Personal Journeys of White Male Leaders in Higher Education to Become Advocates for Diversity ...

259 Pages·2017·1.41 MB·English

by  Johnson, Craig R

Leading with Privilege:
Personal Journeys of White Male Leaders in Higher Education
to Become Advocates for Diversity, Equity and Social Justice

A Dissertation
SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF
THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
BY

Craig Johnson

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

Rebecca Ropers-Huilman, Ph.D., Advisor

May 2017
© Craig Johnson 2017
i

Acknowledgements
This has been a long journey and I owe a great deal to my wife Sally who has
always believed in me, and to my sons Travis and Zack who tolerated the necessary
sacrifices along the way. I am also grateful for a strong network of extended family,
friends and colleagues who provided support and encouragement. I want to thank the
members of my dissertation committee and I owe a special debt of gratitude to three
faculty in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development who
served as advisors during my master’s and doctoral programs – Melissa Anderson,
Darwin Hendel and Rebecca Ropers-Huilman. Their patient guidance over the years has
made this accomplishment possible. Most important, I am tremendously grateful for the
twenty presidents and chancellors who agreed to participate in this study. Despite their
busy schedules, they gave me their time and attention and trusted me with their personal
stories to help me understand their journeys to become successful advocates for diversity,
equity and social justice. While their achievements, sense of humanity, and personal
commitment to diversity is humbling, they provide much-needed role models and an
inspiration for my own journey toward greater understanding of self and service to others
in my higher education work.
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Abstract
With the growing participation of under-represented groups in American higher
education, it is more important than ever that college presidents position diversity issues
as a high priority on their leadership agenda. Given the continuing dominance of white
males in college presidencies, it is especially important that white male leaders develop a
greater awareness and understanding of diversity issues and the varying life experiences
of different populations while also acknowledging and assessing the impact of their own
personal identity and life experience on their leadership actions, practices and behavior.
This study examines twenty white male presidents and chancellors who have established
a reputation as effective advocates for diversity, equity and social justice. Findings from
interviews with each president are compared with existing research to explore three key
aspects: life experiences that inspired them to become involved in diversity issues;
strategies and activities to develop greater awareness and understanding of diversity; and
actions and strategies to develop successful diversity initiatives in their institution and
community. In the end, this study documents ways that a white male leader can use his
personal status as an asset in diversity work while at the same time actively working to
acknowledge and address potential challenges of personal identity that may hinder efforts
to ensure his institution provides access, equity and inclusion for all.
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................. i

Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii

Chapter I – Introduction .......................................................................................................1

Diversity in Higher Education and Society .............................................................3

The Challenges and Opportunities of Diversity .......................................................4

The Role of College and University Presidents .......................................................6

Statement of the Problem .........................................................................................8

Chapter II – Review of Literature ......................................................................................11

Life Experience ......................................................................................................11
Development of Self ..................................................................................12
Timing of Life Experience .........................................................................18
Personal Narrative ......................................................................................24
A Developmental Framework of Life Experience .....................................28

Development of Racial Awareness and Action .....................................................32
Racial Identity ............................................................................................36
Strategies and Activities to Develop Awareness .......................................44
Converting Awareness into Action ............................................................51

Summary ................................................................................................................56

Chapter III – Conceptual Framework ................................................................................58

Process Map ...........................................................................................................59

Key Factors ............................................................................................................61

Positionality ...........................................................................................................64

Definition of Key Terms ........................................................................................66

Chapter IV – Methodology ................................................................................................76

Design of the Study ................................................................................................76

Participant Selection ..............................................................................................77

Data Collection and Analysis.................................................................................81

Trustworthiness ......................................................................................................83

Research Limitations .............................................................................................84

Chapter V – Analysis of Findings: Motivation ..................................................................85

Motivating Influences ............................................................................................85
Life Experience ..........................................................................................92
Summary of Motivating Influences ...........................................................97
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Motivation Theory .................................................................................................98
Markus’ Theory of Self-Knowledge ..........................................................98
Interactions with Others ...........................................................................101
Life Experiences ......................................................................................104
Personal Narrative ....................................................................................112

Summary of Study Data Compared to Motivation Theories ...............................115

Chapter VI – Analysis of Findings: Awareness and Understanding ...............................118

Summary of Strategies to Develop Understanding and Awareness ....................141

Awareness and Understanding Theory ................................................................142
Privilege Theory.......................................................................................142
Racial Identity theory ...............................................................................146
Reflection .................................................................................................153
Interactions with Students ........................................................................160

Summary of Relevant Awareness Theories .........................................................162

Chapter VII – Analysis of Findings: Action ....................................................................164

Personal Aspects ..................................................................................................165

Building Relationships .........................................................................................183

Using Positional Influence ...................................................................................193

Use of Data ..........................................................................................................195

Working Within the System.................................................................................197

Summary of Effective Action Strategies .............................................................211

Action Theory ......................................................................................................213
Personal Identity Theory ..........................................................................214
Interpersonal Approach ............................................................................216
Operational Approach ..............................................................................218
Transformational Approach .....................................................................219
Cultural Humility Theory ........................................................................221
Ways of Being/Ways of Doing ................................................................222
Summary of Relevant Action Theories ....................................................223

Chapter VIII – Conclusion ...............................................................................................225

Significance of the Findings ................................................................................233

Further Research ..................................................................................................235

Closing Comments ...............................................................................................239

References ........................................................................................................................241

Appendices .......................................................................................................................247

Appendix A: Consent Form .................................................................................247

Appendix B: Interview Protocol and Questions ..................................................250
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Chapter I
Introduction
The United States entered the current millennium on a wave of growing diversity
comparable to the social and cultural change brought about by the influx of immigrants in
the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries (The Social Capital Community
Benchmark Survey, 2000). Significant demographic changes are underway in the
American workforce: people of color make up 36% of the U.S. labor force; the
percentage of women in the workforce grew from 30% in 1950 to nearly 50% in 2012,
with women of color making up a third of that group; and gay and transgender workers
represent 6% of today’s workforce (Burns et al., 2012). A similar increase in diversity is
evident in the demographics of higher education. By 2020, projections indicate that
minority students will make up nearly half of the U.S. public high school graduates,
primarily due to increased numbers of Latino and Asian graduates and decreasing
numbers of white graduates (Lipka, 2014). Minority student enrollment in college is also
growing: the percentage of black high school graduates going on to college increased 5%
over the past decade and college enrollment of Latino high school graduates increased by
14%, while the level of white student college enrollment has remained steady (Lipka,
2014).
Given its significant impact on individual advancement, social change, and
economic growth in the U.S., higher education has a responsibility to advance diversity,
equity and social justice initiatives in order to respond to the needs of an increasingly
diverse population of students and stakeholders (Association of American Colleges and
Universities, 2014). Institutions are increasing their focus on diversity and equity issues
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to ensure access and inclusion for all and to demonstrate a growing commitment to the
principle that diversity is critical to a successful democracy, a democratic workforce and
the economic success of the nation (Association of American Colleges and Universities,
2014). The economic future of the U.S. is dependent on a globally competitive
workforce made up of educated and culturally and racially aware people of all races and
ethnicity (Kirwan, 2004) as well as genders, abilities, religions and social classes – and
colleges and universities are expected to help develop this modern workforce now and in
the extended future.
There is also growing recognition that all students benefit from increased
diversity (Kirwan, 2004) - not only through positive intellectual and social outcomes in
the classroom, but also from the impact of diversity on individual cognitive development,
as indicated by Anderson (2008):
The presence of minority students in a group of White students leads to a greater
level of cognitive complexity. In addition, the racial diversity of a student’s close
friends and classmates has a greater impact on IC [integrative complexity] than
does the diversity of the discussion group. This latter finding implies that
prolonged contact may have a stronger effect on cognitive complexity than does
singular or intermittent contact (p. 93).
The common perception that increased diversity results in losses or sacrifices for white
people is consistently countered by research evidence and personal testimonials that
document the benefits of diversity in life experiences for all people.
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Diversity in Higher Education and in Society
While growing diversity presents new demands on higher education to serve a
broader base of people, diversity is about more than demographics and numbers of
students, faculty and staff on campuses. As Smith (2009) stated:
Diversity is a powerful agent of change. Indeed, diversity is an imperative that
must be embraced if colleges and universities are to be successful in a pluralistic
and interconnected world . . . the dynamics of diversity are reshaping the world
and its institutions with equal impact. Like technology, diversity offers
significant opportunities to fulfill the mission of higher education and to serve
institutional excellence, albeit in new ways (p. 3).
Diversity has the potential to act as a “powerful facilitator” that impacts an institution’s
mission, capacity and “the ways in which [institutions] are designed and function”
(Smith, p. 3). The issue is not simply whether our campuses can become sufficiently
diverse to mirror their social and cultural context. Rather than merely aspiring to mirror
the social context of higher education, institutions must strive to model how embracing
and institutionalizing diversity changes our campuses and higher education for the better.
The contemporary picture of diversity is quite complex, with multiple aspects
ranging from demographics, to political and economic elements, to social and
institutional policies and practices. For example, the increased diversity in the U.S.
population is partly the result of the influx of immigrants and refugees from Asia, Mexico
and Central America, and Africa, with each sub-population of newcomers having a strong
desire to retain a cultural identity in their new home (Fredrickson, 2010; Smith, 2009).
Multiple ethnic, religious and cultural identities are also present within each group,
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magnifying the diversity of these new populations. In addition, political and economic
components add greater complexity, with inequities driven by race, poverty and control
over resources and opportunities increasing the potential for conditions that contribute to
social and institutional instability (Smith, 2009). In short, higher education is not simply
challenged to accommodate and include a wider variety of people - it faces new
economic, political and social issues that require new thinking.
As the population of the United States becomes more diverse and the proportion
of white people decreases, longstanding issues of racism, civil rights and white privilege
often become more evident in the increasingly diverse contexts of higher education.
Active engagement at a broad national level is critical to achieving genuine inclusion,
requiring an intentional and deliberate effort driven by a sense of conscious social
responsibility:
The United States stands as perhaps the most racially and ethnically diverse
country in the world. Its obligation to demonstrate both the power of diversity
and the possibility of developing a pluralistic society that works is crucial in
creating a model for what can be done (Smith, 2009, p. 10).
Colleges and universities must respond to diversity for reasons beyond the campus and
curriculum, as the institutions serve as both models and proving grounds for new
intellectual and social ideals and practices that can increase racial awareness and
positively impact and change society (Trepagnier, 2006).
The Challenges and Opportunities of Diversity
Increased diversity in higher education can positively affect society in a number
of ways. The opportunity to confront racism and educate people about the history of