PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC BACKGROUNDS OF FEMALE CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICERS IN EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES: PART I

Abstract

Women account for over 50% of all undergraduates, and one third of all faculty in the United States (CitationAmerican Council on Education, 2000; CitationNational Center for Educational Statistics, 2000). But in 1995 women held only slightly more than 16% of chief executive positions in higher education in the U.S. (CitationL. Knopp, 1995). CitationB. D. Cejda, W. B. Bush, and K. L. Rewey (2002) reported that 14% of chief academic officers in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) were women, whereas women chief academic officers in non-CCCU institutions totaled 26%. The research reported in Part I of this paper describes personal characteristics and experiences of female chief academic officers in selected Christian institutions of higher learning. Variables in the study included demographic background, early socialization, education, feminine roles, and tokenism. The majority grew up in two-parent families, participated in extracurricular activities during high school, and identified mentors who contributed in significant ways to their development. About half were children of college-educated parents and about half were first-generation college goers. Educational aspirations were influenced and shaped by a combination of factors, which include parents, educators, ministers, and the expectations of the individual. The experiences of these women exemplify American and Christian ideals such as individualism, hard work, responsibility, faith, and individual productivity.

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