Abstract
Research on effective leadership practices in challenging and fragile environments abound and clarion calls for visionary leaders to lead historically Black colleges and universities are front and center in media coverage as well as the conversations of alumni and supporters. However, scant research exists which combines the identification, application, as well as evaluation of appropriate leadership strategies for the unique challenges HBCUs present. While presidents, chancellors, and governing boards are often credited (and blamed) for significant leadership decisions at American colleges and universities, far more often it is the work of cabinet- and director-level leaders which leads to the results that should be evaluated most closely. Individuals in these positions (e.g. deans, directors of enrollment management and admissions, chief financial/information/advancement officials) rarely achieve much spotlight or receive external scrutiny.
In this chapter, three individuals reflect on their leadership decisions, experiences, and results in their cabinet- and director-level positions at an HBCU. In examining their application of leadership theory in this setting, they discuss leadership theories and reflect on the results of their application. Using autoethnographic reflection to recall, analyze, and evaluate the results of these leadership theories critically, the authors aim to reveal whether or not these approaches—oft suggested by business and higher education theorists—are valuable to the work of HBCU executive leaders.
While the results are mixed, what emerges is a narrative that is useful in and of itself as well as a set of practices the authors contend are crucial for successful leadership at HBCUs. The known and accepted metrics typically associated with growth and success—for example, increased enrollment, fundraising success, and graduation rates—only reveal a narrow view of leadership evaluation. Robust reflection and praxis, in coordination with evaluation of key metrics, yield fruitful data to determine which leadership practices are most useful for HBCU leaders, and why in some cases even these leadership approaches are less than successful.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
American Council on Education. (2008). On the pathway to the presidency: Characteristics of higher education’s senior leadership. Retrieved from http://www.cupahr.org/knowledgecenter/files/PathwayPresidency.pdf
American Council for Education. (2012). The American college president (7th ed.). Washington, DC: American Council on Education, Center for Policy Analysis.
Bass, B. M. (2008). Bass & Stogdill’s handbook of leadership: Theory, research, & managerial applications (4th ed.). New York City: Free Press.
Broussard, W. (2015). Beyond fish plates and tailgates: Steering HBCU fundraising from fanaticism to support. HBCU Digest. Retrieved from http://hbcudigest.com/post/120015982106/hbcu-philanthropy-fans-vs-supporters
Broussard, W. (2016). Hello, new boss: 2015–2016 HBCU executive transactions. HBCU Digest. Retrieved from https://medium.com/hbcu-digest/hello-new-boss-2015-2016-hbcu-executive-transactions-547e75172b75#.vwck4vu48
Broussard, W. (2017). A feature, not a bug: HBCU executive transactions, 2016–2017. HBCU Digest. Retrieved from http://www.hbcudigest.com/a-feature-not-a-bug-hbcu-executive-transactions-2016-2017/
Broussard, W., & Hilton, A. (2016). The unseen casualties of HBCU executive departures. HBCU Digest. Retrieved from https://medium.com/hbcu-digest/the-unseen-casualties-of-hbcu-executive-departures-b556e1b4c658#.el384wkvm
Broussard, W., & Hilton, A. (2018). Avoiding forced turnover(s): Best practices for HBCU senior-level executive recruitment. In R. T. Palmer, D. C. Maramba, A. T. Arroyo, T. O. Allen, T. F. Boykin, & M. Lee Jr. (Eds.), Effective leadership at minority-serving institutions: Exploring opportunities and challenges for leadership (pp. 65–80). New York: Routledge Publishing.
Brown, W. A., & Burnette, D. (2014). Public HBCUs’ financial resource distribution disparities in capital spending. The Journal of Negro Education, 83(2), 173–182.
Clay, P. L. (2012). Historically Black colleges and universities: Facing the future. Retrieved from http://kresge.org/sites/default/files/Uploaded%20Docs/Clay-HBCUs-Facing%20the-Future.pdf
Eckel, P. D., & King, J. E. (2004). An overview of higher education in the United States: Diversity, access, and the role of the marketplace. Retrieved from http://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Documents/Overview-of-Higher-Education-in-the-United-States-Diversity-Access-and-the-Role-of-the-Marketplace-2004.pdf
Esters, L. L., & Strayhorn, T. L. (2013). Demystifying the contributions of public land-grant historically Black colleges and universities: Voices of HBCU presidents. Negro Educational Review, 64(1–4), 119–134.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Herder and Herder.
Gasman, M. (2010). Comprehensive funding approaches for historically Black colleges and universities. Retrieved from http://www.gse.upenn.edu/pdf/gasman/FundingApproachesHBCUs.pdf
Gasman, M. (2012). HBCU presidents and social media. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marybeth-gasman/hbcu-social-media-use-_b_1856214.html
Gasman, M. (2016). HBCUs’ self-imposed leadership struggles. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2016/09/02/boards-hbcus-should-not-micromanage-their-presidents-essay
Gasman, M., & Bowman, N. I., II. (2011). How to paint a better portrait of HBCUs. Academe, 97(3), 24–27. Retrieved from http://www.aaup.org/article/how-paint-better-portrait-hbcus#.Ui2n3DZOOg1
Gasman, M., & Commodore, F. (2014). The state of research on historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Journal for Multicultural Education, 8(2), 89–111.
Goleman, D. (2000). Leadership that gets results. Harvard Business Review, pp. 2–16.
Heifitz, R., Grashow, A., & Linsky, M. (2009). The practice of adaptive leadership: Tools and tactics for changing your organization and the world. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
Meggett, L. L. (1996). The HBCU presidential pressure cooker. Diverse Issues in Higher Education, 13(13), 26.
Minor, J. T. (2008). Contemporary HBCUs: Considering institutional capacity and state priorities. Retrieved from http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/scmsAdmin/uploads/002/151/MINOR_Contemporary_HBCU_Report_2008.pdf
Morgan, J. (2015). Flat organizations. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2015/07/13/the-5-types-of-organizational-structures-part-3-flat-organizations/#5dcc2f476caa
Nelms, C. (2014). HBCUs: Over-governed and under-led. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charlie-nelms-edd/hbcus-overgoverned-and-un_b_5153102.html
Pratt, M. L. (1991). Arts of the contact zone. Profession: Modern Language Association, pp. 33–40.
Preiss, A., & Molina-Rey, C. (2007). Leadership training for managers: An Adlerian approach. Journal of Leadership Studies, 1(1), 10–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/jls.
Sadler, P. (2003). Leadership (2nd ed.). London: Kogan Page.
Scott, S. (2002). Fierce conversations. New York: Viking Press.
Seltzer, R. (2017). Swift and silent exits. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/06/07/spate-presidents-fired-early-tenures-few-reasons-why
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Broussard, W., Fletcher, V., Wiggins, U. (2019). When Leadership Goes Wrong: Implications for Effective Leadership Practices for HBCUs. In: Palmer, R., Preston, D., Assalone, A. (eds) Examining Effective Practices at Minority-Serving Institutions. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16609-0_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16609-0_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-16608-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-16609-0
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)