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Role perception and status of African-American administrators in a selected number of New England State Universities
Abstract
This study examines factors that relate to the role perception and status of African-American administrators working in seven New England State Universities. Most specifically, the study asked: (1) How do African-American Administrators' perception of their responsibility to students, faculty, other administrators, and community impact the delivery of job performance and services? (2) What are some, if any, advantages and disadvantages of being an African-American administrator in a New England State University setting? (3) To what extent does an African-American administrator perceive the quota system and affirmative action as a factor leading to his/her employment? (4) Do African-American administrators perceive their role as mentors for African-American/minority students? (5) To what extent do the African-American administrators perceive their involvement in institutional decision-making? African-American administrators reported their input in institutional decision-making as limited to their particular assignment and not to decisions that influence the mission and goals of the institution. A majority of the respondents believed that they were hired to relate to needs of African-American students and other administrators. Some respondents indicated that they were not sure how the hiring process differed from that of White candidates; and the majority of the respondents think that tokenism was not a contributing factor to their appointment. A number of African-American administrators revealed that their presence on campus heightens the lives of African-American and other minority students. Succeeding on predominantly White campuses is a process which requires a partnership between the top level college officials and the minority administrators. This study supports this notion and encourages institutions of higher education to listen to the comments that African-Americans and other minority administrators are making; comments about real quality of life issues, expanded equal opportunities, and empowerment.
Subject Area
Educational administration|Higher education|Ethnic studies
Recommended Citation
Thompson, Sherwood, "Role perception and status of African-American administrators in a selected number of New England State Universities" (1990). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9035412.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9035412