Asian American women who choose a career in student affairs within the field of higher education are severely underrepresented in both staff positions and top officer/administrator positions compared to White women and other women of color. As the Asian American college student population continues to rise and women make up the majority of…

Through an unsustainable moniker that often receives no reprieve, Black women student affairs professionals become the institutional fixer--the StrongBlackWoman who can do all. Through a raced and gendered expectation, they support the needs of their students, many of whom are students of color. This effort creates a precarious double bind that…

One of the most impacted areas in higher education is the field of student affairs (Lynch, 2017). While job satisfaction is problematic in higher education; only 1% of professionals are "extremely satisfied" with their job, giving the field a much lower overall satisfaction level than many other occupations (Kinman & Wray, 2014).…

Despite the recent increase in messaging on the importance of improving diversity and inclusion efforts within higher education, Black women working in administrative roles continue to be the most misjudged, undervalued, and underrepresented group of individuals on college campuses across the country. The purpose of this interpretative…

Alternative Spring Break (ASB) is a program hosted by college campuses in which students use their traditional vacation to serve the community locally, domestically, or internationally. There are 101 recognized and accredited Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the United States (National Center for Education Statistics,…

This study examined the research question, does having a woman in student affairs as a mentor correlate to higher socially responsible leadership scores of undergraduate men? Overall, there were no statistically significant differences between leadership construct scores on measures of socially responsible leadership for undergraduate men who…

This descriptive qualitative study provides a greater understanding about the approaches, challenges, and strategies associated with developing and sustaining affinity programs for Black collegiate women in higher education. Using a conceptual framework based on the theories of program planning and intersectionality, this paper offers in-depth…

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop a model for a career development program for entry-level student affairs (SA) women professionals based on the lived experiences of current mid-level SA professionals and senior-level SA professionals. As new women professionals pursue their careers in SA, they must navigate many barriers…

Historians of education have argued that the field of vocational guidance was founded by men in Boston in 1909, and that these guidance practices were not used in a college setting until the mid-1940s after the close of World War II. This article illustrates the history of early female student affairs practitioners developing and implementing…

Many African American women who work in higher education, in non-faculty roles, incorporate a historical and cultural tradition commonly referred to as "othermothering" with higher education best practices when working with African American students. The practice of othermothering was used by enslaved African American women to assist…

This study utilized a phenomenological qualitative research design to assess job satisfaction of women student affairs professionals in Louisiana at entry, mid, and senior levels positions. The purpose of this research was to examine perceptions of women student affairs professionals in Louisiana higher education institutions regarding: (1) job…

This qualitative case study explored the perceived barriers to leadership for female-identifying student affairs professionals at the midlevel who aspire to, but have not yet attained, a senior student affairs officer role. Women hold 71% of all student affairs positions in higher education compared to men; however, that majority shrinks to 56%…

Guided by the three-dimensional narrative inquiry framework, this study explored the career experiences of women support staff with advanced degrees who work at higher education institutions. The researcher interviewed eight participants for this study. The participants also completed a written reflection detailing their career journeys. Two…

Women fill the majority of the entry and midlevel student affairs positions across institution types yet are underrepresented in senior-level roles such as the chief student affairs officer role at doctoral-granting institutions. This explanatory mixed-methods study explored the experiences and perceptions of midlevel women student affairs…

Little research exists that centers the experiences of African American women student affairs administrators in higher education. The challenges and barriers that exist for African American women student affairs administrators are complex and directly connected to the history of slavery, race and racism in the United States. Concepts such as…