A student body president's work involves addressing emerging crises and challenging institutional decision-makers to respond to the cost of higher education, campus sexual assault, mental health, free speech, and student safety (Student Voice Index, 2018). This phenomenological study unearths the experiences of individuals who previously served as…

Women have long held leadership roles in society and education, yet little attention has been given to the experiences of women student body presidents. We studied 20 women student body presidents at multiple four-year institutions to understand their experiences in student leadership. We found that these women felt extreme responsibility and…

The lack of women in elected leadership roles trickles down to student governance at colleges and universities (American Student Government Association, 2016). The researcher sought to understand how women student leaders made meaning of their experiences as a leader and how their understanding influences their actions and motivations. Through the…

Within institutions of higher education, shared governance is an essential component to a healthy functionality. Among the many stakeholders at these institutions, students are the largest in number and hold primacy. Participation in student governance establishes a sense of shared ownership over their communities while also providing a unique…

With recent literature documenting the benefits of diversifying senior leadership teams (Madsen, 2015) and leadership development a desired outcome of the higher education experience (Komives et al., 2013), understanding ways to increase the pipeline of diverse leaders merits research attention. The findings of this qualitative study regarding the…

The purpose of this study was to understand and perceive how student leaders, and specifically student body presidents, navigated social power and used influence with institutional leaders in the higher education decision-making environment to achieve the goals and objectives of their presidencies. The foundational texts of higher education…

Student involvement is encouraged at contemporary colleges and universities. Involvement in student organizations can assist with academic and social integration, as well as retention. One way for students to become involved is through student government associations. As student government members, students participate in the governance process at…

Student governance is one way for students to become involved on college campuses. Student government allows participants to represent the needs of the student body and to voice their concerns to college administrators. In a qualitative study, five presidents of community college student government associations were interviewed. The student…

Described in detail are the governance patterns on 30 campuses, including state, comprehensive, and research universities, independent institutions, and general baccalaureate colleges. The extent to which new forms of governance have realized their objectives is shown, the implications for other institutions are pointed out, and recommendations…

Interviews with 15 women student leaders at three large universities were conducted to learn more about these students and their out-of-class environment. Information about the students' characteristics, role models, leadership styles, relationships with peers, perceptions of what they learned, and the experiences of women of color emerged from…