Many Library and Information Science program students state that they are not interested in management positions. Many would prefer to focus on a subject specialty or technical services. When students are interested in management, there is no clear course of study. To understand what motivated some librarians to choose to become managers, and what…

Mid-level leaders are caught in the middle of their organizational hierarchy, reporting to senior administrators while also leading or managing entry-level staff (Bodine Al-Sharif, Garcia, & McNaughtan, 2021). They are often asked to collaborate, build relationships, and share information with college and community stakeholders and in the…

Leadership theories and their application to various leadership positions is a heavily researched field. Specific research has been conducted examining leadership theories of both middle level and senior level leaders individually (Amey et al., 2020; Eddy and Mitchell, 2017; Hernandez and Hernandez, 2014. However, an examination of leadership…

Despite persistent calls for institutions to offer internal leadership development programs for administrators, colleges and universities struggle to prepare mid-level administrators for professional advancement. Colleges and universities also face problems with employee retention. The experiences of those who occupy the organizational middle are…

Academic mid-level managers, despite their work history and education, are not always prepared for the duties and responsibilities of their current positions or for senior-level management positions. The purpose of this study was to examine how academic mid-level managers perceived intentionally-designed professional development at a suburban…

This phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of 14 Student Affairs mid-managers. These mid-managers represented a variety of student affairs functional areas including Residence Life, Service Learning, Student Conduct, and Student Union/Activities/Government. Study participants met the following criteria: (a) mid-managers with at…

African American women in student affairs face negative experiences as they seek to move along their career paths, including discrimination based on race and gender, tokenism, and microaggressive behavior. This qualitative interview study explored the professional experiences of 25 African American women middle level managers (MLMs) employed at…

The researcher identified a gap in the knowledge of competencies needed for midmanagers that work in housing and residence life at the southeast colleges and universities in the United States. The purpose of this study was to identify and develop a consensus on competencies needed by mid-managers. The review of the literature describes and…

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship of personal characteristics, job characteristics, and fit on the job satisfaction of mid-level managers in student affairs. The study was quantitative in nature and used the Job Satisfaction Survey (Spector, 1997) and several additional instruments to assess the impact of these variables…

This dissertation examines the beliefs, attitudes, and practices of Chief Student Services Officers (CSSOs) regarding the professional development of their middle managers (i.e., direct reports) within the Illinois Community College system. A sequential, mixed methods study was performed with CSSOs at Illinois community colleges across the state.…

The lack of women represented in high level student affairs positions has been documented in the literature (Ting & Watt, 1999). The literature suggest that an existing pool of qualified, experienced women is present on university campuses, but has yet to be tapped to enhance the gender diversity at senior administrative level positions (King…