Date of Award
Spring 2026
Degree Type
Honors College Thesis
Academic Program
Political Science BA
Department
Anthropology and Sociology
First Advisor
Dr. Amy Chasteen
Advisor Department
Anthropology and Sociology
Abstract
Student affairs is a field within higher education that works to support students’ out-of-classroom needs and provide them with a college experience that promotes holistic growth. This study examines the experiences of women leaders in student affairs at a mid-sized university in the southeastern United States and the opportunities and barriers they encountered in their pathways to their careers. Through in-depth, qualitative interviews, clear themes emerged regarding both facilitators of and challenges to their progression to leadership. Data show that their early life characteristics, self-perceptions, collegiate involvement, and mentorship were the largest catalysts in their career trajectories while the challenge of gender bias significantly impacted these practitioners’ experiences and hopes for the future. This research aligns with and elaborates on previous literature demonstrating that women enter student affairs in diverse ways and that additional work needs to be done to make this field more inclusive to women.
Copyright
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Recommended Citation
Lindsay, Amelia, "Women Leading in Higher Education: Exploring the Experiences of Women Leaders in Student Affairs" (2026). Honors Theses. 1120.
https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/1120