Black women remain underrepresented in higher education leadership roles, especially in the college presidency. Since the middle of the 20th century, women have emerged as leaders throughout every field of human endeavor; however, their rise to the college presidency remains slow and steady. The number of women college presidents has increased…

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were established to provide African Americans with higher education access. This article used phenomenological analysis to illuminate HBCU provosts' perspectives on leadership styles and successes to broaden STEM participation within higher education's historical hegemony. A diverse group of…

This year-long leadership development program was designed to enhance the cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions of leadership self-efficacy of HBCU STEM leaders to broaden the participation of African American undergraduates in STEM. Learning outcomes guided the development of curricular resources including on-line learning, multi-day…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to reflect upon one vitally important, but widely unexamined, aspect of Historically Black Theological Institutions (HBTIs): the experiences of its Black presidents and their use of critical spirituality (Dantley, 2005) to overcome personal and professional obstacles, challenge assumptions of…

Research on leadership is historically biased, with little consideration for different experiences of leaders of color. In this study, we applied the integrated race and leadership framework (Ospina & Foldy, 2009) and utilized a case study approach focused on the context of institutional communication to analyze the experiences of six Black…

Colleges and universities across the nation are seeking a president with unique qualities to transform their institution. Notwithstanding, surprisingly, few studies have examined how African American presidents confront race while also successfully ascending into the presidency. The purpose of this study was to explore and interpret the…

Gender and diversity are crucial areas that require more attention in multiple academic settings. As more women progress into leadership positions in academia, it becomes necessary to develop solutions geared specifically toward success for females in such environments. "Navigating Micro-Aggressions Toward Women in Higher Education"…

The discriminatory practices against African Americans during the Jim Crow era in St. Louis, Missouri did not deter Dr. Ruth Harris, the first African American female president of Stowe Teachers College (STC) in St. Louis, from accepting the challenge of leading the African American teachers' college from 1940 to 1954. Her appointment to President…

At the close of the Civil War the United States was forced to grapple with the tremendous challenge of what to do with the millions of newly freed men, women, and children who, for more than three centuries, had been denied basic human rights, including learning how to read and write. During Reconstruction, several educational institutions were…

Examining Black church support of higher education in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this article highlights the longstanding project of African-American self-determination. Motivated donors, many of who would not in their lifetime see the fruits of their gifts, made faithful investments in the project of racial uplift.…

There is a paucity of historical discourse on the distinct contributions of African American women serving as deans of women at historically Black colleges and universities. Using historical research and the case study approach, the analysis focused on three deans of women: Lucy Diggs Slowe--Howard University, Owena Hunter Davis--Johnson C. Smith…

This study examines aspects of Dr. Howard W Thurman's (1900-1982) career in higher education through the lenses of Black spirituality and critical race theory. The experiences of Howard Thurman offers distinct perspectives through which to interrogate the Black experience in American higher education and the intersections of race, religion and…

The community college is one of the most diverse institutions of higher learning in regards to the make-up of its student population. However, with such a large representation of diversity within its student population, the community college has not been as successful in diversifying the community college presidency. The purpose of this…

My sojourn at "The Journal" (from April 2001 through June 2004) was one of great challenges that gradually culminated into huge accomplishments! Looking back, it gives me immense joy to have served as the Editor-in-Chief and become a small part of "The Journal's" history. This article presents a historical overview for the…

Although there is a large body of scholarship on historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), their governance practices have been underresearched. What little research that is available on the topic points to campus climates that are "president-centric" and hierarchical structures that do not encourage faculty governance. However,…