Abstract
The purpose of this study is to describe the personal and professional relationships and experiences that either supported or hindered the leadership development and advancement of African-American female senior-level higher education administrators in California. This study has two aspects. The first aspect was that African-American women would present a valuable viewpoint of the higher education system because of their race and gender. The study would broaden the literature regarding development and advancement of African-American women in higher education. The second aspect of the study is the use of black feminist perspective to view leadership theory. According to Rusher (1996) little is known about career development or leadership strategies of African-American women. It would serve as a base of knowledge for African-American women, which is rarely used in academic leadership. The methodology for the study was a qualitative, non-experimental research design focusing on twenty African-American females who held senior-level positions at four-year institutions of higher education in California. The instrumentation that gathered the data consisted of a two-sided form for demographic information and eight questions for the interviews. The interviews took place from May through September 1998. The qualitative data was analyzed using a content analysis software called NUD*IST 4. The result of the findings provided a profile of an African-American female administrator in a California higher education institution. Eighteen of the twenty women had an earned doctorate. The women had been in higher education at least sixteen years. In their personal life, these women were mostly likely to be divorced or remarried. They had a least one child or no children at all. Their mother mostly likely worked outside the home, with a high school degree. The father's occupation ranged from a farmer to a medical doctor. The three themes that emerged from the data collection were family, mentoring, and transcendence. Familial roles were most significant in leadership development. Nearly as important was the impact of the mentor relationship often played by a supervisor. A recurring theme was concerning the transcendence of hindrances. Recommendations for further research included replication of the study, exploration of policies, self-efficacy, and mentoring relationships.