Lonely at the Top?
Being president is arguably the toughest job on campus. But do women leadershave to overcome unique challenges?
By Patricia Valdata
That a college or university president has a challenging position is a no-brainer. Presidents (or chancellors, depending on the institution) get paid the big bucks to worry about the big picture: capital campaigns, attracting and retaining students, creating and sustaining quality academic programs, shared governance. It’s a demanding job even when everything goes well. And when problems arise, challenges can turn into controversies that make the job a lot less rewarding. When the controversies coincide with physical or mental illness, the outcome can be disastrous. Such was the case this summer, when University of California, Santa Cruz Chancellor Denice D. Denton, apparently suffering from depression, committed suicide.
For a university president to take such a drastic step is extremely rare. The vast majority of higher education leaders meet their challenges with energy and enthusiasm. But stress and controversy are an inescapable part of the job. And for womenor minority presidents, the inevitable skirmishes can take on a whole new dimension.
According to a survey published in 2002 by the American Council on Education, the number of female college presidents has more than doubled since the mid-1980s, from 9.5 percent to 21.1 percent. The percentage of minority presidents increased from 8.1 percent to 12.8 percent in the same period. Women were in the president’s office at 27 percent of two-year colleges and 18 percent of four-year schools. Of minority presidents, 6.3 percent were Black, 3.7 percent were Hispanic, 1.2 percent were Asian American and 1.1 percent were American Indian.
Are there challenges unique to women presidents? And are those challenges multiplied when those women also happen to be minorities? Diverse asked six minority women presidents these questions. While they have much in common, these women also bring unique experiences and skills to a very demanding and often lonely job.
