The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School IDENTITY NEGOTIATION AMONG BLACK ADMINISTRATORS AT PREDOMINANTLY WHITE INSTITUTIONS A Dissertation in Higher Education by Branden D. Elmore Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2020 ii The dissertation of Branden D. Elmore was reviewed and approved by the following: Alicia C. Dowd Professor of Education Director, Center for the Study of Higher Education Dissertation Advisor Chair of Committee LaWanda Ward Assistant Professor of Education (Higher Education) Uju Anya Assistant Professor of Education (Second Language Learning) Gail Boldt Professor of Education (Language and Literacy Education) Ronald Jackson, II Professor of Communication (University of Cincinnati) Special Member Leticia Oseguera Professor-in-Charge, Higher Education iii Abstract Higher education’s history of race-based exclusion and marginalization goes against the values of a new diverse and multicultural learning environment as imagined in a modern-day society (Hurtado et al. 1999; 2012). For Black administrators at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) that history has structurally positioned their identities as inferior to their White counterparts, both in and outside of the academy, by inscribing their identities as “othered” or “minoritized.” As identities are considered to be “the social positioning of self and others” (Bucholtz & Hall, 2005), the minoritized aspects of these identities are, therefore, connected to systems of racial oppression and discrimination that infiltrate the experience of Black administrators, faculty, staff and students alike. This qualitative study uses a narrative inquiry approach to interrogate the racialized experiences of Black administrators, which are unrecounted throughout literature and practice. In efforts to better understand the unique processes of identity negotiation that Black administrators engage for achieving modes of coherence, connectedness, and agency at PWIs, this study uses a lens of Critical Race Theory to provide the counternarrative of the minoritized administrator. Findings in the study reveal that Black administrators’ identities at PWIs are incongruent to the constructs of a space dominated by the presence of Whiteness, which is maintained through systems of racism and oppression. Therefore, the study offers insights for Black administrators who seek to successfully negotiate their identities in spaces that have historically positioned them as inferior. Key words: identity negotiation, higher education leadership, predominantly white institutions, critical race, counternarratives, Black administrators iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................. v LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 2 Literature Review ................................................................................................... 12 Chapter 3 Methods .................................................................................................................. 35 Chapter 4 Results and Findings .............................................................................................. 53 Chapter 5 Discussion and Conclusion .................................................................................... 109 References ................................................................................................................................ 132 Appendix A Recruitment Script .............................................................................................. 147 Appendix B Informed Consent ............................................................................................... 148 Appendix C Black Admnistrative Identity Autobiography .................................................... 150 Appendix D Semi-Structured Interview Guide ....................................................................... 152 Appendix E Observation Guide .............................................................................................. 154 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1-1: Participant Snapshot. ............................................................................................. 54 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1-1: Results Summary. ................................................................................................... 64 vii Acknowledgements I dedicate this dissertation to my Aunt Kathy. You truly are the wind beneath my wings and even when the wind is still, I am constantly reminded that you are here. I would like to thank my family for loving me, my sisters who I love; I love you A.M.P. Also, 2-6 ANNNT! My nieces and nephews who are so little right now, I hope one day you will see that I would have quit before I started if it weren’t for you. To my friends who have supported me along the way and that have given me the strength to continue even when you had nothing left to give, thank you! I.II.I. To my beloved HBCU, the illustrious Fayetteville State University, my love for you will never fade. I will never forget where I came from and the experiences that shaped me into who I AM today (ATTITUDE Check?! BRONCO PRIDE!). To my McNair/Trio family, look what WE have done! I am so proud of us and I hope this serves as a source of motivation to you as we continue to challenge the world through Dr. McNair’s legacy. My UC/Cincy family, I am ready to one day be back in the Nati! To my Mentors: Dr. Almeida; Dr. McNeill-Blue; Dr. Sherrice Allen; Mrs. Rasheedah Parsons; Jeff Womble; LaShanta McCorkle; Joe Ross; Prof Berry; Jeff Capel; Dr. Hyman; Dr. Aus; Ms. Niki; Valda Bronston; Stephanie Davis; Dr. Westmoreland; Dr. Banjo; Dr. Zoller; Dr. Bates; Doc Abercrumbie; Tamar; Ms. Benita; Dr. A. Green; Dr. Garces; Dr. P; Dr. Dinkins (that’s both of y’all because I can’t); Tambra; Aunti Teresa; Dr. King and Barry; and my forever Chancellor, Dr. James A. Anderson and Mrs. Nancy Anderson. The list goes on, but please charge it to my head and not my heart. My wonderful committee, thank you! Dr. Dowd, I so am happy to have shared this experience with you, looking forward to more years of scholarship as we continue to bend toward justice and equity. Dr. A, thank you for showing up and being you, unapologetically! viii Your presence at Penn State changed my life forever. Dr. Ward, I will forever owe you for the passion and dedication you bring to my work. Thank you for keeping me charged up and ready, always! Dr. Boldt, since day one I have always been able to count on you to keep it real. I am grateful to have your perspective and experience as a part of this dissertation. Dr. J, thank you for coming back for round two! You have shaped my life for the better and I am forever and always appreciative of your unwavering guidance and support. Special thanks to my participants in this study. Thank you for the work that you do! Thank you for standing in the face of adversity and taking it in stride. Thank you for sharing your experience with me and the world. You matter! Not just to me, but to all the Black and Brown faces that see themselves in you. Thank you for choosing to love us and thank you for choosing to love yourselves. “If it had not been for the wind in my face, I wouldn’t be able to fly at all.” -Arthur Ashe 1 Chapter One: Introduction The troublesome history of higher education completely contradicts the values of a new diverse and multicultural learning environment as imagined in a modern-day society (Hurtado et al. 1999; 2012). For Black1 administrators that history has structurally positioned their identities as inferior to their White counterparts, both in and outside of the academy inscribing their identities as “othered” or “minoritized.”2 As identities are considered to be “the social positioning of self and others” (Bucholtz & Hall, 2005), the minoritized aspects of these identities are, therefore, connected to systems of oppression and discrimination that infiltrate the experience of Black administrators, faculty, staff and students alike. This is especially true in institutions that appeal to the majority population (Powell, 1999). The instances of oppression and discrimination within are not isolated occurrences. The rapid increase of diverse populations into the academy has caused higher education institutions to respond with a sense of urgency to demands for making campus environments more equitable and inclusive (Black Liberation Collective, 2018). While the trend for hiring minority administrators is growing at a slow rate, increasing nationally by only three percent over a fifteen-year period, Black administrators still represent the highest number of minority administrative positions at seven percent (Bichsel & McChesney, 2017).3 Traditionally, because the White administrator identity has been characterized as dominant, those who hold the dominant identity are easily afforded the opportunity to rise from 1 The terms “Black” and “African American’ are used interchangeably throughout as appropriated in popular discourse. The terms have been identified by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education