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"I Didn't Do it the Right Way": Women's Careers as Faculty in Higher Education Administration
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Haley, Karen J. |
| Copyright Year | 2012 |
| Abstract | This article explores the career paths of women faculty in Higher Education Administration graduate programs based on the results of a qualitative study of 18 faculty members at 14 different institutions. The majority of faculty members made their career choice during their undergraduate program, however, most participants in this study made their decision to follow a faculty career after entering a doctoral program or after completing their doctoral degree. Adding the post-doctoral decision point to Bowen and Schuster’s (1997) process of career choice acknowledges the contribution of seasoned professionals to the field of Higher Education Administration and reflects the flexibility of a career path that may be conducive for women as they navigate a faculty career and family obligations. Graduate education, in general, is criticized for not preparing graduate students appropriately for faculty positions (Austin, 2002; Gaff, PruittLogan, Sims, & Denecke, 2003; Golde & Dore, 2001; Hinchey & Kimmel, 2000; Nerad, Aanerud, & Cerny, 2004; Nyquist, 2002; Nyquist, Abbott, & Wulff, 1989; Nyquist, et al., 1999; Nyquist & Woodford, 2000). Most of these large scale studies did not seek to identify differences between men and women; however, there is research showing that women experience graduate school differently than men (Gardner, 2008; Glazer-Raymo, 1999; Hensel, 1991; Maher, Ford, & Journal of the Professoriate (6)2 2 Thompson, 2004; Wolf-Wendel & Ward, 2003). In addition, women do not seek faculty roles at the same rate as men and are still underrepresented in many academic disciplines (American Association of University Professors [AAUP], 2004; Perna, 2003). It is unclear whether it is the insufficient preparation, the personal experience of graduate school, or decisions prior to graduate school that influence women’s career choice of faculty careers. Women are equitably represented, at least at the assistant professor rank, in the field of Higher Education Administration (HEA) (U.S. Department of Education, 2002), a non K-12 program usually found in colleges of education. While this field can be studied as an exemplar for women faculty, it is a fairly unique professional field. HEA does not have undergraduate programs to feed into graduate programs (Tobin, 1998); master’s programs in HEA are primarily terminal degrees for practitioners of administration and may have a focus on student affairs, academic affairs, or general administration of the higher education system (American College Personnel Association [ACPA], 2005; Association for the Study of Higher Education [ASHE], 2005); and doctoral degrees lead to either continuing as a practitioner in higher education or as a faculty member in a graduate program. The path to a faculty career may therefore be structured differently than for other fields of study. It may be useful to take a step back from the educational preparation of future women faculty in HEA and look at how and when they make a choice to pursue an academic career, which may then help us better understand the role of graduate programs in the preparation of future HEA faculty. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to explore the choices and career decision points of women’s career paths as HEA faculty. Specifically, the research question for this article is: to what extent does the career path of women faculty members in Higher Education fit the current models of academic career choice? It is important to disaggregate women from the larger population as they have been shown to have different career needs than men (Almquist, 1974; Cook, Heppner, & O'Brien, 2002; Farmer & Associates, 1997). Understanding the career choices and overall career path of women faculty will contribute to better recruiting practices and more effective preparation of future faculty. Women Faculty Careers/Haley and Jaeger 3 Higher Education Administration and Women The context for the study is important because Higher Education Administration (HEA) is not a typical degree program that can be described by current research on graduate students and faculty preparation. The complexities of the field begin when defining potential students, as there are no undergraduate majors to feed into the graduate program (Dressel & Mayhew, 1974; Tobin, 1998) and graduate programs accept students from all undergraduate disciplines (Brown, 1987). This means that students enter graduate school with no common theoretical base and no shared perspective of the field (Golde & Walker, 2006; Tobin, 1998). Many students who receive their master’s degrees in higher education administration, student development or college student personnel, are seeking a professional degree in order to become a higher education administrator or a student affairs professional. If students choose to pursue a doctorate, they are often looking for advancement within their professional field and may be joined by students who have master’s degrees in other fields. Another complexity of the field is that there are typically two types of doctoral programs in Higher Education Administration; one is ―practitioner-based‖ and offers either an Ed.D. or Ph.D., and the other is ―research-based‖ and usually offers a Ph.D. For the purposes of this article, we refer to the research-based program as one that frequently draws students who are looking for faculty careers, however; in some cases the Ed.D. and Ph.D. programs are indistinguishable from one another (Golde & Walker, 2006). Finally, faculty members in both research-based and practitioner-based Higher Education Administration programs may hold either an Ed.D. or a Ph.D. degree. Because HEA is the context, there is little available literature that specifically addresses the experience of women in HEA graduate programs. The general studies of women in graduate school cite family issues as a major concern for women during graduate school (Adler, 1976; Hensel, 1991; Maher et al., 2004; Wolf-Wendel & Ward, 2003). Women in male dominated fields perceive less sensitivity by their faculty colleagues and administrators relative to family issues (Ülkü-Steiner, Kurtz-Costes, & Kinlaw, 2000). While mentoring is found to be beneficial for everyone (Antony & Taylor, 2001; Ellis, 2001; Haworth, 2000), selection of mentors may be challenging for women. When both genders are available for mentoring, women students choose women Journal of the Professoriate (6)2 4 faculty (Gilbert, 1985; Keith & Moore, 1995; Wolf-Wendel, 2000). However, they may not always have a choice and some women have doubts that male mentors will be helpful to them in their life choices (Bruce, 1995; Conners & Franklin, 1999); women mentors are perceived to have more concern for their welfare (Schroeder & Mynatt, 1993). Although, some studies show that women take longer to complete advanced degrees because of external obligations (Maher et al., 2004), others show no significant differences in time to completion (Seagram, Gould, & Pyke, 1998). Academic Career Path The graduate student literature does not provide answers to the connections between women’s experience in graduate school and their career choices, possibly because it is assumed that the choice of an academic career is made prior to entering a doctoral program. Two independent types of career decisions are relevant for prospective faculty, the choice of disciplinary field and the choice of an academic career (Finkelstein, 1984). In addition there are two components that shape career decision-making, early developmental experiences and career specific sources of influence (Finkelstein, 1984). Most students choose their discipline during their early undergraduate years (by choosing a major) and up to 66% make the decision to become faculty by the time of their undergraduate graduation (Lindholm, 2004). Several studies cite the influence of undergraduate advisors and instructors on an individual’s choice to attend graduate school and seek an academic career (Antony & Taylor, 2001; Bess, 1978). Students identify a variety of reasons for pursuing a faculty career including, desire for knowledge/research, desire to teach, engage in creative work, contribute to the discipline, contribute to society through service, interact with interesting people, and engage in meaningful work (AAUP, 2004; Austin, 2002; Corcoran & Clark, 1984; Golde & Dore, 2001). While some of the literature may infer prospective faculty make career choices at different points, there is little that addresses alternate paths to the professoriate. Bowen and Schuster acknowledge three additional career decision points beyond undergraduate studies (Bowen & Schuster, 1997). The first decision point happens during undergraduate education for the individual who develops a ―taste for serious learning‖ as an undergraduate and is encouraged by his or her faculty to continue Women Faculty Careers/Haley and Jaeger 5 immediately into graduate school and the academic life. The second decision point happens after a person completes an undergraduate degree, attains a job outside academe and misses the learning environment, choosing to return to graduate school and begin an academic career. The third point may happen for an individual after he or she enters graduate school with the intent to complete an advanced degree and return to practice as a professional, but instead decides on an academic career. These additional decision points are important, not only to accurately describe the career choices of faculty members, but also to show future faculty that there are valid alternative paths. In particular, women have competing demands on their lives and if they perceive they can only choose the academic career path at one point of time in their lives, they may never consider the option of returning to a graduate program and academia. While the model assists in the broader view of the academic career choice, it does not fully explain how and why career choices are made, esp |
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| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1035&context=elp_fac&httpsredir=1&referer= |
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| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
