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University of the Pacific

Can I get a witness?: The resilience of four Black women senior student affairs administrators at predominantly White institutions

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p>The purpose of this qualitative research guided by resilience theory was to investigate the experiences of four Black women senior student affairs administrators at predominantly White institutions in order to understand the strategies for success that led to their advancement to senior level positions. Participants included four deans of students and/or vice presidents for student affairs (reporting directly to the president of the institution) at four-year small private predominantly White institutions (enrollment under 5,000). The participants' recounted experiences of tokenism, perceptions of the appearance, perceptions of communication styles, and inequitable compensation. They also reported support systems such as mentors, giving back, and spirituality that influence their thoughts, actions, reactions, decisions, and motivation to continue in the field, in their position, and ultimately in higher education. The implications of the study encourages institutions to provide funding, personnel resources, and training for all employees as well as encourages current Black women administrators to discuss their professional experiences to continue to inform scholarship and practice.</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
Level thesis:degree_level
Dissertation - Pacific Access Restricted
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Educational Administration and Leadership
Year dc:date.available
2014

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Sobers, Shauna Tamara
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Delores McNair

Subjects

dc:subject × 13

Rights

dc:rights

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Identifier
9781303996856
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:scholarlycommons.pacific.edu:uop_etds-1069

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
University of the Pacific
Base URL
scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Sobers, Shauna Tamara. Can I get a witness?: The resilience of four Black women senior student affairs administrators at predominantly White institutions. Dissertation - Pacific Access Restricted thesis, 2014. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/70