COMMUNITY COLLEGE FEMALE FACULTY TRANSITIONING TO LEADERSHIP POSITIONS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF LIMINALITY OF PROFESSIONAL LIFEWORLDS AND IDENTITIES A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED BY LAURA YANNUZZI TO BENEDICTINE UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE AKNOWLEDGMENTS There are many people who, in various ways, helped to make the successful completion of this dissertation a reality. My sincere thanks go to: ~My husband, Dave, who said the right things at the right times and supported me through every step of this journey. ~Antonina Lukenchuk, who provided me with a living example of the inconceivable ability to truly blend a brilliant mind with a gracious spirit and from whom I learned a great deal about phenomenology and the creative process of writing. ~My committee members, Eileen Kolich and Baudelaire Ulysse, who provided invaluable support and perspective which helped this study come to fruition. ~Pat Akers, who has given me opportunities and support since the beginning of my career and who continues to be a model towards which I strive. ~Dana Dalton, who provided me a safe harbor from which to begin this journey and who has taught me so much about integrity and personal strength. ~My participants, who entrusted me with their stories. ii DEDICATIONS To my steadfast Phillip, my passionate Brewer, my loving Max and, most of all, to the source of my hope and strength, Dave. “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” ~ Lao Tzu iii TABLE OF CONTENTS AKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATIONS ............................................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................................ vii ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................................... 2 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 2 The Disappearing Pipeline..................................................................................................................... 4 Understanding Leadership .................................................................................................................... 6 Problem Statement ............................................................................................................................... 8 Research Purposes and Questions ........................................................................................................ 9 Theoretical and Methodological Approaches to the Study ................................................................ 10 Significance of the Study ..................................................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................................................ 14 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................................... 14 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 14 Women Working in the Community College Environment ................................................................ 15 Women Leaders in the Context of the Community College ............................................................... 24 The Primary Influences on Leadership Development in the Community College .............................. 29 Summary ............................................................................................................................................. 35 CHAPTER THREE .......................................................................................................................................... 38 METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................................................... 38 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 38 Conceptualizing the Study through the Interpretive Inquiry .............................................................. 39 Research Design .................................................................................................................................. 46 Phenomenological Process of Data Analysis ....................................................................................... 50 Validation of Research Findings and Researcher’s Self ...................................................................... 52 Reflection on the Research Development Process ............................................................................. 54 CHAPTER FOUR ........................................................................................................................................... 56 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION .................................................................................................. 56 iv Data Analysis Process .......................................................................................................................... 57 Meeting the Participants through the Researcher’s Eyes .................................................................. 59 The Lived Phenomena of Community College Female ....................................................................... 69 Faculty Transitioning to Leadership Positions .................................................................................... 69 CHAPTER FIVE ........................................................................................................................................... 111 DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS, CONCLUSION, AND REFLECTION ........................................................ 111 Discussion of the Findings ................................................................................................................. 111 Women Transitioning from Faculty to Leadership Positions: ........................................................... 127 Methodologically Uncovered Lived Experiences .............................................................................. 127 Recommendations for Future Research ........................................................................................... 132 Reflections on My Journey ................................................................................................................ 136 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................................. 138 APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................................. 147 APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................................................... 148 Interview Guide ........................................................................................................................................ 148 APPENDIX B ............................................................................................................................................... 153 Informed Consent Form ............................................................................................................................ 153 APPENDIX C ............................................................................................................................................... 155 Research Questions with Corresponding Initial Codes and Themes ...................................................... 155 APPENDIX D ............................................................................................................................................... 163 Visual Representation of Imaginative Variation ..................................................................................... 163 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Composite of the Essential Structures ........................................................................110 2. Essential Structures of the Participants’ Experiences of Transitioning from Faculty to Leadership Positions…………………………………………………………………..132 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Participants’ Area and Institutional Size.......................................................................57 vii 1 ABSTRACT The past thirty years have marked incredible growth for women in community colleges and the impending wave of mass retirements represents a “prime opportunity” for women to advance in the community college leadership