Contesting the Terrain of the Ivory Tower: Spiritual Leadership of African American Women in the Academy

This study examines the leadership of three African-American women administrators in higher education, and how they have used their spirituality as a lens to lead in the academy. The central questions in this case study include: How do African-American women make meaning of their spiritual selves in their everyday leadership practices? How does their spirituality influence their work and the type of relationships they develop with others in the academy? What are the ways in which these three women have used their spirituality as a lens to lead, and how does this leadership impact the social, cultural and political construct of a male-dominated arena?

Rochelle Garner is Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership in the College of Education and Human Services at Wright State University.