ABSTRACT Tommy Gregory Prince. the LIVED EXPERIENCES OF
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ABSTRACT Tommy Gregory Prince. THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITY DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATORS. (Under the direction of Dr. David J. Siegel) Department of Educational Leadership, September, 2015. This study explores the lived career experiences of African American university development administrators who work at public higher education institutions. In a society that is growing increasingly ethnically diverse, among other ways, and where college graduates reflect this increased diversity, it is important that research is conducted concerning ethnic minorities and members of traditionally marginalized groups who serve within the profession of university development. The purpose of this research was to explore career experiences, with particular attention to recruitment, engagement, and retention factors, as well as participants’ perceptions of efficacy regarding these efforts. Five participants were selected for this study with the following characteristics: they all have served within the field of university development for 10 years or longer and have had more than one employer during their careers. Participants represented a range of ages (30s through 50s) and were diverse in terms of gender (three males, two females). Collectively, the five participants had experience working at predominantly White institutions, HBCUs, and predominantly Hispanic institutions. This qualitative study utilized the narrative research tradition. Jerlando Jackson's ERA model was used as the theoretical framework and provided a guide to inquiry. Interviews with selected participants led to six emerging themes: (1) the pipeline into the profession; (2) on- boarding and investment; (3) respect leads to loyalty; (4) achieving an all-important balance; (5) career challenges related to personal demographics; (6) personal considerations and relational/family issues. Recommendations for future research included performing research with other ethnic groups, with multi-racial participants, with other traditionally marginalized groups, and with Whites who work at non-predominantly White institutions. The potential benefit of structured entry-level opportunities (ex: internships; graduate assistantships targeting underrepresented groups in certain areas such as marketing and sales, journalism and public relations), as well as opportunities for those who “self-select” and work in development offices as undergraduate students could prove beneficial. The administrator would benefit in terms of recruiting and the academy would benefit by potentially expanding current academic offerings where there is a documented need, thus effectively bridging the gap between practitioners and academics. THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITY DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATORS A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Educational Leadership East Carolina University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership by T. Greg Prince September, 2015 ©Copyright 2015 T. Greg Prince THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITY DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATORS by T. Greg Prince APPROVED BY: DIRECTOR OF DISSERTATION:_________________________________________________ David J. Siegel, PhD COMMITTEE MEMBER:________________________________________________________ Crystal R. Chambers, JD, PhD COMMITTEE MEMBER:________________________________________________________ William A. Rouse, Jr., EdD COMMITTEE MEMBER:________________________________________________________ Maria C. Clay, PhD CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP: _________________________________________________________ William A. Rouse, Jr., EdD DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL: _________________________________________________________ Paul Gemperline, PhD DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my loving and supportive family. My wife Hope’s constant encouragement and my kids’ incessant questions about whether or not I “was finished with my dissertation” kept me going throughout the grueling, yet rewarding, process. I also must dedicate this work to my late great-uncle, David Earl Prince. His encouragement led me to dream beyond not only being the first person in my family to pursue and complete a 4-year degree, but also a complete master’s degree program and to pursue a doctoral degree as well. I also want to thank my mother, Dianne Martin, for the role she played in helping me see this process to the end. Finally, my father, Tommy Prince, was supportive as well in our phone conversations, and my grandmother, Alma Prince, asked me for progress reports increasingly this calendar year – an act that definitely kept me motivated to the end. I will be forever grateful to all those listed above, whether here on Earth or in Heaven above. Thank you. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to acknowledge the Chair of my dissertation committee, Dr. David J. Siegel, for his tireless efforts and review of multiple drafts of every single chapter. Without his incredible eye for detail and commitment to the end product, I would not have completed this dissertation. Further gratitude must be bestowed upon my full committee. Dr. Maria Clay served wonderfully as my methodologist and encouraged me to think in directions that I had not previously considered. Dr. Crystal Chambers definitely helped with the refining language and multiple considerations needed on this important body of work that could have implications for an entire industry’s human resources practices, among other possibilities. Dr. W. Art Rouse also helped with the needed revisions in my work, thus helping bring the final product up to the doctoral level of scholarship. Beyond my committee, I must acknowledge the commitment of Dr. Stephen G. Hardy, who helped me incredibly in terms of getting the thoughts that I had for this work out of my head and on paper – a considerable challenge for me beyond what might be considered difficult for others. His expert perspective in having undergone this process earlier in his career proved motivational and informative beyond what I can describe in words. Finally, Christine Smith’s countless reads and reviews of my work brought the needed clarity and preciseness necessary in the appropriate places. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE TITLE .............................................................................................................................................. i COPYRIGHT .................................................................................................................................. ii SIGNATURE ................................................................................................................................. iii DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................................v LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................1 Overview ..............................................................................................................................1 Background of the Problem .................................................................................................3 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................................5 Conceptual Framework ........................................................................................................6 Research Purpose .................................................................................................................8 Significance of Study ...........................................................................................................8 Research Design.................................................................................................................10 Definition of Terms............................................................................................................11 Organization of the Study ..................................................................................................12 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................14 Important Context ..............................................................................................................14 A Brief Review of Public University Funding Since 2000 ................................................17 State Funding of Public Institutions .......................................................................17 Tuition Funding of Public Institutions ...................................................................19 Grant Funding of Public Institutions......................................................................20 Private Donor Funding of Public Institutions ........................................................22 African Americans in Higher Education Philanthropy ......................................................23 African American Faculty in Higher Education ................................................................30 Workplace Factors: A Positive/Negative Theme Construct ..................................30