Abstract:
Since their early days, community colleges have maintained a pivotal role as a provider
of education to the diverse populations they serve. Over the years, these institutions of higher
learning have been tasked with expanding access to education to those who had been denied
even the possibility on the basis of race, economic stability, and a host of other factors. As
leaders of these great institutions, community college presidents are seen as visionaries who are
called to serve as the bridge between their institution and the communities they serve. In the
past, the presidency has been a role largely reserved for White men with significant academic
experience alone; however, in recent decades, sitting presidents have begun to retire, leaving
institutional decision makers scrambling to identify new talent in a decreasing pool. While the
ranks of presidency have been diversifying, men and women from racially marginalized
communities still struggle to break through the glass ceiling.
Within this qualitative study, I employed an interpretative phenomenological analysis
approach to explore the lived experiences of African American males who have successfully
ascended to the role of community college president. The research question is how do African
American males experience their career progression to the role of community college president?
To address this question, eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with sitting African
American male presidents to understand their experiences. I applied a critical race theory lens to
understand how each participant narrated their career progression as Black men. The findings of
my study included five significant themes: (a) Black Experiences; (b) Can’t do it Alone; (c)
Pressure to Perform; (d) Finding the Path; and (e) Racism exists but not a Barrier. Each of the
findings represents acknowledgement of the challenges, opportunities, and experiences held by
participants throughout their career journey. The implications of this study include an
understanding that racism exists in the community college leadership structure and has an impact
on the career decisions of Black men. This structural racism has the potential to limit the
available talent pool for new community college presidents and must be addressed if these
institutions are going to continue doing the critical work of providing access to education for the
masses.
