Human Development"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation (open access)"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Education in Education Administration (Ed.D.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["ETD","Under-Representation","Educational Leadership","Critical Race Theory","Race","Gender","Higher Education Administration","Race and Ethnicity"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/811"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["he purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of African American women who have obtained senior leadership positions in Predominantly White Higher Education Institutions. Data were collected through open-ended, phenomenological-oriented interviews with 12 African American women holding senior level positions in both academic and student affairs in the north and southeast parts of the United States. This study focused on the perceived institutional barriers that have contributed to the under-representation of African American women in higher education senior administration and strategies that were used to overcome perceived barriers. Critical Race Theory was used as a lens to explore the perceived barriers and experiences of African American women in academe. The qualitative data from this study yielded the concepts of leadership preparation, perception of race and gender, institutional challenges, and personal strategies for success. Ultimately, this study will further discussions regarding how higher education institutions can be more proactive in preparing and promoting qualified African American women in senior administrative positions.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Institutional Factors Contributing to the Under-representation of African American Women in Higher Education: Perceptions of Women in Leadership Positions"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Hsiu-Lien Lu","Marian Tabi"],"dc:creator":["Robinson, Kimberly Ann"],"dc:date.available":["2013-09-16T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["he purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of African American women who have obtained senior leadership positions in Predominantly White Higher Education Institutions. Data were collected through open-ended, phenomenological-oriented interviews with 12 African American women holding senior level positions in both academic and student affairs in the north and southeast parts of the United States. This study focused on the perceived institutional barriers that have contributed to the under-representation of African American women in higher education senior administration and strategies that were used to overcome perceived barriers. Critical Race Theory was used as a lens to explore the perceived barriers and experiences of African American women in academe. The qualitative data from this study yielded the concepts of leadership preparation, perception of race and gender, institutional challenges, and personal strategies for success. Ultimately, this study will further discussions regarding how higher education institutions can be more proactive in preparing and promoting qualified African American women in senior administrative positions.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/811"],"dc:subject":["ETD","Under-Representation","Educational Leadership","Critical Race Theory","Race","Gender","Higher Education Administration","Race and Ethnicity"],"dc:title":["Institutional Factors Contributing to the Under-representation of African American Women in Higher Education: Perceptions of Women in Leadership Positions"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of Leadership, Technology, and Human Development"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation (open access)"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Education in Education Administration (Ed.D.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:27:26Z"}