Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Educational Policy Studies Dissertations Department of Educational Policy Studies 12-16-2009 Lucy Diggs Slowe, Howard University Dean of Women, 1922-1937: Educator, Administrator, Activist Lisa R. Rasheed Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/eps_diss Part of the Education Commons, and the Education Policy Commons Recommended Citation Rasheed, Lisa R., "Lucy Diggs Slowe, Howard University Dean of Women, 1922-1937: Educator, Administrator, Activist." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2009. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/eps_diss/55 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Educational Policy Studies at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Educational Policy Studies Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ACCEPTANCE This dissertation, LUCY DIGGS SLOWE, HOWARD UNIVERSITY DEAN OF WOMEN, 1922-1937: EDUCATOR, ADMINISTRATOR, ACTIVIST, by LISA R. RASHEED, was prepared under the direction of the candidate’s Dissertation Advisory Committee. It is accepted by the committee members in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Education, Georgia State University. The Dissertation Advisory Committee and the student’s Department Chair, as representatives of the faculty, certify that this dissertation has met all standards of excellence in scholarship as determined by the faculty. The Dean of the College of Education concurs. ____________________________ __________________________ Philo A. Hutcheson, Ph.D. Hayward Richardson, Ed.D. Committee Chair Committee Member ___________________________ ___________________________ Michael Bieze, Ph.D. Kim Frazier, Ph.D. Committee Member Committee Member ___________________________ Date ___________________________ Sheryl Gowen, Ph.D. Chair, Department of Educational Policy Studies ___________________________ R. W. Kamphaus, Ph.D. Dean and Distinguished Research Professor College of Education AUTHOR’S STATEMENT By presenting this dissertation as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the advanced degree from Georgia State University, I agree that the library of Georgia State University shall make it available for inspection and circulation in accordance with its regulations governing materials of this type. I agree that permission to quote, to copy from, or to publish this dissertation may be granted by the professor under whose direction it was written, by the College of Education’s director of graduate studies and research, or by me. Such quoting, copying, or publishing must be solely for scholarly purposes and will not involve potential financial gain. It is understood that any copying from or publication of this dissertation which involves financial gain will not be allowed without my written permission. __________________________________ Lisa R. Rasheed NOTICE TO BORROWERS All dissertations deposited in the Georgia State University library must be used in accordance with stipulations prescribed by the author in the preceding statement. The author of this dissertation is: Lisa R. Rasheed 1754 Cedar Lake Court Conley, Georgia 30288 The director of this dissertation is: Dr. Philo Hutcheson Department of Educational Policy Studies College of Education Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3083 VITA Lisa R. Rasheed ADDRESS 1754 Cedar Lake Court Conley, Georgia 30288 EDUCATION Ph.D. 2010 Educational Policy Studies: Higher Education Georgia State University College of Education Atlanta, Georgia Master of Social Work, 1996 School of Social Work Clark Atlanta University Atlanta, Georgia Bachelor of Science, 1990 Berry College Rome, Georgia LICENSURES Georgia Professional Standards Council Georgia Educator Certificate #669475 S-5 (School Social Work) T-6 (Highly Qualified Special Education, Middle School Math) Leadership Endorsement Expires 06/30/14 Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists Clinical Social Worker (#002869) Expires 09/30/10 TEACHING EXPERIENCE Strayer University Adjunct Instructor Douglasville, Georgia Summer 2008 - Present Dekalb County School System Educator Decatur, Georgia Fall 2005 – Spring 2007 Georgia State University Part-time Instructor School of Social Work Fall 2001 Atlanta, Georgia Chattahoochee Technical College Adjunct Instructor Marietta, Georgia Spring Quarter 2002 PUBLICATIONS Anderson-Thompkins, Sibby, Marybeth Gasman, Cynthia Gerstl- Pepin, Karry Hathaway, Lisa Rasheed, “Casualties Of War’: Valuing Graduate Students of Color,” Teacher’s College Record Vol. 106. Issue 4. April 2004. Anderson-Thompkins, Sibby, Marybeth Gasman, Cynthia Gerstl- Pepin, Karry Hathaway, Lisa Rasheed, “Casualties of War’: Suggestions for Helping African-American Graduate Students to Succeed in the Academy,” in Darrell Cleveland (Ed.). A Long Way to Go: Conversations about Race by African American Faculty and Graduate Students in Higher Education (Peter Lang, 2003). ABSTRACT LUCY DIGGS SLOWE, HOWARD UNIVERSITY DEAN OF WOMEN, 1922-1937: EDUCATOR ADMINISTRATOR, ACTIVIST by Lisa R. Rasheed Within the last twenty years, some educational researchers initiated an emphasis to study the accomplishments and contributions of African-American women in higher education. Although they were marginally recognized, some African-American women forged into uncharted territories by providing examples of administrative leadership in post-secondary settings. Their triumphs and failures have gone unnoticed, leaving a vacant space in the chronicles of history in higher education. Little is know about one African-American woman, as an administrator at a co-educational institution in terms of her vision about her position as a professional, her view of student-oriented services and activities, and her acknowledgement and realization of the need for a student-centered community as a vital context for learning. Using historical methods, this study examines the life and work of Lucy Diggs Slowe, Howard University Dean of Women from 1922 until her death in 1937. The purpose of this study is to offer a more comprehensive illumination about Slowe’s experiences and contributions as an educational leader. Lucy Diggs Slowe was a woman of strong constitution and substance. A woman of many firsts, she was one of the founding members of the African-American sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha in 1908. Slowe would go on to leave an indelible imprint philosophically, professionally, and personally on the lives she touched as both an administrator at Howard University and a member of the Washington, D.C. community. Slowe’s contributions are worthy of study to better understand how she embodied leadership by focusing on her career in higher education as an administrator. LUCY DIGGS SLOWE, HOWARD UNIVERSITY DEAN OF WOMEN, 1922-1937: EDUCATOR ADMINISTRATOR, ACTIVIST by Lisa R. Rasheed A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Policy Studies in the Department of Educational Policy Studies in the College of Education Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia 2010 © Copyright by Lisa R. Rasheed 2010 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It is a rare pleasure to have unadulterated, omnipresent, and unconditional support when undertaking a time-consuming task such as doctoral study. To my family, both immediate and extended, I am deeply indebted to you all for your encouragement, sacrifices and unselfishness during the pursuit of this endeavor. David, Jada, and Nina let this be our great achievement. I am very grateful to you for consuming too much processed food! To begin with, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Philo Hutcheson, for enduring this long journey with me. I thank you for leading the way even when I was reluctant to follow. Your unique gift for representing history with integrity is invaluable and only matched by your impeccable attention to detail. In light of the unforeseeable changes that have taken place over the years, I especially want to thank committee members who joined this effort while it was in progress. Dr. Hayward Richardson, Dr. Michael Bieze, and Dr. Kim Frazier thank you for your support to see this effort through to its completion. I appreciate all the written and verbal recommendations you made to improve this body of work. I especially want to thank the staff at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Joellen ElBashir, curator, and Ida E. Jones, Ph.D., assistant curator. To my friend, colleague, fellow journeywoman, and impetus for the unction to study at this level, Shannon Butler-Mokoro, I thank and love you for pushing me full steam ahead. Along the way three significant influences died. The inspiration for the study is the legacy of my maternal grandmother, Roxie I. Weaver Miller. She was witty, determined, and astute. He love her learning helped to shape me. In memory of a great mind and a beautiful spirit, I want to thank Dr. Asa Hilliard, for inviting me to share his way of knowing, for rekindling energy and restoring zest for learning, for inspiring me when I experienced low places, and for calling me his friend. This journey has been all the more rich and meaningful because of his essence. Just prior to the dissertation defense, my paternal grandmother, Edna Mae Mifflin Fryer, died after a long period