ASHE poster presentation, 11/2008

1. High Achieving
Academic Women:
Navigating Multiple
Environments
Monica Marcelis Fochtman
Michigan State University
ASHE, 2008

2. Background for the Study
 Research is focused on faculty or
K-12 administrators
 Experiences of women academic
administrators & student affairs
professionals unknown
 Current literature does not offer
tools or strategies

3. The Literature
 Academic motherhood
 (Armenti, 2004a, b, c; Mason & Goulden, 2002, 2004;
Ward & Wolf-Wendel, 2004a; Williams, 2004)
 High-achieving women
 (Astin & Leland, 1991; Gupton & Slick, 1996;
Matthews, 1995; Renn & Hughes, 2004)
 Work-life balance
 (Curtis, 2004; Drago, et al, 2005; Hochschild, 1989;
Hochschild, 1997; Ward & Wolf-Wendel, 2004b)
 Women and leadership
 (Funk, 2004; Glazer-Raymo, 1999; Hills & Rowan,
2002; Ritt, 2004)

4. Research Questions
 How do high achieving academic
women navigate their multiple roles
& environments?
 What navigational tools & strategies
do high achieving women utilize
which help them persist in the
academy?

5. Conceptual Framework
 Personal history & education
 Leadership training &
experience
 Mentors & support networks
 Work-life balance
 Motherhood (where applicable)

6. Feminist Methodology
“Feminist research seeks to respect,
understand, & empower women.
Therefore, feminist epistemologies accept
women’s stories of their lives as legitimate
sources of knowledge, & feminist
methodologies embody an ethic of caring
through the process of
sharing those stories.”
(Campbell & Wasco, 2000, p. 778)

7. Methods
 Participants solicited from list of
attendees at ACE State Conference
 E-mail messages were sent to
Presidents, Vice-Presidents/Provosts,
Assistant Vice Presidents/Provosts,
Deans, & Directors
 In-depth, one-to-one interviews
 5 in-person interviews, 5 phone
interviews

8. Participants
 10 participants
 4 under age 50; 6 aged 50 & older
 Represent various institutional types
 Academic administrators & student
affairs professionals
 9 participants were married
 7 participants were mothers; 4 had
children still at home

9. Limitations
 Leadership was defined as positional
 Only one participant identified as
homosexual
 Only one participant was African-
American
 All participants were either married or
partnered

10. “Younger” Participants
 Abagail- 39 years old, married with 2 school-
aged children. Dean of Technology at career
college.
 Sally- 45 years old, married, 2 school-aged
children. Exec. Dir. of Continuing Ed. at large,
Master’s college.
 Sylvia- 47 years old, married with 3 children.
Tenured professor & Director educational
leadership prog. at large, doctoral research
univ.
 Theresa- 47 years old, married with 1 child.
Interim Assoc. Provost at large, doctoral
research university.

11. “Older” Participants
 Abby- married with 3 grown children.
Dean of Stud. Services at medium, rural,
2-yr. college. 53 yrs. old
 Anne- Married & child-less by choice.
Dean of General Ed. at career college. 55
yrs. old
 Jill- Lesbian currently in long-term
relationship, no children. Assist. VP for
Acad. Affairs at large, Master’s college.
56 yrs.old

12. “Older” Participants
 Karyn- married with 3 grown children.
Dean of General Ed. at career college. 52
yrs.old
 Suzanne- married with 2 grown children.
VP for Instl. Service & Technology at
medium, rural, 2-yr. college. 56 yrs.old
 Tatami- recently married. Childless, but
not by choice. VPSA at large, 4-yr., high
research university. 50 yrs.old

13. Findings
How are they doing it?
 Being tapped for leadership
 Leaning on mentors & support networks
 Striving for work-life balance
Why are they doing it?
 Pay it forward
 Surviving the crucible

14. Being tapped for Leadership
“I know she is grooming
me to be her potential
successor. She is gently
guiding my career.”
- Abagail

15. Mentors &
Support Networks
“It’s always that give and
take, and if you are
open to it, it’s all there.”
–Suzanne

16. Mentors &
Support Networks
Younger participants
 Wanted mentors to guide them
through transitional times
 Support “networks” were
individuals outside the academy
 Professional organizations kept
participants current, but did not
offer personal support

17. Mentors &
Support Networks
Older participants
 Felt adrift- lack of professional
organization or network which fits
current life and career stage
 As career progresses, networking more
meaningful than mentoring
 How does the academy assist older
professionals at end of their careers?

18. Striving for Balance
“If I had a wife, I’m sure my
book would have been
published years ago.”
–Theresa

19. Pay it Forward
“I think at this point,
I AM the mentor.”
–Karyn

20. Surviving the Crucible
“When you’re 17 years old &
you’re being told that your arm is
going to be amputated & by the
way, you might not live, it gives
you a whole different
perspective on life.”
–Jill

21. How do Mothers Navigate?
“It isn’t guilt, its envy. I see
moms with their kids in the
grocery store, and I think,
‘That looks good.’ It just
seems so normal.”
–Sally

22. Rewards of Motherhood
“I can’t imagine life without
having had a child. And, I think
that has made my life richer,
and my professional
life richer.”
–Theresa

23. Obstacles & Challenges
“An obstacle for me has been
other people’s expectations about
what ‘good mothers’ are. Mothers
have a certain profile; they are not
in high ranks in an organization.”
-Abagail

24. Implications
 Women persist in spite of academic
culture, not because of it
 Need for mentoring & support
throughout career
 Important to retain current
generation to serve as role models
for future women

25. Future Research
 High achieving academic & student
affairs administrators
 Women student affairs
administrators with children
 Role of professional organizations
in career development
 Mentoring across the life-span