MOTHERS AS LEADERS IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE PATHWAY TO LEADERSHIP FOR COLLEGE PRESIDENTS A dissertation submitted by Linda Fedrizzi-Williams to Benedictine University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Higher Education and Organizational Change This dissertation has been accepted for the faculty of Benedictine University ____________________________ Nancy Bentley Nancy W. Bentley, Ph.D. ___________4-15-2016 Dissertation Committee Director Date and Chair ___ _________________________ Michael Gawronski Michael Gawronski, Ph.D. ___________4-15-2016 Dissertation Committee Reader Date ___ Cassandra_________________________ Sheffield Cassandra Sheffield, Ed.D. ___________4-15-2016 Dissertation Committee Reader Date 4-15-2016 ____________________________ Sunil Chand Sunil Chand, Ph.D. _________ __________ Program Director, Faculty Date ____________________________ Eileen Kolich Eileen Kolich, Ph.D. ____ __________4-15-2016 Faculty Date ____________________________ Ethel Ragland, Ed.D., M.N.,R.N. __________ Dean, College of Education and Health Services Date MOTHERS AS LEADERS IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE PATHWAY TO LEADERSHIP FOR COLLEGE PRESIDENTS A dissertation submitted by Linda Fedrizzi-Williams to Benedictine University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Higher Education and Organizational Change Lisle, Illinois March 2016 Copyright by Linda Fedrizzi-Williams, 2016 All rights reserved ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS When I first began this dissertation journey, I came across an anonymous quote that stated, “Some people dream of great accomplishments, while others stay awake and do them” (Anonymous, 2016). As a wife, a mother of two small boys (3 and 5 at the time), and a full-time administrator, I knew this journey would be one of the most difficult in my life, and being able to reflect on the magnitude of this accomplishment is humbling. This dissertation journey would not have been possible without the love and support of many people. First and foremost, I must thank my family. They have been my rock and inspiration through this entire journey. They have seen me at my best, coming off a high from interviewing incredible women, and at my worst, stressed out and crying, because I did not know how I would ever complete my dissertation. I must start by thanking my parents for always believing in me and being there to watch my children for hours on end so that I could write my papers and study for my courses. Thank you to my husband, Glen, for encouraging me to earn this degree, even when it was not easy for me to be away from him and my sons. Thank you to my sister, Jennifer, and my brother, George, for providing the knowledge, support, and encouragement to keep working towards my dreams and for providing me with a shoulder to lean on when I needed them. Thank you to my extended family and my in-laws for the love and support. I have the most incredible friends, colleagues, and supervisors who supported me over the last four years when I was consumed with my doctoral studies. To my best friends, Dena, Jennifer, and Melanie, thank you for listening to me and for telling me to believe in myself. I love you. To my colleagues and friends—Mike, Stacey, Anne, Pete, i Candice, Mark, Peter, Irene, Pat, Christine, Alex, my department chairs, and faculty members—thank you! Your patience, understanding, and support went far beyond what any colleague should provide. To my mentors, Dr. Bill Richards and Dr. Heather Perfetti, thank you for seeing something in me and pushing me to pursue my doctorate degree. Your belief in me gave me the confidence I needed to pursue my dreams, and it means more to me than you will ever know. I would also like to thank my dissertation committee members, Dr. Michael Gawronski and Dr. Cassandra Sheffield, for their commitment to making my dissertation a success. From the feedback on my proposal and my dissertation to your assistance in finding participants for my study, thank you for the positive feedback and the endless advice. Additionally, I would like to thank the eleven remarkable women who participated in this study. Thank you for taking time out of your incredibly busy lives to share the intimate details of your personal life and career journey. I have learned a great deal from your challenges and successes as college presidents and mothers. Your stories have prompted me to take a deeper look at my own life and to focus on the things that matter most in this world. Most of all, I want to thank my dissertation director and chair, Dr. Nancy Bentley. There is no way I would have been able to do this without her endless hours of guidance and support. Nancy is unlike any woman I have ever met. She is brilliant and has an understanding of qualitative research like no other. From day one, Nancy spent time critiquing my work, recommending scholarly material to include, and providing me, and a classmate, with an incredible meal when we were in the Chicago area to conduct ii research. Most importantly, Nancy helped me through a very difficult time in my personal life. More than a director and chair, she has become a true friend, and for that, I am eternally grateful. iii DEDICATION To my first teachers: My parents, George and Marianna Fedrizzi, who taught me that anything is possible with hard work, dedication, and a will to succeed. To the three loves of my life: Glen, my inspirational husband, and Jake and Luke, my incredible sons—it’s all for you. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ xii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... xiii ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem .........................................................................................2 Purpose of the Study.... ............................................................................................3 Research Questions….. ............................................................................................7 Significance of the Study .........................................................................................8 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ............................................................10 Women as Leaders in Higher Education ...............................................................10 Women in Student Roles ...........................................................................13 Mothers in Student Roles ...............................................................15 Women in Faculty Roles ............................................................................16 Mothers in Faculty Roles .............................................................. 18 Women in Administrative Roles ................................................................24 Mothers in Administrative Roles ...................................................29 Women as College Presidents ....................................................................34 Mothers as College Presidents .......................................................40 Leadership Traits and Qualities .............................................................................42 Gender-Related Leadership Traits .............................................................42 Qualities of a Leader ..................................................................................47 Work-Life Balance: Is it Possible to Have it All? .................................................49 v Working Mothers .......................................................................................52 The Maternal Wall .....................................................................................54 Interrole Conflict ........................................................................................54 Female Identity Development Theories .................................................................57 Josselson’s (1987) Theory .........................................................................59 Sidel’s (1990) Theory ................................................................................61 Career Decision-Making for Women .....................................................................63 Bandura (1977) Theory of Self-Efficacy ...................................................64 Holland’s (1958/1996) Career Choice Theory ..........................................66 Super’s (1980) Life-Span, Life-Space Approach ......................................68 Mainiero and Sullivan’s (2005) Kaleidoscope Model of Careers .............70 McMahon and Patton’s (1995) Systems Theory Framework ....................72 Summary and Limitations to the Literature ...........................................................72 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .....................................................................................74 Research Paradigms ...............................................................................................75 Qualitative Research Paradigm ..............................................................................77 Social Constructivism Framework .........................................................................78