Ascension to the Presidency: A Descriptive Study of Female Presidents in the North Carolina Community College System

Abstract

The under representation of females in executive leadership positions in higher education such as president is well documented. Furthermore, the concept of women in leadership roles is new with much of the research taking place from the 1970s to the present. Until that time research on leadership in higher education was almost exclusively from the male perspective. Research regarding leadership and the career pathways females follow to attain leadership positions could benefit all in the higher education arena by introducing a new perspective. Moreover, the style of leadership employed by presidents who are females could help expand the definition of leadership.

The stories described by the participants in this study reveal that leadership is genderless. However, the participants in this study do lean to a particular style of leadership that has been described in the literature as feminine.

The career pathways chosen by the participants in this study as described by one participant, 'is no different' from the way males choose to secure executive positions in higher education or any other profession.