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Navigating Straight Waters: the Lived Experience of How Out, White Gay Males Have Successfully Navigated the College Presidential Search Process St. John Fisher College Fisher Digital Publications Education Doctoral Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education 5-2014 Navigating Straight Waters: The Lived Experience of How Out, White Gay Males Have Successfully Navigated the College Presidential Search Process Bil Leipold St. John Fisher College Follow this and additional works at: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd Part of the Education Commons How has open access to Fisher Digital Publications benefited ou?y Recommended Citation Leipold, Bil, "Navigating Straight Waters: The Lived Experience of How Out, White Gay Males Have Successfully Navigated the College Presidential Search Process" (2014). Education Doctoral. Paper 170. Please note that the Recommended Citation provides general citation information and may not be appropriate for your discipline. To receive help in creating a citation based on your discipline, please visit http://libguides.sjfc.edu/citations. This document is posted at https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd/170 and is brought to you for free and open access by Fisher Digital Publications at St. John Fisher College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Navigating Straight Waters: The Lived Experience of How Out, White Gay Males Have Successfully Navigated the College Presidential Search Process Document Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Education (EdD) Department Executive Leadership Subject Categories Education Comments Lesbians and gays are one of the most ostracized and marginalized groups in the U.S. (Rankin, Weber, Blumenfeld, & Frazer, 2010). With a limited number of out, gay leader to study, minimal research has been conducted on how gays have navigated their way into visible leadership positions (Fassinger, Shullman, & Stevenson, 2010; Snyder, 2006). The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the lived experience of how out, White gay males have successfully navigated the presidential search process. The study utilizes the framework of social dominance theory, queer theory, and co-cultural theory in exploring the historical and current environment for lesbian and gays within the U.S. This national study utilized a qualitative, phenomenological approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants. Study findings included: (a) most gay men have a non-traditional career pathway to the presidency; (b) mentoring and networking plays a significant role for gay men in the pursuit of a career as a college president; (c) while gay men are resilient in overcoming the dominant heteronormative culture impacts, dominant culture beliefs continue to play a significant role in the search process; (d) gay men believe that being out during the search process speaks to their integrity and character; (e) gay men strategically utilize two communication approaches when communicating with the dominant culture in an effort to assess if the heteronormative environment will be affirming; and, (f) in deciding on institutional fit, gay men seek to synergize their skill set and values with that of the hiring institution. This dissertation is available at Fisher Digital Publications: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd/170 Navigating Straight Waters: The Lived Experience of How Out, White Gay Males Have Successfully Navigated the College Presidential Search Process By Bil Leipold Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Ed.D. Program in Executive Leadership Supervised by Dr. Claudia L. Edwards Committee Member Dr. Mary Alice Donius Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education St. John Fisher College May 2014 Copyright by Bil Leipold 2014 Dedication I would like to thank the LGBTQ Presidents’ Organization and the research participants for their contributions to this study. Without your participation and support, this study would not have been able to be completed. My sincere love and thanks to Dr. Claudia L. Edwards and Dr. Mary Alice Donius for all of their guidance, patience, and support. You both knew how and when to challenge and support me. Not once did you waiver in your confidence in me, and I cannot thank you enough for your unyielding love during this process. There are not enough words to express my gratitude and admiration for you. I will forever be humbled in your presence. To the faculty of St. John Fisher College (CNR), thank you for pushing me in every conversation to go beyond my limit and to encourage me to think larger than I had ever thought possible. For my teammates in CT3—simply put—I love each and every one of you. You have each made this journey remarkable, and I never could have done this without you. To my cohort members, I have learned to trust the process. To my Rutgers family, Dr. Raphel Caprio, Dr. Bonita Veysey, Dr. Barry Qualls, and Dr. Susan Shurman, I would have never begun this journey or succeeded without you. Each of you pushed me to enroll, and each of you pushed me to graduate. Each of you gave selfless numbers of hours for conversations about this research, and each time I came away from our conversations a better scholar. To my Rutgers UHR colleagues, thank you to you all for stopping by my office to check in and ask how it was going. iii To my neighbors and friends in Wanamassa, New Jersey, thank you for all of the laughter and glasses of wine. More than once during this journey, you provided me with humor and great experiences on the front porch. Furthermore, you all never once said no when I asked you to help with items around my house when I had to sneak off to write. To my Mom, Linda Gibbons, and my father, Patrick Gibbons, I know that you have sacrificed so much for me to get an education. Your endless love and support are perhaps the greatest gift that I have ever been given. I know that the last three years you have not seen much of me, but I promise more time now that the writing has been completed. Jennifer, Lance and Sidney, and my family, thank you for your patience and supportive phone calls. You are all loved. To my immediate family, my four furry children: Livingston, Wanamassa, Zander, and Willouby, thank you for being supportive and patient as I went through this journey. With every arrival home from a day out writing, you provided unconditional love and happy faces. And finally, to my partner, Joe, thank you for being you. Your endless support and encouragement during this process has touched my heart and soul. I could not imagine this journey of life without you. iv Biographical Sketch Bil Leipold is currently the Sr. Associate Dean for the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Mr. Leipold attended Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania from 1988 to 1992 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He attended Norwich University from 2007 to 2009 and graduated with a Master of Art Sciences degree in Organizational Leadership. Bil has had a career in higher education for more than 25 years. Mr. Leipold has had the opportunity to work in numerous administrative areas that include: student services, athletics, human resources, and academic affairs. Over the past two years, Bil has been a member of the team that provided oversight to the integration of Rutgers University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. During the integration of these two institutions, Bil provided leadership and direction for the integration of human resources. Bil also has had the opportunity to speak on issues of social justice, homophobia, and leadership at hundreds of colleges and universities. Throughout his speaking career, Bil has had the privilege to be the keynote speaker at various national and regional student leadership and professional development conferences. Bil had also been the recipient of the Diversity Arts of the Year awarded by Campus Activities Magazine. Mr. Leipold came to St. John Fisher College in the spring of 2011 and began doctoral studies in the Ed.D. Program in Executive Leadership. He pursued his research in Navigating Straight Waters: The Lived Experience of How Out, White Gay Males v Have Successfully Navigated the College Presidential Search Process under the direction of Dr. Claudia L. Edwards and Dr. Mary Alice Donius and received the Ed.D. degree in 2014. vi Abstract Lesbians and gays are one of the most ostracized and marginalized groups in the U.S. (Rankin, Weber, Blumenfeld, & Frazer, 2010). With a limited number of out, gay leader to study, minimal research has been conducted on how gays have navigated their way into visible leadership positions (Fassinger, Shullman, & Stevenson, 2010; Snyder, 2006). The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the lived experience of how out, White gay males have successfully navigated the presidential search process. The study utilizes the framework of social dominance theory, queer theory, and co-cultural theory in exploring the historical and current environment for lesbian and gays within the U.S. This national study utilized a qualitative, phenomenological approach. Semi- structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants. Study findings included: (a) most gay men have a non-traditional career pathway to the presidency; (b) mentoring and networking plays a significant role for gay men in the pursuit of a career as a college president; (c) while gay men are resilient in overcoming the dominant heteronormative culture impacts, dominant culture beliefs continue to play a significant role in the search process; (d) gay men believe that being out during the search process speaks to their integrity and character; (e) gay men strategically utilize two communication approaches when communicating with the dominant culture in an effort to assess if the heteronormative environment will be affirming; and, (f) in deciding on institutional fit, gay men seek to synergize their skill set and values with that of the hiring institution vii Table of Contents Dedication .........................................................................................................................
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