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Women Academic Leaders’ Perspectives & Experiences in For-Profit

Higher Education

Constance St. GermainBenedictine University

HEOC 803-D6A2July 29, 2012

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Issue

The issue/topic and why it is important and

valuable to the field

Research Problem & Purpose

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Issue(s):• Traditionally, leadership positions in higher education

have been dominated by men. However, with the rise of for-profits in recent years, women have begun advancing in leadership roles at these institutions.

• This is important and valuable to the field of educational research because for-profits have brought disruptive change to higher education through their delivery of educational content. So too may this change in gender leadership influence traditional higher education.

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Research Problem

A distinct research problem that reflects the issue

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Research Problem:Women make up more than half of the work

force in the United States.

Women continue to surpass men in enrollments in pursing their higher education.

Traditional higher education leadership has been dominated by men.

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Research Problem (cont.): However, at for-profit institutions of higher education,

women’s presence in the leadership ranks is clearly seen and increasing. Women are building powerful career networks with others that have far reaching implications, and are shaping non-traditional education.

Little attention has been paid to gender leadership at for-profits: What are these women’s experiences and perspectives? A preliminary review of the literature on this topic is silent in this area.

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Evidence

Evidence that justifies the research problem and

supports your assumptions

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Evidence: A review of leadership at for-profits (i.e. APUS, Grand

Canyon, Kaplan, DeVry, Walden, Capella) reveals that the majority of them have women well placed in leadership positions in the company. 1

Companies with more women in executive leadership positions/boards were found to out perform their rivals. 2

At traditional institutions, majority of leadership is still Caucasian males over the age of 60. 3

There is a deficiency in the evidence on this topic that past research does not adequately address

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Some Theories:

Gender/Feminist Leadership

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Purpose

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Purpose:The purpose of this qualitative study

will be to explore how women in situations of academic leadership at for-profit colleges and universities consciously experience their roles, relationships, and development as women leaders at such institutions.

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Research Questions:

Central Question: What are women academic leaders’ perspectives and experiences of their roles at for-profit institutions of higher education?

Subquestions: How do these women academic leaders experience their

roles as leaders at for-profits? How would these women academic leaders describe their

professional relationships within their institutions? How do these women academic leaders portray their

leadership development?

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Study Details: Qualitative/Phenomenological Narrative Interviews (Open ended/semi-structured) Sampling Type: Purposeful (Theory/Concept) Proposed Subjects: 5 women; Academic leaders in the rank

of Dean or higher ; Anonymous Research site: Various for-profit colleges and universities Methodology: Interpretative/Critical Inquiry Theoretical Lens: Feminist Data collection: Open-ended/semi-structured interviews

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Targeted Audience

A targeted audience that would want to know more

about the study

Research Problem & Purpose

The Audience:

By examining the experiences of women academic leaders at for-profit colleges and universities, using a qualitative approach, I hope to better understand their experience and perspectives in order to gain insight into what feminine leadership traits might contribute to their success at these institutions.

This understanding will further allow me to analyze the leadership requirements of these colleges and universities, and gain perspective as to why women are advancing in leadership roles there.

This research, in turn, can provide higher education in general with insight as to what measures can be taken to make women successful in academic leadership positions regardless of institutional type.

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Questions?

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Bibliography (as of 7/29/12)

Antonaros, M. (2010). Gendered leadership styles and the climate for women leaders in higher education. On Campus with Women, 39(2), 7.

Collings, S., Conner, L., McPherson, K., Midson, B., & Wilson, C. (2011). Learning to be leaders in higher education: What helps or hinders women’s advancement as leaders in universities. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 39(1), 44-62. doi:10.1177/1741143210383896

Cook, B. & Kim, Y. (2012, March). The American college president 2012. Retrieved from http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=CPA&TEMPLATE=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=44473

The Lord Davies Report. (2011, February). Women on boards. Retrieved from http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/business-law/docs/w/11-745-women-on-boards.pdf

United States Department of State. (2012, March 1). Corporate advantage: How women leaders elevate the bottom line. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/e/eb/rls/othr/2012/184988.htm

White, J. S. (2012). HERS institutes: Curriculum for advancing women leaders in higher education. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 14(1), 11-27. doi:10.1177/1523422311429732

* Please see attached bibliography to date (separate Word document)

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1. American Public University System (APUS). (2011). Senior management. Retrieved from http://www.apus.edu/leadership/Capella University. (2011). Administration. Retrieved from http://www.capella.edu/about_capella/administration.aspx#fwilliamsonGrand Canyon University. (2011). Leadership team. Retrieved from http://www.gcu.edu/About-Us/Grand-Canyon-Education-Inc-/Leadership-Team.phpWalden University. (2011). Leadership. Retrieved from http://www.waldenu.edu/About-Us/18879.htm2. United States Department of State. (2012, March 1). Corporate advantage: How women leaders elevate the bottom line. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/e/eb/rls/othr/2012/184988.htm3. Cook, B. & Kim, Y. (2012, March). The American college president 2012. Retrieved from http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=CPA&TEMPLATE=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=44473

References

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