This study explored student success practices of select community colleges as implemented during students' pre- and post-matriculation periods and whether those colleges have united them into a cohesive design. The pre- and post-matriculation timeframe has been identified as the most critical segment of the student's academic career (Acevedo-Gil…

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have had a solid and rich legacy of providing Black students educational opportunities since the late 19th century. Having a distinct educational history, HBCUs have a historical purpose linked to providing an educational experience to Black students during an era when higher education…

While women have made great strides in leadership and academia over the last several decades, women continue to lag behind men in executive leadership positions. In universities, women students are vastly underrepresented in executive leadership roles; however, at community colleges the trends are reversed as women are actively taking on executive…

The role of a college president continues to present new and evolving challenges. Cuts to federal and state funding, declining enrollment, rapid changes in technology, and the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, paired with ongoing retirements, have left higher education leaders with a new set of challenges. While women are beginning to…

While women may occupy the majority of administrative roles on college campuses, the glass ceiling persists as an obstacle for female leaders aspiring to the presidency (Warner et al., 2018). The American Council on Education (ACE, 2017a) reports that as of 2016, women represented 30% of college presidents in the United States. Although the number…

Higher educational institutions (HIEDs) are complex organizations at a pivotal moment in history (Bourgeois, 2016; Guskin & Marcy, 2002; McGee, 2015). Their leaders, defined as the chief executive or president, are essential regardless of whether they have traditional academic backgrounds or nontraditional ones (Buller, 2021; Ivory, 2017;…

The ethnic and racial representation disparity gap among college presidents in the United States is 83% White and 17% ethnically/racially diverse (Gagliardi et al., 2017). In this qualitative study, I explored the career pipeline experiences of a cohort of 10 ethnically and racially diverse college presidents in the United States. Critical race…

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the lived experiences of women leaders in higher education, specifically women who served as the first female presidents of colleges and universities. This study identifies ways in which patriarchal constructs of power mediate higher education spaces and how women leaders make meaning of,…

Community college presidents must understand the phenomenon of campus safety. For this mixed-methods study, community college presidents in one state were surveyed, and three presidents from the same community college system participated in in-depth interviews. Descriptive statistics measured the levels community college presidents' knowledge and…

In recent history, the role of chief of staff in higher education has become more prominent (Hood, 2017). This study investigates the perceptions of university presidents and chiefs of staff of the chief of staff role in higher education, focusing on differences in perceptions and variance by institution type. It highlights the diverse pathways to…

Whether it be an environmental disaster, civil unrest, or a public health emergency, higher education leaders must be ready to address and respond to any crises threatening their institutions or university communities. The purpose of this study was to gain understanding regarding how university presidents and provosts respond and communicate…

The purpose of this qualitative feminist phenomenological study was to explore women's perceptions of professional advancement to the president role within higher-education administration due to the lack of progress of diversifying college presidencies. To examine challenges that women face as they navigate the career advancing pipeline, it…

A university president occupies an increasingly symbolic position in today's higher education landscape, yet this aspect of the presidency is not well understood. Expectations for engagement, partnership building, fundraising, and cultivation of a public image continue to increase, while tenure lengths of presidents have fallen. Utilizing data…

Formal Indigenous leadership within Australian universities has expanded significantly in the last decade. Given this advancement, understanding how to integrate Indigenous leadership into existing institutional governance structures is an area that requires investigation. Recognising the need to further examine Indigenous leadership in the higher…

This study examined 32 university presidents' responses to the violence that occurred during and after a 'Unite the Right' white supremacist rally in Charlottesville Virginia in August 2017. The purpose of this study was to explore how university presidents provided leadership during this crisis and how they did or did not utilise sensemaking to…