The Making of a Leader: a Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Women Who Have Served As President at U.S
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The Making of a Leader: A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Women Who Have Served as President at U.S. Colleges and Universities A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Drexel University by Katrina L. Jackson in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education June 2015 © Copyright 2015 Katrina L. Jackson. All Rights Reserved This Ed.D. Dissertation Committee from The School of Education at Drexel University certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: The Making of a Leader: A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Women Who Have Served as President at U.S. Colleges and Universities Katrina L. Jackson Committee: ____________________________________ Kathy D. Geller, Ph.D. ____________________________________ José L. Chávez, Ed.D. ____________________________________ Pamela D. Walker, Ed.D. ____________________________________ Date Dedication To my Heavenly sent Mom and Dad (Maceo Sr. & JoAnn Davis): My beacon and guiding light. Your unconditional love, selfless sacrifices, and encouragement is beyond measure and I am eternally grateful. In memory of my Earthly sent Mommy (Tarnell Davis) & my Brother (“Snooky”): My guardian angels. To my Earthly sent Daddy (Lemuel Jackson): My encourager to always be 100% authentically me. Your unconditional love is my safe haven. In memory of “My Angel”: The impact you had on me in your short little life changed me at my core. Surviving the loss of you helped me to understand I truly can make it through anything. You opened up a side of me that will forever remain. In memory of the generations before me (Aunt Mary, Grandma Leola, Grandma McGee, Grandma Ethel, Grandaddy & Grandnanny Jackson & all of my elders): For laying the foundation and paving the way for my journey to be possible. To Felicia Miller Cheatham: My neighbor, my sister and my friend. It was through your teachings that I have excelled in my academic quest. Beginning in 3rd grade, you guided me through book reports, school projects, weekly tutoring sessions and trips to the library; all of which cultivated my academic foundation. To the generations that follow me: The path has been created and there are no excuses. Follow the path as a guide and then go further. My faith in your success is my inspiration. iv Acknowledgments First, giving honor to God who has bestowed my blessing while guiding my path through life. Through this process Lord, my relationship with you has been strengthened and I have grown closer to you beyond measure. Each time I called out, my cry and my plea was answered…but in your time! I thank you for my journey and I pray that I complete all of the things you have tasked me with on this path of life. I know this is not just my life’s story, but a testimony for your people; that through you…ALL things are possible. My deepest appreciation goes to my dissertation chair and advisor, Dr. Kathy Geller for her guidance and support throughout this experience. Thank you for your unwavering belief that I would succeed in this journey. I give gratitude to my dissertation committee members, Dr. José L. Chávez and Dr. Pamela D. Walker, for providing me with direction and invaluable feedback throughout this process. To my research participants, thank you for your time, shared experiences and desire to assist in this journey. Your contribution is priceless and I am grateful. My journey has not been one that I traveled alone. Without the support of my family, friends, and co-workers, I may have given up. To my mom, thank you for providing countless days and nights of supportive words, stories, meals and prayers…I am grateful to be the recipient of your love. To my brother Jason, thank you for your computer support and encouraging fist bumps, high-fives, and hugs. To Darrell, thank you for being my rock and fan club president. Your daily encouragement, limitless belief in my ability to achieve, and helping hand (looking up articles, collecting demographics or listening to me read sentences out loud over and over) is priceless support and will v never be forgotten. To my family, thank you for your love and belief in my abilities. You keep me grounded and humble. To my sister circle, Camille, Carletta, Cicely, DaVina, Kamilah, Neff, Sharlene, Tomaria, and Windy, they say if in a lifetime you have one person to call friend you are blessed; well I guess I am beyond blessed because I have all of you. You are my sister circle and have each contributed to my success in this journey and I thank you. To Christopher, thank you for being a wonderful mentor and friend. You always saw the inner “Doc” in me and encouraged me to strive to do whatever needs to be done to have a “seat at the table.” To Mr. Gerald, you are a true example of a man, father, husband and friend and I thank you for your support of the DOKS throughout this process. To the members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Solano Valley Alumnae Chapter, I thank you for your prayers, support, and unrelenting belief in my success. To my line sisters, the Significant Six (Lisa, Tina, Asia, Charlotte and Cherie), thank you for exhibiting the epitome of sisterhood, encouraging me and being comic relief in stressful times. To my Soror Denise Johnson, thank you for your leadership, dedication, and opening your home to me when I needed to rest. To my Soror Dr. Frances McCullough, thank you for opening your rolodex and assisting me in finding participants, being a mentor, friend and “mom”. Your encouragement is a blessing. To Jim Rinehart, thank you for your mentorship, belief in my potential and inspirational quotes. It was a pleasure to call you my boss and is an honor to call you friend. To my fellow “DOKS”, Davin, Olivia, and Stephanie, from day one we started this process together and continue to support and encourage one another. Thank you for holding me accountable and pushing me beyond my limits; we are bonded for life and you are my family. To honorary DO“C”KS member Dr. Camille Wise, thank you for vi being the first and reaching back to help the rest of us get to the finish line. I have received the baton…GOT IT BOO…and I’m bringing it home to hand off to the next generation. To my heartbeats, Winston, Eric, Kayla, Maceo III, Cameron, Jasmine D., Taurean, Lynae, Chase, Marcus, Troix, James, Ashley, Jalyssa, Jalen, Malik Jace, Annett, Adrienne, Kennedy W., Canaan, Jasmine L., Sydney, Emon, Ka’Lani, Noah, Kennedy C., Isaiah, Isaac, Jamya, Cole, Izeah, Clarke, Janii, Asiana, Sasha, Jadda, Elise, Michael, Carrington, R.J., Syleena, Kendall, Kyla, Winter and Paul Jr…you are the next generation, my inspiration and the beats to my heart. I am passing the baton on to you and will greet you at your finish line. vii Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... viii 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH ....................................................................1 Statement of the Problem to Be Researched ..................................................................1 Purpose and Significance of the Problem ......................................................................2 Research Questions ........................................................................................................2 The Conceptual Framework ...........................................................................................3 Definition of Terms........................................................................................................9 Assumptions and Limitations ......................................................................................10 Summary ......................................................................................................................12 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................13 Introduction to Chapter 2 .............................................................................................13 Literature Review.........................................................................................................14 Synopsis of Literature Review .....................................................................................41 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.................................................................................45 Introduction ..................................................................................................................45 Site and Population ......................................................................................................45 Research Design and Rationale ...................................................................................47 Research Methods ........................................................................................................48 Ethical Considerations .................................................................................................54 viii 4. FINDINGS, RESULTS, AND INTERPRETATIONS ................................................55 Introduction ..................................................................................................................55 Participant Overview ...................................................................................................56 Findings........................................................................................................................57