| The study of African American women in higher education has suffered from scholarly disinterest and from perspectives that are either Anglo male centered or race centered. The primary purpose of this study was to begin to fill the void in literature by developing a profile of African American women presidents in higher education. The study examined, analyzed, and theoretically integrated factors (i.e., institutional, structural, and psychological) that characterized African American women presidents in the academy to assist in the formulation of a theoretical framework.;The study utilized a multimethod approach, the use of quantitative and qualitative research, to examine the experiences and characteristics of African American women in higher education to add to the limited knowledge base concerning African American women administrators. Because the concern of this research was to examine experiences (personal and professional) this type of design appeared to be the most appropriate one.;There are only twenty-five African American women presidents serving in higher education institutions. This study first sought to encompass the entire population; however, only eighteen of the African American women presidents in public and private colleges and universities throughout the United States agreed to participate in this study. |
